For something that was supposed to be a showcase of the league’s talent, what NHL all-star game viewers got on Sunday was a load of half-assed crap.
I understand that players are not going to go out in an exhibition game with the same intensity as a game against a division rival, but this was pathetic.
Every player seemed to be coasting around, barely making any effort at all. When in defence that is understandable, but even on offence everybody looked lax.
But still, there were so many 2-on-1s, 3-on-1s and even the occasional 4-on-1 that it was like we were watching the end of team practice.
How can watching this crap be good for the game of hockey? Guys moving at half-speed, zero contact and everybody trying to show off by making two passes too many.
It’s time for this game to mean something, but that’s impossible to do unless you go to the MLB’s format of deciding home-field advantage for the final via the all-star result. That won’t work because of the current fantasy draft format, something that is currently the most interesting thing that NHL all-star weekend has going for it.
And as for Sunday’s other all-star game — the NFL’s Pro Bowl — don’t even get me started on that. At least the players involved get a free week’s worth of vacation in Hawaii as a reward. I’m sure anybody in the world would rather be in Honolulu than Ottawa.