It is becoming very hard to get excited about All Star Weekend. As with all sports, the All Star Game reduces the game of hockey to a gimmick. And this year’s version of the Mid Season Classic is missing a great deal of star power with the likes of Ovechkin, Crosby, and Lidstrom at home. I do give the NHL some credit though for trying to make the event more exciting. Brendan Shanahan had a great idea with the Fantasy Draft idea, although I do not think it has worked out as planned. Last night’s draft had its moments, but for most of the time it was rather boring.
So what else can be done? Here are some ideas:
1) Pick Better Captains- Chara was incredibly dull, Lupul was too angered by the hostile Ottawa fans, and Lundqvist served no purpose. I understand why they selected the Captains they did (by a player vote), but if the Fantasy Draft is going to work, it needs to have better personalities at the microphone. In the future, they should go with the host team superstar and then league should choose the other Captain. I think Patrick Kane would have been great last night, and of course if he were there, Alex Ovechkin would have been hilarious.
2) Make it a Winter Classic Event- The whole point of having an All Star Game midseason is to showcase the league, but the Winter Classic has taken over that role. So why not put the All Star Game at the Winter Classic? It would be really cool if the Winter Classic were held on January 1st and pitted the host city (since it must be determined long in advance) against the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Then on January 3rd, have the All Star Game on the outdoor rink.
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