Quick Hit: Kulemin, Stralman Returned to Marlies

The All Star game will never go away. You know if they got rid of it, they would bring it back with some new hype to it. Maybe that could be a good thing…to take it away for a few years.

I also liked the skills comp when i was 5, and the game was fun to watch too. And like every other hockey loving adult i think its a joke now. But i think we need to suck it up on this one because there will always be people who are 5 years old watching this game and, moving forward, they’ll be the ones that keep the game alive.

The All-Star game has turned more in to a simple event to promote the game – there is no meaning to it. There have been great suggestions in the past on how to give it some meaning – particularly allowing it to decide home ice advantage in the finals – but if they go down that road they need to scrap the fan balloting. Or at least allow the fans to vote but make their votes inconsequential – either by frauding the system or over-riding their votes by player/team/industry votes. Lose the whole “one player from each team” format. No Toronto Maple Leaf deserved to attend this year’s festivities.

But I have to admit, I still enjoy the skills competition and its getting more entertaining every year. The events need to be more entertaining and less a showcase of typical in-game situations and more a display of the skill and inventiveness that could transpire during any hockey game (see Ovechkin’s bunt attempt from last year).

Instead of the typical four corners accuracy shot, I’d like to see some mechanism that makes the targets pop up randomly and the player only has a few moments to shoot – just for fun, make one of the targets Gary Bettman – and make sure the targets really explode on impact.

What about a fiercest hit competition where a player takes a number of strides and slams into a boxing bag stationed next to the boards that can read the force of the hit – if the force is high enough the glass shatters by way of a trigger.

Alternatively, have the zamboni drive around with big targets painted on each side. Give the player 8 pucks in the center of the ice and have him chase the zamboni and try to hit the targets. Just don’t make the driver only drive a certain pattern.

A fighting competition would be awesome, not player against player, but against a dummy a la Rock em Sock em robots – after a number of well placed hits the head explodes off in to the air.

A goalie style competition would be cool where judges rate the complexity and skill of the goaltender’s actions. Amazing goalie saves are often the most “jump off the couch” moments of the game!

And damnit, I want to see a game of freeze tag out there amongst all of the smooth and slick skaters!

Finally, keep the youngstars game!! It’s often not greatly entertaining, but those players of the future NEED to be showcased in some fashion and I enjoy the three on three.

No, let shuffle sticks and play it outside. The out door game rocks…. Even better, Make it a chance to try out all the new rules, bigger nets, no touch icing, smaller pads… and of course add the electronic puck again hahahaha.. Something about the blue and lighning fast red streak was funny to watch hahaha

well im one who used to enjoy the all-star game. that was when they actually played hockey. they played the full game. there was actually hitting in the game. now it sucks. bring back the checking and hitting so its interesting. the all-star game is what gary bettman really wants in the nhl. maybe they should all be given purses and when they are within a foot of each other they can start swinging away at each other.