All-Star Thoughts...

The National Hockey League's big showcase weekend is here and the town of Montreal is buzzing with hockey super-star excitement. It's the one time every season where the NHL can put its biggest names on one sheet of ice at the same time. The problem is that some of the leagues top players are missing and also missing is my excitement for this event.

Why can't I get revved-up for this? After all, I am a huge hockey fan and fan of the NHL (although not obsessed as the line goes next to my photo), I love to watch up-tempo games (which is always the case with the actual game), and I certainly enjoy watching the best the league has to offer. I guess there one thing this weekend that I do consider a worth-while event. The skills competition is a fun event, kind of a neat and different look at what the players bring to the ice...but that's about it for me. So I guess you could say that I enjoy about one-third of the annual showcase.

I realize that there are fans out there that really eat this type of stuff up. But before the players convene to Montreal for the festivities, I am one of the fans that has already turned sour for the weekend. The selection process is really a non-laughable joke. The stating lineup, voted by the fans, is no more than a popularity contest. And every season there are always a handful of players that should not be on their respected teams, thus a handful of players who should be playing. I know in a lot of cases it is a tough call, but I guess I believe that the league could do a better job in making sure that all of the players are deserving. Eliminating the 'every team must be represented' rule is one step that could be taken to help turn the game into a true all-star event.

Another turn-off I have is the current format. From changing the way the selection process is handled all the way to when the event is held, there are areas that could be improved. I for one would like to see an end-of-the-season event, where players would have already finished their seasons grind and would have a nice break in their sights. Having players break near the mid-point of the season, when their respected clubs could possibly be in a dog-fight to make the playoffs, is asking a lot. Letting the players take a deep breath at the end of the season would allow them to possibly add more to the event.

One final note...it was announced that Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings will be suspended one game each for not participating in this years All-Star event. This was another brilliant league-strengthening move made at last years general managers meetings, and Bettman imposed the rule to 'legitimize injury claims and improve All-Star Weekend attendance.' And to top it off, Nicklas Backstrom, of the Washington Capitals, is sitting out the YoungStars Game and will not be disciplined. Backstrom went as far as saying, "I can assure Caps fans that I am not injured". Colin Campbell stated that in the future, the attendance policy may include the YoungStars Game as well. This is just another example in a long list of decisions that have been made, showing that the league seems to always be 'sweating the small stuff' instead of rolling up their sleeves and concentrating to what is important.

Again, a big congrats to our Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom, for making the Western Conference team. It was well deserved and I hope he enjoys himself.