38 replies to this topic

[WorkingOvertime]

IMO the game does not need to be fixed. The All-Star weekend is for the players and I think it serves them well. Most players need a rest mid-way through the season, and the break gives them that rest. For the players chosen for the All-Star game, it is an 'award' for many players that will never win an individual award at the NHL level. For these reasons, the All-Star game serves the players well.

The All-Star game is also an attraction for the host city. Hosting the weekend brings a lot of excitement to a city, especially the northern cities that often lack events in the winter.

For the fans, the All-Star game seems to appeal to children more than adults. That is fine IMO, but the weekend does lose its allure as one gets older. However, I still plan to watch the skills-competition and the game. I'm not necessarily excited for the game, but it does interest me more than most non-Wings regular season games.

IMO having the winner decide home-ice advantage would be a mistake. That honor is earned by an individual team, not the conference. Further, that would increase the probability of an injury for the game. While the All-Star game is best when competitive for the fans, removing the 'break' for the all-stars would be a mistake IMO.

[GoWings1905]

The baseball concept is one of the worst ideas in sports history. It would be even worse in hockey because home ice means more than in a baseball game.

Like most people here, I have no interest and won't watch tomorrow. I wouldn't care if they got rid of the ASG altogether and just gave the players a weekend off.

[Yzerfan1999]

Just have the guys throw their sticks in the middle like shinny.

I also like the earlier mentioned suggestion of having two lucky fans draft the teams and make up the lines.

[MulesWillFly93]

I don't think it can be fixed - there's only so much excitement you can inject into a game that pretty much doesn't matter. It's just an exhibition game, and it doesn't really showcase the players' skills all that well, at that. As far as "big games" go, I like the Winter Classic 100 times better, and I think it shows what hockey's all about a lot better, too - teamwork, rivalry, tradition, that sort of thing. I think it was wise to find a format that's better than the ASG and just go with that, rather than trying to artificially pump up something that's just not all that exciting or representative of the sport.

I do like the changes Shanny & co. have made; I like how the draft lets you see a different group of guys playing together each year (I'm kinda glad that Malkin's playing with Datsyuk this year - wouldn't have happened under the WC-EC format), and the show gives you at least a little insight into the players' personalities, which is no small feat considering what tough nuts hockey players are to crack in general. I think the skills comp changes make it a little more fun and a little less serious, so I'm cool with that. The game itself is just going to have to stay the same - it's probably my least favorite part of the whole weekend, but I don't know what they're going to do about that. I'm happy with their efforts to make the weekend more fun, and I don't blame them at all for not finding a way to fix the actual game.

[55fan]

How do you fix the All-Star game? Bribe the goalie who plays third. Bet heavily against his team. Bribing a few star forwards can't hurt either for insurance. If you still need more, bribe the equipment manager into weakening a few sticks (darn composites, they break at the worst times).

Do people even bet on the All-Star game?

[puckloo39]

they could invite actual stars of the league instead of politicizing the event beyond recognition. I haven't watched it in about 10 years. It's become a farce.

I would make it an actual competition again, and eliminate the fan votes.

[LeftWinger]

Two ideas, one speculative and a bit unfair, but would balance itself out and would make players more interested. The other idea purely to increase fan interest.

1) Make the host city play their team against the leagues best: Ottawa vs NHL All Stars. Next year in New York, say, New York Rangers vs NHL All Stars. Unfair on the home team as they have to play an extra game in the year, plus it means less good teams would get pummled, but it'd be more exciting to see a good team play the league's best. Or how about the Stanley Cup winner (so therefore with a pretty good team to begin with), vs the all stars? Boston vs. NHL All Stars is a game I'd watch. Would make the players work harder to get one over on the champions, or to show that they really are the league's best. Just a though but as I said, unfair.

2) Make the tickets all $10. It's not as though the game is needed to keep the league afloat financially. Why not give something back to the fans who want to see it?

Interesting idea, but what happens next year when the ASG is in Columbus? The way the jackets are playing now, the All Star's will wind up winning 27-1....

I do recall back in the day, they used to have the defending Stanley Cup Champ playing a team of All Stars for this game. With free agency these days, I don't think you could do that because all the same players wouldn't be there.

I wouldn't mind seeing the team that is 1st overall in the NHL be the team playing a team of NHL All Stars during this game. I still think they would probably lose though...that is the thing about all star games in any sport, it's hard to make them interesting or exciting outside of just seeing a bunch of great players skate around on the ice. I think the best thing is to take the fans out of the selection process. Change the fantasy draft to the GM of the two leading teams in each conference pick the teams. Even if the fans don't have a say, I am sure they won't be disappointed in the resulting players that wind up being selected...and the players who are actually having an "All Star" season would be the ones who actually get recognized...

[chrisdetroit]

they could invite actual stars of the league instead of politicizing the event beyond recognition. I haven't watched it in about 10 years. It's become a farce.

I would make it an actual competition again, and eliminate the fan votes.

Exactly. The farce went to new heights when they put Crosby on the ballot when he had not even played a game.

[luvmnger]

i have had the idea of setting a over/under on this game for a while now.

you need to create a reason to win....make it pride.

27 years old cut off...old guys vs.new

this would bring a "personal" feel to the game in every aspect...the players would not want to be beat by the other team.

karlsson yandle letang edler

price elliot quick

benn sequin eberle landeskog couture kane neal giroux stamkos malkin hagelin perry kessel

that is just my "quick" take on the under 27 line up from this years game. looks impressive.

put job of assembling the all-star teams on the the shoulders of the 2 longest serving coaches. ( hitchcock, ruff ,trotz..etc...)

thats my take on a fix.

[CrimsonFlame]

Best way to improve it:

Cancel it.

Honestly all all-star games pretty much suck in every sport. The only one mildly interesting is the MLB game because it at least has a reward that matters in the end. Keep the skills competition though. That is fun to watch.

[irishock]

Fix the ASG by cancelling it.

[Barrie]

I don't think there's a problem with the All-Star Game(s). The thing is, they just don't appeal to people over the age of 14. Kids love it, and that's ok with me. They are what they are. Watch if you like it, do something else if you don't.

The only thing that's bad about All-Star Games is the World Series home field advantage in Baseball for the winning League. Those idiot fans that complained the 2002 Game ended in a tie should have kept their big mouths shut! All they did was ruin things!

[akustyk]

Fix the ASG by cancelling it.

the league needs the media spin created by this event. but it can't really be better...

the event itself... just watched the 3rd period.... holy cow, what a snooze fest. guys are under contract and don't want to risk any unnecessary injury
so everything is slooooooooow and eaaaasy, despite refs whistling no offsides whatsoever... I mean.... even Devils games back in dead puck era
were more exciting than this. yet, since there's no real rewards or incentives for the players, just unnecessary risks, there's no way of making it
entertaining any way.

[Hack & Whack Rule!]

I, personally, don't like how the All Stars are picked...it could easily become a popularity contest, rather than a "Mr. Awesome" contest. One surefire way to make any ASG better than this years, though, is to NEVER...EVER...allow Drake to be the entertainment.

[wings1110]

What you gotta do is put it in a hotbed market, like Columbus!!

[Jocke]

America vs. World

Anyone remember what it was like when they used that format? Did the players care more?

[Kira]

Forgive me if you think I am being cynical, but this is the first year I've watched it in eons. Know why??? NO Ovechkin or he who shall not be named. I'm so damned sick of hearing about nothing but them - you'd almost think they were going to report if one of them had the hiccups or something. It was refreshing to watch the game and know that those two media whores were not there. I didn't miss them at all, and if they were never there again, it would certainly not break my heart.

Sorry if you think I'm being snarky, but it's the truth.

[Uncle Danny]

Riding on what some others have already said, I love the draft idea. I'm not sure I'd buy into fan drafting -- can you imagine how lopsided some events would be when one fan knew his/her stuff and the other just got lucky in the lottery? Ugh. No thanks. What I think could be interesting is if they somehow found a way to decide on two "All Star" GMs, and let them draft.

Not only would this ensure that the players were being picked by someone who knows how to build a team, but would spark all sorts of buzz following. "OMG, Holland picked Weber first -- you just know he'll be making a play for him at the deadline!"

That said, I will admit that seeing players selected by their most elite peers is also pretty cool. For my part, I took more pleasure in following the drafts than I did from the game itself.

Other random thoughts;

* Remove fan balloting, as many others have mentioned. It's turned inclusion into a joke. The original premise was a decent one -- get the players on the ice that fans want to see play -- but it just plain hasn't worked. Axe it. Let the press and insiders decide. Maybe the fans get to vote on team captains or something.
* The kids versus the goats idea is an interesting one. Seeing the youngsters play the vets would be a blast, and would definitely up the compete level. This might have negative implications on the selection process, though.
* I love the idea, in theory, of sending one representative from each team to participate in each skills contest. But I fear it would make things damn near impossible to watch. Imagine sitting through 30 shot accuracy rounds, followed by tie breakers, etc. Way, way too long.

[LeftWinger]

Riding on what some others have already said, I love the draft idea. I'm not sure I'd buy into fan drafting -- can you imagine how lopsided some events would be when one fan knew his/her stuff and the other just got lucky in the lottery? Ugh. No thanks. What I think could be interesting is if they somehow found a way to decide on two "All Star" GMs, and let them draft.

Not only would this ensure that the players were being picked by someone who knows how to build a team, but would spark all sorts of buzz following. "OMG, Holland picked Weber first -- you just know he'll be making a play for him at the deadline!"

That said, I will admit that seeing players selected by their most elite peers is also pretty cool. For my part, I took more pleasure in following the drafts than I did from the game itself.

Other random thoughts;

* Remove fan balloting, as many others have mentioned. It's turned inclusion into a joke. The original premise was a decent one -- get the players on the ice that fans want to see play -- but it just plain hasn't worked. Axe it. Let the press and insiders decide. Maybe the fans get to vote on team captains or something.
* The kids versus the goats idea is an interesting one. Seeing the youngsters play the vets would be a blast, and would definitely up the compete level. This might have negative implications on the selection process, though.
* I love the idea, in theory, of sending one representative from each team to participate in each skills contest. But I fear it would make things damn near impossible to watch. Imagine sitting through 30 shot accuracy rounds, followed by tie breakers, etc. Way, way too long.

I said the same thing a little further up the page. They choose the coaches by who is ahead at the time, so why not choose the GM the same way and let him do the "draft."

You take the fans out of the equation by letting the 30 GM's choose the players and then the leading GM from each conference picks the teams. MAYBE, MAYBE if you want the fans to be involved somehow, they can choose the Captains and Alternates for the team, but even then we would see players there that don't really belong.

As for skills comp. I remember back in the mid 90's or so the NHL had each team do a skills comp. against each other's teammates to determine the fastest skater, hardest shot, etc... on that team, but for the life of me I don't know how they chose who went to the Skills Comp. at the All-Star Weekend. The only thing that I remember was the Fedorov had both the hardest shot and was fastest on the team one year. Again, I am not recalling how they chose who went because I know there wasn't 30 players doing each comp.

As for making the weekend more exciting, eliminate the skills comp. I am all for having a mini-Olympic type series of games over the weekend, with maybe 1 USA team, 1 Canadian team and 2 European teams all doing a GLI type format with 2 games both days. That would even make the players play with a little more intensity, but then again, you really don't want to get anyone hurt...

Edited by LeftWinger, 30 January 2012 - 05:03 PM.