New NHL all-star format shows promise

The NHL has finally decided to change up the format of the annual All-Star game and go back to the basics. In previous years the game would be boring to watch because teams were picked based on which conference they were in and players were chosen from some committee members of the NHL. It seemed to turn into a game of egos with high scores and an “every man for himself” type of attitude.

Previously, avid hockey fans would much prefer to watch a playoff hockey game instead of the All-Star game. According to nhl.com, the television station Versus had 0.8 million American viewers watching the All-Star game in 2009 while NBC had a grand total of 3.4 million viewers watching the playoff series between the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Black Hawks in 2010. The All-Star games are comprised of the NHL’s best players, yet the statistics do not show it.

Perhaps because of the time off due to the Olympics, the NHL has had some time to re-think their approach to the All-Star game. This year instead of making the teams themselves, they have chosen a roster of players regardless of what conference they come from. The players then vote as to who they believe should be the two captains and co-captains.

The players have chosen Eric Staal and Nicklas Lidstrom as the two captains with Martin St. Louis, Patrick Kane, Ryan Kessler and Mike Green as the alternates.

This method makes things much more interesting to not only the players and the fans, but also the media.

Fantasy hockey pools are having a field day with this because they are predicting who is going to be on what team.

If one were to visit nhl.com they would be bombarded with online polls asking who they think is going to picked first, last, in what order, etc.

All this media hype has helped to spread awareness about the new format of the All-Star game, and get the fans excited about the upcoming event.

This much needed change to the All-Star game is a positive improvement to the NHL. We will just have to let this year’s television ratings speak for themselves.

Previously, avid hockey fans would much prefer to watch a playoff hockey game instead of the All-Star game. According to nhl.com, the television station Versus had 0.8 million American viewers watching the All-Star game in 2009 while NBC had a grand total of 3.4 million viewers watching the playoff series between the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Black Hawks in 2010. The All-Star games are comprised of the NHL’s best players, yet the statistics do not show it.

Perhaps because of the time off due to the Olympics, the NHL has had some time to re-think their approach to the All-Star game. This year instead of making the teams themselves, they have chosen a roster of players regardless of what conference they come from. The players then vote as to who they believe should be the two captains and co-captains.

The players have chosen Eric Staal and Nicklas Lidstrom as the two captains with Martin St. Louis, Patrick Kane, Ryan Kessler and Mike Green as the alternates.

This method makes things much more interesting to not only the players and the fans, but also the media.

Fantasy hockey pools are having a field day with this because they are predicting who is going to be on what team.

If one were to visit nhl.com they would be bombarded with online polls asking who they think is going to picked first, last, in what order, etc.

All this media hype has helped to spread awareness about the new format of the All-Star game, and get the fans excited about the upcoming event.

This much needed change to the All-Star game is a positive improvement to the NHL. We will just have to let this year’s television ratings speak for themselves.