No Red Wings on All Star starting line up

[Lilja 0]

Its hilarious that we all agree... the all-star break must be the most boring thing during the whole season. So I dont mind at all no.

[pjgj13 30]

It has become a joke like the baseball ASG. it is just a popularity contest. Didn't they have it where the only way to vote was at a regular season game? They didn't do these popularity contests online until recently.

[egroen 384]

Yup - I don't mind it at all. The ASG is boring and the voting is ridiculous. Hopefully this will cause them to make some major changes to the game as well as the voting, and if not I am just fine with the Wings staying home.

[Icesurfer 75]

Good..... like I said before..... Wings need the rest. But McLellan probably will pick Babcock as his assistant and Datsyuk probably will also be picked.... but I hope Lidstrom gets a rest.

[Zion 93]

Exactly. I won't shed any tears if Pronger or Needavacation^TM get all torn up during the ASG.

I'd better be collecting royalties.

[SFwingsfan 23]

I have a feeling this thread is going to die an untimely death (no offense to the starter as it's certainly a relevant topic) because most of us hardcore fans could really give a rats ass about this stupid game. Frankly, i'd rather see our best players rest and not risk any type of injury. As has been posted many times already, who won the Stanley Cup again? Thanks, that's what I thought.

[edicius 3,269]

Andreas Lilja is a forward? And playes in the East? Since when?

Oops, I must have screwed up something in my campaign to get Lilja voted in...

[miller76 463]

I think it's joke like everyone else here. If this stupid exhibition where everyone pulls a groin or sprains an ankle, wasn't a complete popularity contest, I may watch. But I refuse to watch players that are there by populararity only. Especially the Montreal players that wouldn't be there except for this centenial bulls***.

I am always paranoid of the thought of Lids, Dats or Z getting hurt in that game. This will be good. Montreal can have the all-star game this year, and Detroit can have the Cup again.

[henrik40 76]

The starting lineup for the west is a little ridiculous and basically shows why fans shouldn't be doing the voting but oh well. Give them the all-stars we'll have the cup.

[drwscc 212]

Glad I wasn't planning on watching this anyway. What a crock. Hopefully all the Wings will decide to stay home, and let the NHL have their 4 team all stars.

[TheSupafly 50]

It's nice to see your players in the all star game. It's all pretty meaningless in the end. The Cup is what matters....not that I should have to tell you all that.

[WingNut 25 5]

The article about the starters on ESPN.com said over 15 million votes came via text and 3.4 million via text in the last 5 days of voting. We all know that the Ducks and Hawks fans abused the text voting and exploited the forwarding option to essentially send thousands of text votes a day (if you don't know about this it has been posted on several different forums and threads). It is a total sham that this is such a big event because of the Canadiens' 100 anniversary season and yet FOUR teams are represented as starters. The NHL really needs to re-think the voting process.

[Electrophile 3,554]

While I would love to see some Wings in the starting line-up, it isn't a necessity. If the alternative is players getting rest and getting some time to relax before the 2nd half of the season, then so be it.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

It's all for fun, and the voting system is clearly all for fun too, as in the fun of making scripts and pushing for your team to get into the ASG in this manner. I don't see why we would be jealous of that. Who has the cup again? Let people have their fun. Yes the ASG is a joke but any all star game is rarely a joke. It's entirely for fun, so I don't see why people have to stress so badly about it.

What bothers me about it is the NHL actually goes to alot of trouble to promote this game and it's one of the rare occasions a non fan might tune in to check out a game. And what are they going to see? Mike Komisarek in the starting lineup? WTF business does Mike Komisarek have being on any All Star Roster, let alone the starting roster? It's a joke. I hate fan balloting. I agree with those who would rather see no Wings on the team for sake of injury or excess wear and tear. And I don't normally watch the game so I suppose in the end I don't care. But any "ASG" that has somebody like Mike Komisarek (who I love as a role player and 2nd pairing tough/shut down guy) starting on a roster that supposed to showcase talent and skill....well there's something seriously flawed about the whole thing.

[Cern 0]

What I find more laughable is that Crosby broke the voting record. He's been playing like s*** lately.

[Cern 0]

I would be content if none of the wings even played in the all-star game.

There HAS to be representatives from every team, so that's not happening no matter what.

[Electrophile 3,554]

What I find more laughable is that Crosby broke the voting record. He's been playing like s*** lately.

The same problem exists in the MLB with their All-Star game fan balloting. The fans don't really give a s*** about numbers, or who plays what position better than whom. They care about 2 or 3 things. Name recognition, name recognition, name recognition. They care about voting for whomever is cool to vote for at that time and nothing else. Sidney Crosby should only be at the All-Star game in 3 weeks to serve beer to the fans, not to play. There are a lot of deserving guys that get shafted because 80% of hockey fans are dumbasses.

[Cern 0]

The same problem exists in the MLB with their All-Star game fan balloting. The fans don't really give a s*** about numbers, or who plays what position better than whom. They care about 2 or 3 things. Name recognition, name recognition, name recognition. They care about voting for whomever is cool to vote for at that time and nothing else. Sidney Crosby should only be at the All-Star game in 3 weeks to serve beer to the fans, not to play. There are a lot of deserving guys that get shafted because 80% of hockey fans are dumbasses.

I personally spam-voted Avery and Phaneuf into the starting lineup in the hopes that the ASG will finally be interesting enough for me to bother watching it :X

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

Forget Sidney Crosby.

What the hell are Komisarek, Price, Giguere and others doing in the All-Star Game?

Fans should not be allowed to vote for anything sports related. Especially Montreal fans.

[RockyMountainWingGal 108]

The ASG is a joke, it's peoples favorite players, not the real allstars. A couple years ago when Perrault, and Doan and Smyth got in, I like that. Guys having great years get the recognition. Not voted in because of a name, Pronger and Lidstrom have been much better then Campbell and Niedermayer this season, yet are still leading the Wests defence.

But it's not even that. Do you think if all hockey fans each cast a single vote that guys like Getzlaf and Campbell would be the favorites? I don't. Obviously it's ballot stuffing/scripts by fans of some teams. I never watch the game - won't this year either. I'd say the NHL should address the issue, but nobody cares about the ASG anyways, so why bother...

[Spinner 6]

Why don't they do like in football and have the ASG game after the season is over.

[lets go pavel 2]

Just for discussion's sake, do you think someone like Komisarek is pleased to be voted in? On the one hand, being voted a starting all-star is supposed to be an honor, and I'm sure it's exciting to be at the game, playing with many of the biggest stars, etc. But he also has to be aware that he didn't actually earn the honor, he's only there because fans rigged the vote. Do you think it would bother someone to look around the room at the Crosbys and Ovechkins, etc, and realize you don't belong here?

[puckloo39 5,686]

The results of the voting shows which fan base has unlimited text messaging and/or no jobs or other life, IMO. Has nothing to do with which players "ought" to be there.

You all do realize that any dissembling on the parts of Red Wings fans, where we say we don't care and the whole thing is rigged, is seen as sour grapes? The *voting public* who stuffed the ballotboxes assume we are bitter that our guys didn't get voted in. Honestly, as I've said, if no Red Wings go, I am good with that. The ASG was a farce last season and really the past four or five seasons.

As you guys have said, we have the Cup. We have a whole team of real stars. Who cares about a purely PR weekend, aside from people in Montreal and a few fans of the guys voted in -- not NHL All Stars, by any stretch? If you want to watch for fun, fine. Otherwise, it truly signifies nothing in terms of talent and deservedness.

Hope Lids declines if he's selected. He looks tired this season.

Edited January 4, 2009 by puckloo39

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

Re: Komisarek.

They ran a story about the "voting" this morning on TSN. Komisarek said he got an email from the League reminding everyone that there is no body checking in the ASG. I think he was kidding. And he's been out for a month with a shoulder injury. I guess it could have been worse: the MTL fans could have started a write-in campaign for Maurice Richard.

[chrisdetroit 189]

The article about the starters on ESPN.com said over 15 million votes came via text and 3.4 million via text in the last 5 days of voting. We all know that the Ducks and Hawks fans abused the text voting and exploited the forwarding option to essentially send thousands of text votes a day (if you don't know about this it has been posted on several different forums and threads). It is a total sham that this is such a big event because of the Canadiens' 100 anniversary season and yet FOUR teams are represented as starters. The NHL really needs to re-think the voting process.

Agreed. I wish none of the Wings were going. I'd prefer they rested but it still pisses me off that it is so easy to cheat. How can the NHL be so clueless to allow fans to cheat so easily?