So it’s the All-Star break, but as far as breaks go, the All-Star game sure doesn’t seem to get any.
.
Wherever you go to read about the game, inevitably you’ll hear the usual diatribes disparaging the game, saying it’s pointless and too much like shinny and no one wants to show up etc etc.
Wherever you go to read about the game, inevitably you’ll hear the usual diatribes disparaging the game, saying it’s pointless and too much like shinny and no one wants to show up etc etc.
How old does it get to hear the same talking heads say the same things every year? They completely miss the point. The All Star game is not for the guys who report on the NHL. It’s for the fans and mostly for the kids.
Just leave the damn game alone. “ It is what it is and it ain’t what it ain’t” to quote the great songwriter John Prine.
It may not be for the rabid fan who takes the NHL so seriously that he puts a fist through the wall when his favourite team loses but it’s still worth putting on. When I was a kid, the All-Star game was almost as good as the playoffs. The glitz and the players being announced to boos and cheers, depending on who it was and what city it was in. As I got older, I loved seeing guys like Mario Lemieux joking around with enemies like Chris Chelios and it was always worth a watch seeing Ray Bourque shoot out the targets and Al Macinnis unleash a demon slapshot that clocked in at over 100 mph in the skills competition.
Plus you’ve got to love a game where the goalies are finally helpless against the real attribute that the NHL should be marketing - skill.
Goalies may not like the game and that fact alone makes me happy. In fact, I’d like to see the league institute a special All-Star rule where the goalies have to wear pads the size they once wore in the 70’s and 80’s and then we’d see some real action.
Anyways, as long as the kids still like the game, it’s worth it for the NHL. God forbid the talking heads have to endure one weekend a year where they can’t dissect the gameplay like forensic scientists.
Just leave the damn game alone. “ It is what it is and it ain’t what it ain’t” to quote the great songwriter John Prine.
It may not be for the rabid fan who takes the NHL so seriously that he puts a fist through the wall when his favourite team loses but it’s still worth putting on. When I was a kid, the All-Star game was almost as good as the playoffs. The glitz and the players being announced to boos and cheers, depending on who it was and what city it was in. As I got older, I loved seeing guys like Mario Lemieux joking around with enemies like Chris Chelios and it was always worth a watch seeing Ray Bourque shoot out the targets and Al Macinnis unleash a demon slapshot that clocked in at over 100 mph in the skills competition.
Plus you’ve got to love a game where the goalies are finally helpless against the real attribute that the NHL should be marketing - skill.
Goalies may not like the game and that fact alone makes me happy. In fact, I’d like to see the league institute a special All-Star rule where the goalies have to wear pads the size they once wore in the 70’s and 80’s and then we’d see some real action.
Anyways, as long as the kids still like the game, it’s worth it for the NHL. God forbid the talking heads have to endure one weekend a year where they can’t dissect the gameplay like forensic scientists.
Other News:
It's interesting to note that James Mirtle posted a few words about how Alex Ovechkin is giving Vincent Lecavalier a run for the scoring race, the morning after Daniel Alfredsson took the outright lead himself. (Note: James commented that he did indeed mention Alfredsson in the article whereas I had said that he didn't. The point was that the way it was written seemed to omit Alfredsson because of the emphasis on Ovechkin and Lecavalier. Not that this is a real important issue, but it's important to get the facts straight. Anyways, go read the comments in Mirtle's post for the full "controversy"...] World War III just started in the comments section.
5 comments:
Alfredsson's mentioned in the entry.
Alfredsson for MVP. There's no question.
James, I was just pointing out that the post I read this morning didn't mention Alfredsson. It looks like you've rectified that with an editors note.
Obviously it's caused a reaction and I thought it was interesting to point out not because you omitted him but because of the reaction you were getting.
I've noticed that Senators fans are prickly when it comes to any perceived slight.
Fair enough, but Alfredsson was in the original entry, too. He was listed as one of a few players in the race for the Art Ross.
Okay, I'll make a note of that in the post.
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