VERSUS AllStar Confab w/ Doc & Eddie

Woot woot! HLOG has scored a sweet ASG exclusive from VERSUS. As part of the Hockey Blogger Insider's participation group, the Ladies received the following transcript of a conference call w/ ASG telecasters Doc Emrick and Eddie Olczyk. Hope you enjoy...

NHL ALL-STAR CONFERENCE CALL

Moderator: Katie Bradshaw, VERSUS
January 21, 2009
12:00 pm CT


Operator: Good afternoon my name is (Marlisha) and I will be your conference operator today. At this time I would like to welcome everyone to the NHL All-Star Game conference call. All lines have been placed on mute to prevent any background noise.

After the speakers remarks there will be a question and answer session. If you would like to ask a question during this time simply press star and the number one on your telephone keypad. If you would like to withdrawal your question press the pound key. Thank you Miss Bradshaw you may begin your call now.

Katie Bradshaw: Thank you. Hello everyone I’m Katie Bradshaw from the Versus PR department. I’d like to welcome everyone to the call. On Saturday January 24th at 7 pm Versus will televise the Honda NHL Super Skills Competition and on Sunday January 25th at 6 pm Easter Standard Time the network will air the 57th annual NHL All-Star Game.

Following the All-Star game on Sunday Versus will air a brand new episode of Sports Soup at 9 and our first live World Extreme Cage Fighting event of the year at 9:30.

On today’s call we have our on-air announce team for the All-Star weekend telecast, Doc Emrick the lead play by play announcer for Versus and Eddie Olczyk a former NHL player and coach who is also Versus lead analyst. We also have Marc Fein the Executive Vice President of Programming Production and Business Operations for Versus.

Marc, Doc, and Eddie will start off by giving a brief introduction and then we’ll open up to Q and A. Marc do you want to start?

Marc Fein: Sure thanks (Katie). You know we’re excited to be covering our third consecutive All-Star weekend coming up this weekend. We think it’s going to be a lot of fun up in Montreal with the history of their hundredth year anniversary, great place to hold it this year and really it’s come at a great time momentum wise for Versus and the NHL.

The NHL coming off a hugely successful winter classic we think is just terrific and with Versus our ratings are up in viewership almost 20% and overall last year Versus garnered the largest viewership gain overall among all cable sports networks in terms of households, viewers and key male demographics.

So with Hockey and everything else in the network really on the upswing with the winter classic and NHL it’s just a good time for the All-Star game to hit and as Katie mentioned we’re going to make a huge night on Sunday night out of it. In addition to the All-Star game showcasing one of our new shows Sport Soup which launched a few months ago and then a big WEC fight that night.

So just an overall great weekend for NHL All-Star and Versus and with that I’ll turn it over to Doc and Eddie.

Doc Emrick: I think the exciting thing about this and I think the one thing that will draw attention from around hockey is the fact that this is in Montreal and as Marc mentioned it’s the one-hundredth anniversary.

But it’s the notion of how Montreal does everything. They do it with class and appreciation for the history of the game and I can’t wait to see what they’re going to do just before the game starts. I don’t know what the presentation of the anthem will be like I’m sure it will be dramatic. But I know one thing there will be 21,273 there, which will set a record for attendance for an All-Star game.

In the past we’ve had some games that have been really high scoring. But as recently as Minnesota there were 10 goals, in Florida there were 11 and I’m not so sure that the score is ever that big a thing with us because we recognize that the game itself is highly offensive and is there to showcase the skills of the players.

I think the other thing that we enjoy about it so much is that every year we see these players in a role in which it’s different from the regular season and that the intensity is down to where they can converse without pressure, their families come in, they have a wonderful time spending the weekend on this and the show that they put on is a pretty entertaining one.

I’m looking forward to Scoop Super Skills in particular the slap shooting competition because we may actually have the record broken which was established in Montreal by Al Iafrate and probably my favorite quote from an All-Star weekend was Al Iafrate who came to Montreal.

That weekend he broke the record and he only brought three sticks with him and when asked why he would only bring three sticks to a whole weekend when you’re competing in the slap shot competition he said, “The sticks get jealous sometimes so you should only take three.” I hear Eddie Olczyk on the line I’m sure you have some thought too.

Eddie Olczyk: Thanks Doc. For me it’s a great thrill again to work with the Hall of Famer Doc Emrick and to be in center stage in Montreal and our staff and our leadership at Versus is really put in a 120% effort over the last couple of years and with Marc’s leadership and of course our coordinating producer Mike Baker at the helm of the people the men that work behind the camera and down on the truck really make this event go.

And Doc and I are lucky enough to work together and do these games and they really put everything over the air and I think they deserve a lot of credit and I know this year will be high expectations after last year and being in a place like Montreal you know one of the few hockey meccas there are in all the world and document how the (Montreal-cadians) have a way of putting on a show. And it’s an event and we have some of the greatest players in our game and some of the greatest players that have played in this sport for a long, long time will be at center ice in Montreal.

So it’s a great weekend, a great event and I know that the people at Versus are very proud to have this opportunity and for me it’s a great thrill to be able to work with Doc on these great events and as a player I was never lucky enough to play in an All-Star game I guess that’s probably for debate on players that should be there, could be there, might be there because of injuries but I’m really looking forward to being a very small part of a great night and a great weekend in Montreal.

Katie Bradshaw: Thanks so much. Operator we can open it up to Q and A now.

Operator: At this time I would like to remind everyone if you would like to ask a question please press star and the number one on your telephone keypad. We will pause for a moment to compile the Q and A roster.

Your first question comes from (Bill Dole) from - your line is now open.

(Bill Dole): Yes I wanted to ask you if you guys - what your take was on the Boston Bruins. Why they were so successful in the first half of the season and you think how tough will it be for them to keep it up in the second half with all their injuries.

Eddie Olczyk: (Bill) this is Eddie Olczyk. You know the Bruins you know for the longest time you know just playing a stingy defense, getting contributions from a lot of different players, the depth, the young players stepping in. You know you hear about the Savards and the Kessels you know but the way that Blake Wheeler has played, David Krejci has played.

You know the back end support that they have had back there you know even though with the injuries they’ve had for a long period of time with Andy Ference and Aaron Ward.

You know they‘ve had players step in there and do the job. I’m mean you have Chara and Wideman have played really well, the goal-tending tandem. You know as of late now you know they’ve hit a little bit of a stretch here where they’ve had some injuries and it’s tough to replace guys that are important guys in specialty teams.

And you know when you start getting out of line rotations I think (Quad) has done a tremendous job with staff there to get them to you know be at the very top for the majority of this season.

And consistency is such a thing that it is tough to - consistency you find a comfort zone and when you start playing within your system and you have contributions from a lot of different people, I don’t want to say it becomes easy but you become confident and consistent at the same time.

And I think the Boston Bruins have - to me is not a surprise because just to see how well they played last year but I think just to me the thing is the depth all season long and when they get healthy they are going to be a very tough team.

So I think yes they will be a team that will continue tough to go at a torrid pace that they’ve gone for such a long time especially in Boston but somewhere along the line you know that kind of stuff catches up with you with the schedule, with injuries but the Bruins are a dangerous team and I would expect them to continue to be where they have been all season long and that’s at the top of the eastern conference.

Doc Emrick: And I don’t sense despite their shoot out loss to St. Louis I really don’t sense their goal tending weakening at all and that I think has been the main feature in addition to what Eddie was saying about the guys that have just come out of Providence or elsewhere and have played a couple of years of professional hockey now and are really taking to this team in a big way.

I’m glad that we get to see Milan Lucic. He’s going to be in the rookie sophomore game as a sophomore. He was a first year player last year but one of the great character guys that I think I have met in the sport and he’s only a young guy and is you know just getting his second chance to really be under the spotlights at an All-Star game and both times it’s been as one of these guys.

But in the future we’ll expect to see him in the highlight game on Sunday night rather than in the prelude to it.

(Bill Dole): What’s your five on Tim Thomas not being on the All-Star ballot?

Doc Emrick: There’s only room for so many and Tim Thomas I thought would belong there and I was sort of surprised that he was not and he certainly lived up to - he certainly lived up to the pressure that might have been placed on the selection committee by the way that he’s played this year.

I think another reason that I would miss him you know being on the ballot was that gosh almighty are we going to have an All-Star game without somebody like this that we can chat with the day before because there isn’t anyone that comes away from speaking with Tim Thomas that thinks gee I had a dull time there. Goaltenders are that way I think.

Eddie Olczyk: Yeah. Hey (Bill) this is Eddie Olczyk again. You know it’s interesting what you know what Doc had said you know just about the answer to you know Tim Thomas not being on the ballot per se and obviously he’s earned his opportunity of being there with his - you know with his performance.

And you know to me this game is an event, it is for the fans and you know there are always going to be players that are going to be left off the ballots, that are going to be left off. I mean you know you can start with the guy like Phil Kessel or maybe Duncan Keith in Chicago.

I mean Markov was finally added after the injuries that happened in Detroit and to me you know is there a perfect remedy for this, no I don’t believe that there is. It is for the fans and I would like to see the league consider to expand the rosters going into a 25 man roster.

And when it comes to the voting aspect of it as I would like to see the fans be able to vote for one forward, one D and one goal tender and then you have your committee and you have your people involved with making these decisions and then you know you will get the guys there that you know maybe there is a team that has five or six guys because they deserve with how they performed this year.

It is about this year. It isn’t about what has happened in the past and I know in certain situations teams have struggled and it’s a decision that is very difficult but I really believe - I mean there is no perfect way but it is for the fans, it is about selling the greatest athletes and the greatest players in the world.

And if you can open it up I think a little more and get more of the great players in the league to the All-Star games I think it would be an even greater event even though the intensity isn’t to where we all see it to be in a regular season game or most importantly in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

(Bill Dole): Thank you.

Operator: Thank you your next question comes from John McGorty your line is now open.

John McGorty: Ed and Doc I was wondering about this aspect of broadcasting an All-Star game when fans are watching and they see the shooting and skating skills of an Alexander Ovechkin or the passing skills of Marc Savard, Chara carrying someone away from the opposing goal.

Those kind of things they can see, you guys can interpret but how do you make the case for somebody being an All-Star goalie when he’s given up three or four goals a period because he’s got matador defense going in front of him and it’s not the same as a regular NHL game.

Eddie Olczyk: John this is Eddie. I feel bad for the goalies. I feel bad, I do. You know I don’t know what other way we can help them out I guess so to speak because there is that you know guys making four and five passes and defenseman jumping into the play and I’m sure that you know the league has kicked it around and Doc has seen many an All-Star games and it’s - I feel personally I feel sorry.

I feel great shame for our goal tenders when they have to be in this game and you know in the events where they’re really not properly warmed up and get enough shots and guys are coming in there and making moves.

John McGorty: Thanks Ed.

Doc Emrick: I remember Marty Broder saying a couple of years ago because we usually have a goal tender mic'ed or sometimes two of them Marty was saying that he had the earpiece on and eventually it actually came out of his helmet but he was able to listen for part of the period.

I’m not sure how much he cared to listen to me but he said, "At one point I heard you say oh here’s (Bill Gerrin) up the right wing" and he said, “ I didn’t know where the puck was and that help me find him.” But of course he let go with on of his patented scorching shots so I’m not sure how much I - could really be helped by that.

But the goal tenders I think have had a sense of humor about this and the ones that haven’t had are the ones that usually don’t wind up here. They realize that this is it.

Now there was one occasion I know where the late Pelle Lindbergh got lit up in the third period of a game at Long Island and it was a bit of a mental stress for him within the month that followed there. He did rebound and help the Philadelphia Flyers a lot but there was that one time in January and Wayne Gretsky had a lot to do with that as he did with a lot of goaltenders.

There are those occasions where a guy that’s very sensitive could probably be brought down by an experience in an All-Star game but by and large they go in with a pretty good sense of humor because they realize yeah they are sort of left out there.

John McGorty: Thanks Doc, thanks Ed.

Operator: Thank you your next question comes from John Shipley your line is now open.

John Shipley: Hey guys. I was wondering if I think you’ve had a good opportunity to see the Wild play this year and I was wondering what you guys could tell me about your thoughts on Nicholas Backstrom his first appearance this year and what kind of year he’s having.

Eddie Olczyk: John this is Eddie I just got a chance to see him the other night in Chicago where you know he played very well. I think he had 40 plus shots. I would say that was - I wouldn’t say that was - if you were to look at the box score the next day and you would think that there was domination there.

I mean a lot of those shots were from the outside but he made an unbelievable save - one of the better saves all season long on Patrick Cain in the second period. You know Nicholas Backstrom’s an aggressive goal tender from just watching him and the great, great opportunity that Doc and I get on a daily basis is when we are doing these games and I always enjoy going up to St. Paul and seeing the Wild play and the great facility that they have there.

We’re able to see these guys in practice and see how they you know how they do you know they practice and how they you know communicate with you know their goal tending coach there Bobby Mason and just see how they just kind of practice and how they go under their goal crease or whoever it might be but he is just a super quick goal tender. He is a very aggressive goal tender and that to me is very impressive because he doesn’t you know vary.

If he has the opportunity to get out on top of that crease he’s going to be really aggressive and he has that ability that if he does over commit that he has the ability because he is so quick and agile he can move side to side and you know he played very well in a game that I was in there earlier in the year I think it was Chicago and the Wild on Versus and he is a very good goal tender and a great feather in his cap.

And to me you know you talk about guys I mean Miko Koivu was another guy that should be there on Sunday night representing the Wild as well but he - you know you have one of the top goal tenders in the league. He’s got three of his five shut outs I believe are on the road this year so you know what you’re going to get from Nicholas Backstrom but he is a real pleasure to watch play on a nightly basis.

John Shipley: Can you imagine you know he’s going - he’s due to be a free agent. Can you imagine if he gets that far that he wouldn’t be - I mean I can think of five teams off the top of my head that would probably really love a guy like that. I mean he’s got to be really one of those...

((Crosstalk))

Eddie Olczyk: You could probably multiply that. As far as I’m concerned you know there is no doubt in my head and you know again it’s that you know you look at players and how they play you know with goal tenders it numbers and shots and save percentage and you know everything that goes into it and the type of team you know that he plays in back of so to speak in system.

But the one thing about him is he is durable. I mean he plays and plays a lot and gets the job done so to me if it gets to that point you know I would imagine there would be a bunch of hands going up and many of hockey cities about the possibility because as Doc knows when you have goal tending it camouflages a lot of issues and it disguises a lot of problems and when you have a good one it breeds confidence and players play on their toes instead of their heels.

Nicholas Backstrom is certainly one of those guys that you know that players have a lot of confidence in and when that happens his players can - they can - you know they don’t have to think twice about what is going on on the ice and you know hey if I pinch up or if I’m aggressive here and I get burned well there’s a good chance that the guy in the goal is going to stop the puck.

Doc Emrick: Eddie was just pointing out the rarity I guess of opportunities. I know the very first part of your statement you were talking about a game in which you know he didn’t have that many tough ones to face the style of Wild plays really helps in that regard but he is going to have five to ten that he is going to have to make in with a 2.14 goals against average he’s doing pretty well with those.

John Shipley: Thanks guys.

Eddie Olczyk: You’re welcome.

Operator: Thank you. Again if you would like to ask a question please press star and the number one on your telephone keypad. Your next question comes from (Bill Getts).

(Bill Getts): Doc how painful was it for you to miss that winter classic as - and are you kind of that much more jazzed up for special events like this because you missed that one?

Doc Emrick: Yeah I - missing any game is hard but when you wind up - I’m not sure if you have caught what a lot of people have and what I did this winter it was just one of those that seemed to settle in my vocal cords and I went through two cards of antibiotics five days a piece before I finally got rid of it. It just held on.

But it was difficult. I did get to Chicago on the 30th and had a nice room looking out on Lake Michigan and I knew about six blocks west of Lake Michigan was Wrigley Field and Eddie Olczyk was there almost ready to recreate his singing the 7th inning stretch song from this past August and all of those things but the morning of the 31st I realized I just wasn’t going to be strong enough and they don’t hire in closers in our line of work.

So Lou Piniella and Sam Flood do not share the notion of coming to the mound and pointing to someone else to come in and help you. I was just not strong enough to do it and I regretted that but Dave Strader came in and did a magnificent job. With one days notice he was outstanding and hopefully I’ll be healthy enough should they have one of these next year.

(Bill Getts): That doesn’t make you that much more looking forward to something like this weekend.

Doc Emrick: Oh yeah I think any league wide event is very important and I love being a part of the day to day schedule in the league and also events when the league just pauses and celebrates hockey and if I can be around that and as I always tell journalism classes, “you get in free and you get a really good seat for the game, there’s nothing wrong with it.”

(Bill Getts): Thank you.

Operator: Thank you. You have a follow up question from John McGorty. Your line is now open.

John McGorty: Eddie and Doc I was wondering one of the elected forwards Alex Kovalev when you look back at the record Kovalev has been in this game for so long including his Russian play. He’s won the Olympics, he’s won world championships. I was wondering if you’re going to be doing anything special focusing on Kovalev?

Doc Emrick: He was a part of one of the greatest teams I have ever seen and that was the 92 Unified Team that Victor Tikhonov coached. It was after the Soviet Union was gone but they pieced these guys together and boy did they ever piece a team together.

I mean 15 of them came across later and played in the NHL but it was (Casper Ritis) and (Malakov) and you know the collection of guys - Nikolai Khabibulin was the third goal tender and he never got to pay and for a while he never got a medal until (Salva Vasitoff) took over the Russian Athletic System and made sure that he got a medal because Victor took it.

Coaches aren’t supposed to have medals but anyway that was one of the finest team I ever saw and whenever I get a chance to ask Alex why he always remembers his line mates and he always remembers specific games from it.

So there’s a great career there and he’s a part of a wonderful team right now. They’ve won what six of their last eight games I think so there coming in as not only the home team but they’ve gotten four starters which means that I guess the Montreal fans have pretty quick thumbs.

John McGorty: Thanks Doc.

Operator: Thank you there are no further questions at this time.

Katie Bradshaw: Great I then guess we can conclude the call. I just want to thank everybody for calling in and thank you to Marc, Doc and Eddie and look forward to a great weekend of hockey this weekend.

Doc Emrick: Thank you very much.

Marc Fein: Thanks everybody.

Eddie Olczyk: Thank you.

Operator: This concludes today’s conference you may now disconnect.

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Live-Blog: 56th Annual All-Star Game in Atlanta

Remember, this game is on both CBC and Versus! Because I'm up in Canada, you get the CBC version.

6:00 pm - Somebody with a whistle welcomes us to the All-Star game, followed up by a marching band with some enthusiastic cymbals in the stands. Uh, sure. I guess they do things different in Atlanta? From what I can see it's not a bad looking crowd. Our opening montage on CBC tonight is "Shine" by Andy Stochanski. I actually completely blanked on the band name but thankfully Ron McLean was there to save the day. I was just schooled on pop culture by Ron McLean. I shall proceed to hang my head in shame.

6:04 pm - Elliotte asks Vinny what it means to captain the All-Star game. Vinny politely says it's a great honour instead of the truth of: "Not bloody much". Elliotte then asks Vinny what he thinks of Malkin, Vinny says something that I snooze through (insert your favourite cliche here)

Scott Oake is in the Western team interviewing Iggy. Dion is awkwardly in short shorts next to them putting on his equipment. No, seriously. Those shorts are...binding. Iggy will be donating $5000 for every goal he scores tonight to Kids Sports. Even if Iggy doesn't score, he's still donate $5000. Awww.

6:07 pm - Swedish rockers "The Hives" open up the show for us. I bet their favourite player is Alfie. Because...you know the Swedish thing.

Okay, right off the bat I'll say I quite enjoy The Hives and I'm frankly super impressed the NHL manage to get such indie sweethearts to play the show. But the sound set-up in there is horrible and are the cheerleaders dancing in front of the stage really necessary? I love the band's matching prep school outfits though.

As the Hives play on in the background, the All-Stars skate onto the ice. No long-winded intro for tonight. Oh, but they're still a fan of the seizure-riffic strobe lights I see.

A shot of the audience and I have to say, I'm actually quite impressed. There are a few empty spots here and there but it looks like a good turn out.

Mike Babcock and Ron Wilson gets very subdued applause.

Oh, my bad they are going through the long-winded intros. Maybe this is the time to get a drink.

You'll be happy to know that Pronger is looking douchey as ever. Horcoff is the only one that bothered to smile at the camera. Henrik Sedin continues to look like life has no purpose without Daniel. Joe Thornton also smiles at the camera. Thornton needs a hair cut.

John Paddock gets subdued applause, the crowd expectedly is a little more receptive to Don Waddell.

6:14 pm, back with a beverage and they're still doing the intros. I return just in time to see Spezza introduced. He looks like he's trying really hard not to giggle, but you know he wants to smile.

And did they arrange the East height wise? Because after Mike Richards, Scott Gomez and then Martin St. Louis. Okay, I kind of love St. Louis, he's looking extra tiny today and he actually did the smile-nod combo to the camera. Although upon second glance, it kind of looks like he's checking you out.

The band is still playing in the background. I really feel sorry for the band at this point. I really hope they're being paid by the minute.

Before Ilya Kovalchuk is introduced, the cheers are already starting. I like to think that was a delayed cheer for Daniel Alfredsson. The Hives finally get to finish their song and the National Anthem is up. I'm not quite sure I know what "presenting the colours" for the anthem means. Kathleen Edwards is performing the Canadian anthem and does the half-French thing. I think girl's got some nerves. Not that I blame her, I totally would too.

The Atlanta Boy's Choir sings the American anthem. Okay, I was totally a choir in school. I've been in choirs since I was in 2nd grade and they are awesome. But it's slightly freaky since I'm pretty sure those boys are hitting notes I cannot hit.

6:23 pm - As we go into the commercial break, I'm clearly looking for more reasons to love Alfie. You know how there are kids who stand with the starters? After the anthems, Alfie was totally talking to them. Love you, Alfie!

6:25 pm - We're finally about to get started. Am I the only one who thinks Osgood wearing his original red helmet with the white/blue Western uniforms looks REALLY weird?

19:48 - Lazy defensive play, Nash beats Rick DiPietro 12 seconds in. An evening of compelling hockey, I see.

19:05 - Gaborik with another scoring chance and I actually don't think the East has been outside of their own zone yet. They finally do and Savard centres, Campbell pinches down low and Staal ties the game. 1-1 all.

18:03 - DiPietro totally knows this game is a joke by making a save, throwing the puck and attempting to bat it to Spezza on a breakaway. He gets a little too much mustard and it goes past him.

17:52 - Ovechkin, St. Louis and Spezza have a good 3-on but Osgood makes the save.

17:07 - After Greg Millen just told us DiPietro had to be reminded that this is not a goalie game due to his competitive nature, DiPietro comes out and handles the puck and totally looks like he's about to break out of the zone himself. Hey, after his offensive display yesterday, I don't see why not.

16:11 - Greg tells us another story of how Ovie asks for the tapes of the games to watch himself after every road game. This is proof that he loves the game so much. I'm inclined to think it means Ovie is vain. That could just be my own bias though.

15:00 - 5 minutes in and this game is still tied 1-1? Could it be these guys are actually trying? Is trap hockey back?

14:41 - Alfie makes a gorgeous drag and curl but Osgood makes the save on his back-end.

14:11 - Just as a future reference, Alfie, a shot won't go in if you shoot it off the defender's leg. No wonder you lost the accuracy challenge!

13:48 - I think I see a body check from Jovo-Cop, but apparently it was just a 'push'.

11:43 - Somebody totally just did a spin-o-rama at centre ice to get the puck to Spezza. I'm inclined to say it was Campbell because who else does inappropriate spin-o-ramas, but I could be wrong.

Back from break, Jim asks Babcock if coaching this game was like putting together a fantasy team and being able to put line-ups together. He says something a long the lines of "Yes, but you expect the guys to suck on purpose". Or something similar.

11:22 - The Atlanta crowd is still serenading Osgood. Well, okay I guess.

10:17 - Back-door pass from Richards to Markov and it's 2-1 East. Osgood actually tried to get back to stop it but no go.

We go into a break with that new Sidbits commercial. Should I keep a running tally of how many times the CBC plays this?

7:23 - Kovalchuk gets the puck and goes to the net, the crowd suddenly comes alive again. Fun tidbit: Anze Kopitar is the only Slovenian to play in an All-Star game (I'm assuming in North America?)

6:28 pm - Spezza centres the puck off the side of the net, right on the tape of Ovie's stick and scores! 3-1 East. Ovie looks ecstatic.

Back from the break, Subway's Hockey Night bio tells us that Lidstrom is a +380 in his career or something. Nice.

Elliotte is behidn the Eastern bench and asks Marc Savard if he's willing to do play-by-play again. Savard politely declines. Darn!

5:05 - Jim wants these players to be more selfish. Hockey players are not selfish by nature!

4:50 - Campbell pinches down low again and gets the pass from Malkin and beats Osgood. 4-1 East!

3:58 pm - The West has the East trapped in their zone and is playing keep-away with the puck. DiPietro just made 3 million saves in a row. I'm not sure he got the message that this game doesn't count.

2:37 - Spezza wheels and deals into the zone and his line gets a really good offensive sequence going before they finally score a goal off of Ovie's stifc while Jim interviews John Paddock. Paddock is wearing something that vaguely resembles a smile. 5-1 East.

1:33 - The Osgood serenades continue. Am I not getting something?

0:48 - DiPietro bobbles the puck but makes a save off of Ribs. Greg tells us that DiPietro's a lefty and has trouble finding gloves. I'm a lefty too! The world is just not made for lefties, I can empathize.

0:00 - As we go into intermission, we catch the West going back into the dressing room. Nabokov is flapping his gloves like he's about to take off. Right.

First Intermission - Sidbits commercial tally is up to 2.
I was ready to absolutely denounce this game, but the CBC just replayed Pronger's face-plant. In Slow-Mo. Best. All-Star. Game. Ever. For the record, he didn't know what Scott Oake's Phil Esposito reference was.

Craig Simpson, Ron McLean and Kelly Hrudey are talking about the players with passion for the game and who just love playing the game. They follow it up with a clip of Sid celebrating after he scored the game winner in the shoot-out at the Ice Bowl.

I know what point they are trying to make with this clip, but that clip actually makes me a bit sad. He looks like such a kid in that shot and thinking about all the pressure and expectations that's on him is sort of perturbing.

That being said, Sid is not in this game.

7:13 pm - SportsNet is playing the AHL All-Star Skills Competition tonight and I switch on over to catch what's going on. The event is in Binghamton (That's right, the farm team of Ottawa Senators!) and there is an awesomely full crowd. The crowd goes nuts as Lawrence Nycholat and Denis Hamel are introduced. The bench staff for the Canadian All-Stars is pretty much everybody from Hamilton. Maybe I should be watching this game instead. Ken Holland is on hand as the honourary captain of Team Canada.

Switching back to the All-Star game, they are having a ceremony for Willie O'Ree. Iggy and Vinny present O'Ree with what looks like a glass stick of some kind. Um, sure okay. Jim is saying there's a full house in Atlanta. I guess I can buy that.

2nd Period

19:41 - Fun Tidbit: Rick Nash's goal 12 seconds in is the fastest in All-Star game history.

19:00 - Elliotte interviews Alyssa Milano about her new clothing line. Alyssa explains that she was a sport fan ever since she was a kid and sick of going into the store and not finding anything that fit that wasn't pink. Um, that's very thoughtful of you...I think. Apparently, she's buddies with Luc Robitaille.

17:03 - Literally nothing is happening, I elect to switch to the AHL SuperSkills contest instead. Except I can't as my clicker has run out of batteries. I'm trapped!

Back to the AHL SuperSkills competition and the announcers are talking a lot. One of the things they do differently is let some of the non-pro players from local minor teams to participate in these skills competitions to demonstrate how it's done. That's kind of cool. The first thing they do is an obstacle course puck relay much like the one in the NHL Skilsl competition. Except nowhere near as complicated.

14:29 - Back to the actual All-Stars game, Gaborik skins and gives to Jovo with all sorts of room. Henrik can't beat Vokoun. Vokoun wants people to stop doubting that he's an All-Star!

TV timeout, back to the AHL SuperSkills and it's still the obstacle course. Corey Locke from the Hamilton Bulldogs is participating in the puck relay. Locke loses the puck twice but still gets a tie. Here's a tip Locke, you don't have to deke the pylon.

It's Krog vs. Schremp in the puck relay and the future of the Oilers wins it after Krog loses the puck. 2-0 lead for PlanetUSA.Krog has CRAZY speed though.

Denis Hamel is next up versus Keith Aucoin from Albany. The announcers make a bad bribery joke. Okay, then. Hamel mishandles the puck at first and is beat out by Aucoin, not good news for the hometown captain.

11:20 - Back to the All-Star game, Tim Thomas is being interviewed and it really is a great story. He never really thought he would be back in the league after playing in All-Star games all over the world. Still 5-1 East.

10:27 - Nash with a break-away and of course he scores. He drags and dekes and freezes Vokoun. 4-2 East, 2nd of the night for Nash.

9:33 - Gaborik gets a breakaway but he waits a little bit too long and he can't beat Vokoun.

TV Timeout and it's back to the AHL Skills. I guess this means that I can't keep that running tally of the Sidbits commercial anymore. R.J. Broadhead is interviewing Ken Holland who played goal in Binghamton way back when. He actually does not look too pleased to be there. Maybe he'd rather be in Atlanta right now.

8:53 - Back to the ASG, Getzlaf goes back to his forehand at the side of the net but it just bounces oddly in the air before Vokoun gloves it. Elliotte interviews Dion's parents in the crowd and apparently Dion needed 15 tickets for his entourage. Dion wants to send his best to his grandma out in the Maritimes. Aww.

The next event in the AHL SuperSkills competition is the speed relay. They still do the whole entire sheet of ice except they also need speed control as they have to do some loops around some pylons. I know I'm making this sound more complicated than it actually is, but you know what I mean.

6:13 - Iggy has a 2-on-1 with Nash, Nash decides to shoot and Vokoun makes the save.

5:45 - Kaberle at the blue-line with the puck gets dangerously close to drifting out of the zone and...doesn't shoot. That's the Kabby I know.

5:30 - For some reason Niedermayer just yelled really loudly "NO NO NO" for the puck. All righty. He then proceeds to get the puck from Thornton and scores. 5-3 West!

AHL SuperSkills, the Lowell Devils representative for PlanetUSA is Petr Vrana, he gets a time of 14.9 seconds. For Team Canada, Joey Tenute from the San Antoinio Rampage has the new time record at 14.072 secs.

4:43 - Back to the All-Star game, Paddock is interviewed by Jim about having his family around. I believe the young lady beside him on the bench is his daughter. Jim just said it's possible Paddock and Babcock will meet in the Finals. I think he's just officially doomed us. Thanks, Greg. Shots are 19-4 for the West in the second period. Way to go, East.

2:29 - Somebody audibly says "Nice Save, Nabby!"

2:23 - Alfie with a great shot but is stoned by Nabokov. Pronger falls on his ass again. I giggle just a little bit.

1:59 - Horcoff sends Perry to the puck and a stick goes flying. (Yes, this is the most interesting thing that's happening right now).

1:00 - Nabby absolutely stones Kovalchuk who is parked in front. Kovalchuk cannot believe it and collapses onto the ice on his back but laughs as he ribs Nabby for it. Okay, Kovalchuk is offically growing on me.

0:04 - Great pass to send Kovalchuk in on the break away, and he is STONED BY NABOKOV. Kovalchuk is NOT pleased at all. He slams his stick and kicks it. Somebody give him a chill pill! The East bench tries to get him to calm down. I want to see garbage cans being thrown!

Second Intermission
I'm ready to start a new running commercial tally. This time the one with the Rogers commercial where the dad is watching hockey and the kid can't sleep and it's supposed to be all nice cause they watch hockey together. Why can't you just turn down the volume and put him to bed? Or am I totally missing the point of this commercial?

Back to the AHL SuperSkills game, it's a shooting challenge which is a variation of the old break-out challenge. This is two shooters on one goalie, one after the other.

Former-Sen-Sibling sighting! Nolan Schaefer, brother of ex-Sen Peter Schaefer is on the farm team of the Minnesota Wild and lets in 4 goals out of 5. So uh...not so good.

Back to the ASG, Ne-Yo is performing with the marching band we saw at the beginning of the game. There are some dancers in skimpy sparkly outfits too. I feel really sorry for them. I love marching bands! But maybe I'm just not hip enough but what the heck is a Ne-Yo? Ne-Yo changes out of his fuzzy Marching Band hat into a...blue leather beret. Okay, then. Isn't L'il Jon a fan of the Atlanta Thrashers? Where's L'il Jon?! I'm also fearing a bit for these dancers and for Ne-Yo on the ice. I'm not really sure what kind of shoes they're wearing but I'm sort of afraid (hoping?) that they'll fall and do a Pronger.

Ne-Yo finishes his set by saying she's the sweetest drug and is flanked by the dancers whom he promptly ignores. The crowd gives him a...resounding? Enthusiastic? Response.

Back at the AHL SuperSkills, it is the hardest shot competition. R.J. was just interviewing Bobby Ryan who confesses he doesn't have a hard shot at all. I see the AHL puts as much thought dividing their players into these events as the NHL does.

For Team Canada, Alex Picard from the Philadelphia Phantoms gets a 96.7 mph, his second isn't as hard at 93.9

Eric Reitz of Houston is next, his first shot is 88.4 mph. Reitz has a very fuzzy haircut. Second attempt registers a 92.9 mph. The Binghamton arena is playing some White Stripes in the background. Nice.

Mark Mancari for Team Canada from Rochester gets 96.8 mph, his second attempt gets 102.8. HOLY CRAP. That's a new record in the AHL!

Bobby Ryan is next and gets 96.2 mph on attempt number one. Second is 96.3 mph.

From the Chicago Wolves, Joe Kwiatkowski gets a 93.1 mph, second one is 93.9 mph.

Jonathan Ericsson of the Grand Rapid Griffins gets a 95.9 mph, second attempt is 100.1 mph! Ericsson was the last pick of the 2002 entry draft of the Detroit Red Wings.

Adam Pardy from Quad-City is next and gets a 89.4 mph, second shot is 90.5 mph.

Brian Lee from Binghamton (REPRESENT!), he gets a resounding response from the hometown crowd. First shot is an unimpressive 87.9 mph. I think he knows it too as he just made a weird sucking-face. Second shot is even worse at 84.6 mph. So um...no bombs from the blue-line from Lee in the future then.

Back to the All-Star Game, the CBC is holding this contest where viewers send in their version of The Hockey Song by Stompin' Tom Connors. Unfortunately, I miss the winning entry but I'm sure you can find it on the CBC website.

RJ interviews Emile Francis and he says very nice things about Binghamton. Next up for the SuperSkills is the Accuracy Shooting. The set-up is pretty much the same, each shooter has 8 shots to hit 4 targets in 18 seconds and there are 3 shooters per team. In 2007, Clarke MacArthur of the Rochester Amerks went 4/5 and won the event.

Third Period
19:29 - Getzlaf comes in all on his own and goes roof daddy on Thomas, beating up right underneath the arm. 5-4 East still. Please tell me this game won't actually go into overtime.

18:30 - Kopitar has all sorts of room but he can't beat thomas. Oake interviews Nabby and Nabby is all smiles. I mean this in the best way possible, Nabby looks like Hayley Wickenheiser.

18:04 - Nash gets in all alone and of course ties the game. Thomas is trying his best not to lose his mind right now. You know he really wants to. The hats go flying as that's a hattie for Rick. Game is tied!

Back to the AHL Skills competition, Rob Schremp is up for PlanetUSA on the accuracy challenge. He's taking passes from Lee and somebody from WB-S. Schremp goes 4 for 6!

15:59 - 2-on-1 for the East with Hossa and Gomez, Hossa scores! Atlanta goes wild! WILD I SAY! 6-5 East. (Can I just say how much I don't like that Hossa tucks his jersey in like that? It looks like he's wearing a fanny pack!)

AHL Skills competition update, Gabe Gauthier from the Manchester Monarchs goes 4 for 4 in the accuracy challenge!

14:53 - I switch back and totally miss Dion's goal. Uh...he scored. 6-6 tie!

13:45 - Vinny passes it back to the blue-line and nobody is there. Where the heck are you defense? Oh it's Kaberle...uhh never mind.

13:29 - 3-on-1 for the East...nothing results.

12:40 - Spezza does that patented, do a lab around the zone and then pass it off but unfortunately, Ovie didn't know the pass was coming.

TV timeout means a brief dinner break. I get the feeling I won't be missing much.

11:44 - We get an in-the-crease interview with Tim Thomas, he stops talking when he needs to make the save so it's nowhere as interesting as Marty Turco from last year. More Turco! I mean, uh...

9:22 - Alfie has this hilariosu pin-ball sequence in front of the net against Manny Legace where Legace makes three great saves.

9:03 - Gaborik is all alone in front, Sedin makes a quick pass and an easy tap-in for Gaborik. West with the lead!

7:25 - Savard to Staal and Staal scores into the open net! Jim once again makes fun of Savard's play by play skills by exclaiming OH!

5:47 - Most of Spezza's passes aren't actually connecting, but if they did you know they would have been great scoring chances. Why can't you wingers just read his mind and know where to be at the right time? GOSH!

2:11 - Alfie gets into the zone with only one man to beat but instead of shooting, curls back and makes a pass. See how unselfish that was? Isn't he great? (Okay, I promise I'll stop. Really, the smarter thing would have been to shoot) but...whatever.

1:25 - I really don't want this game to go into OT. If this game goes into OT, I will absolutely die.

0:59 - STOP THE PRESSES,we have a hit sighting courtesy of Jovo-Cop!

0:21 - MARC SAVARD SCORES! 8-7 East! Marc Savard is my new favourite person in the entire universe! He gets the goal courtesy of Campbell and Staal. That combo has been dynamite all night! Nobody is booing Savard now!

0:14 - Legace is out of the net and Thomas tries to clear to get the empty net! No go!

0:00 - T hat's time! The East wins it 8-7! Celebrations and jubilations all around!

We eavesdrop on Tim Thomas as he goes through the handshake line. He tells Jim Hughson to shut up because he needs to talk to these guys since he doesn't get to see them often. Heh.

Post-Game Thoughts
Okay, so we really shouldn't come to expect anything from these games and I have to admit I was dying through most of it. I mean if my propensity for switching to the AHL Skills Competition was any indication...

But in any case, it was a fun evening, and the boys looked like they were having fun. I love seeing the handshake, and hearing the in-game interviews. I'm just really glad this game didn't go into OT.

Elliotte interviews Savard and he says something not memorable. Scott goes to interview Rick Nash. Nash looks like somebody killed his puppy but he says something about how it's "nice" for the "fans". Poor Rick. As Gary Bettman is announced, he gets booed. Well done, Atlanta. Keeping the dream alive!

Eric Staal is the game MVP and he wins the car. Just um, don't drink and drive.

Back at the AHL Skills Challenge, PlanetUSA spanked Team Canada 15-9. Somebody from RBK/CCM is presenting awards. Toby Petersen won the fastest skater award.

I guess that's for me for the night! Thanks for dropping by and here's to a swift return for hockey!

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Lord Help Us

To get you guys set for the All-Star weekend comes news that Alyssa Milano will be attending the festivities to launch a NHL version of her clothing line. Milano has a MLB line out called "Touch" that's targeted for female fans:

"I am really excited about (my) partnership with the National HockeyLeague," said Milano. "I am looking forward to giving female hockey fans fashion apparel as unique and special as the sport they love."--Canada.com

I've ranted at considerable length about the lack of non-offensive choices for female fan apparel offered by the NHL. Now, I might have absolutely gone crazy but I don't hate that shirt she's wearing and after doing some perusing, asides from this odd, confusing Kimono-type jersey, the line she has out for MLB really isn't bad at all.

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Posting: Tune in tonight to Scarlett Ice for a live-cap of the YoungStars and Skills Competition!

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Your Super-Duper HLOG All-Star Weekend

Despite the criticisms against it, I still love the All-Star Game. I don't care if the hockey is nowhere near what it usually is, it's still fun to see the guys actually having fun playing hockey in a non-pressure filled situation.

Here is your All-Star Schedule for this weekend so plan accordingly:

Saturday, January 26th, 2008
Dodge Super-Skills Competition and YoungStars Game, 7pm EST on Versus and CBC

Sunday, January 27th, 2008
56th Annual All-Star Game, 8pm EST on Versus and CBC

The festivities can be seen on Versus, CBC, RDS, and NHL Radio
Online streams should be available on the NHL Website and CBCOnline.

To celebrate, HLOG and Scarlett Ice will be doing a live-blog of the festivities. Tune in for your share of snark, squees and occasional statbitty!

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Rounding Out Your All-Stars

The rest of the All-Star team for this year's festivities in Atlanta was announced yesterday for the Western Conference and today for the Eastern Conference. Your teams will look as follows:

Western Conference
Manny Legace (STL)
Evgeni Nabokov (SJ)
Chris Osgood (DET)

*Note: Luongo was voted in as a starter but has decided to miss the game to spend more time with his family. LeClaire was second but might still be out with injury.

Nicklas Lidstrom (DET)
Dion Phaneuf (CGY)
Ed Jovanovski (PHX)
Duncan Keith (CHI)
Chris Pronger (ANA)
Sergei Zubov (DAL)

Henrik Zetterberg (DET)
Pavel Datsyuk (DET)
Jarome Iginla (CGY)
Jason Arnott (NSH)
Marian Gaborik (MIN)
Ryan Getzlaf (ANA)
Shawn Horcoff (EDM)
Anze Kopitar (LAK)
Rick Nash (CBJ)
Henrik Sedin (VAN)
Paul Statsny (COL)
Joe Thornton (SJ)

Eastern Conference
Martin Brodeur (NJ)
Rick DiPietro (NYI)
Tomas Vokoun (FLA)

Andrei Markov (MTL)
Zdeno Chara (BOS)
Brian Campbell (BUF)
Sergei Gonchar (PIT)
Tomas Kaberle (TOR)
Kimmo Timmonen (PHI)

Sidney Crosby (PIT)
Vincent Lecavalier (TBL)
Daniel Alfredsson (OTT)
Scott Gomez (NYR)
Dany Heatley (OTT)
Marian Hossa (ATL)
Ilya Kovalchuk (ATL)
Alex Ovechkin (OTT)
Mike Richards (PHI)
Jason Spezza (OTT)
Eric Staal (CAR)
Martin St. Louis (TBL)

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The Votes Are In...

Ladies and gentlemen, your 2008 NHL All-Star Starting Roster:

East
Sidney Crosby
Vincent Lecavalier
Daniel Alfredsson

Andrei Markov
Zdeno Chara

Martin Brodeur

West
Henrik Zetterberg
Pavel Datsyuk
Jarome Iginila

Nicklas Lidstrom
Dion Phaneuf

Roberto Luongo

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All Star East voting

Thought it would be interesting to take a peek at All-Star East voting through Monday. Here are the top 15:

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh, 177,873
Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa, 80,211
Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay, 73,743
Daniel Briere, Philadelphia, 62,867
Alex Ovechkin, Washington, 55,692
Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta, 52,948
Dany Heatley, Ottawa, 47,957
Saku Koivu, Montreal, 46,554
Maxim Afinogenov Buffalo, 33,080
Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh, 32,688
Chris Drury, N.Y. Rangers, 27,481
Jaromir Jagr, N.Y. Rangers, 26,267
Mats Sundin, Toronto, 25,683
Jason Blake, Toronto, 24,333
Alex Kovalev, Montreal, 23,922

I'll skip the Sidney Crosby joke about his mom voting for him (but I am thinking it) and just note the huge difference between him and the next person on the list, Daniel Alfredsson - 97,662. I'm happy to see Ovie rounding out the top five, but I'm even happier to see Chris Drury beating Jaromir Jagr. After this interview, Rangers fans should be happily clicking away for Drury.

You can see the whole list here.

x-posted to Capital Addiction

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Paging the Fact-Checker

Paycut a reality for Redden in Ottawa
Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Sportsnet.ca -- Ottawa Senators' defenceman Wade Redden has been with the franchise since its inception; which bodes the question: How much does team loyalty cost?

"I would feel real good leaving next year and see them win the Stanley Cup," he said, sarcastically.

Redden followed up the sarcasm with a dose of reality, admitting to the Ottawa Sun how he would consider a pay cut to stay with the Cup contender.

First off, the modern Senators franchise was founded in 1992. Redden wasn't drafted until 1996.

Secondly, I have rather mixed feelings about the whole Redden situation. Now that he is on record in saying that he's willing to take a pay-cut to stay here that will definitely be factor once negotiations start. However, he's looking at an extremely steep pay-cut if he wants to be a part of this franchise long-term.

And why wouldn't he? Bryan Murray has made it pretty clear he's committed to the future of this team and my impression of Redden is that he cares more about winning than his salary. However, in order for everything to fit under the salary cap, Redden is looking at an extremely steep discount. At least he can find comfort in the fact that him and 5 other Senators players are on the All-Star ballot this year.

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Hey Now, You're an All-Star Pt. 2

During our earlier All-Star discussion I said that I think the game is kind of a non-event and that I'm not sure most of the players really care that much. However I did also say that I think it is a big deal to first time All-Stars. So please allow me this moment to gloat about celebrate Buffalo's three starters in this year's game, all of whom will be playing in their first All-Star game.

First up, le petit Daniel Briere. Danny, despite oodles of talent, heard over and over that he was too small to make it in the NHL. The Phoenix Coyotes put him on waivers during the 2000-01 season. When he cleared waivers, he thought about playing in Europe but decided to give it one more go in the NHL, determined that if he didn't make it in the NHL, it wouldn't be because he gave less than everything in him. Danny led the team with 32 goals the next season but the Coyotes had already given up on him. He was dropped to the fourth line before being traded to Buffalo for Chris Gratton. Now Danny is one of the most dynamic offensive players in the league, capable of being absolutely breath-taking on any given night. Last year he had 58 points in 48 regular season games and 8 goals and 19 points in 18 playoff games. This year he's leading the team with 49 points in 42 games, good for 13th in the NHL. (Thanks, Phoenix!)

Then there's Ryan Miller. Ryan had a pretty good pedigree coming into the league. He had a very good career at Michigan State where he set the NCAA record for career shut-outs and won the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey's most oustanding player. Despite those successes, he had a hard time adjusting to the NHL game and there were many who thought he just wasn't tough enough mentally to make it at the next level. After losing a regular season game in front of family and friends in Detroit early in his career, Ryan broke down and cried all the way through his post-game press conference. He had a difficult time putting goals behind him, much less losses, almost obsessing over the mistakes he made. But he kept plugging away and has somehow managed to adjust that mentality. Now when he has a bad game he's almost guaranteed to follow it with a great game. He is, for my money, one of the best breakaway goalies in the league. On the rare occasion that a puck gets by him on a breakaway or during a shoot-out, Buffalo fans are secretly a little shocked. The fragile kid is now a young man with nerves of steel and ice in his veins... except when he called his dad after the All-Star announcements last night and they both cried.

And finally, there's Brian Campbell. Dear, sweet Brian Campbell. Brian was a 6th round draft pick and one of the biggest whipping boys in the organization for the past few years. Fans just pounded the poor guy, admittedly with some justification. He was a healthy scratch 29 times in the season before the lockout (a number he has burned in his memory). In the three seasons before last combined he had 17 goals, 57 points, and a -30 rating. But God bless him, Brian kept plugging away. So far this year he has 5 goals, 26 points, and a +17. I don't know what exactly happened, but geez, did it happen! Brian was always a decent offensive talent and an amazing skater, but he's like another player in his own end - always in position, a solid penalty killer, and the guy most responsible for holding the defense together while Henrik Tallinder was out with a broken arm. All that and he's a total blast to watch. Atleast once a game there's a shot of him on the ice with a huge grin and a "holy crap I can't believe I'm getting paid for this" expression on his face. Fans across Buffalo are happily eating crow.

I'm sure there are more stories like the above in the NHL than there are Crosbys and Ovechkins - guys who are destined to be All-Stars from the second they set foot in the league - and every once in a while it's probably good to remind ourselves how hard our boys have worked to get where they are. It's not as easy as they sometimes make it look. So despite my slagging of the All-Star game itself, congratulations to everyone who made it! And go Sabres! :-)

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If you didn't vote for Rory, you let the enemy win.

Or something like that. Well ring the bell, everything's finalised. NHL has chosen their picks that *ahem* you've voted for. I feel a little guilty that I chose Cheechoo in one of my votes - don't get me wrong though he might pretty that game up for us.

As a Habs fan the biggest thing that I should think is who the hell voted Souray in? Was there really that little choice in your voting kids? I guess this is what makes me a little miffed - Souray is by no means the Canadiens' representative All-Star. I guess I'm going to pout and mutter "Koivu deserves it more". But what do I know? Obviously Souray is the star boy. Though kudos to him - he's a hard working guy and someone's gotta cut him some slack someday. Habs Inside/Out pointed out that Souray's appearance is the first since 94 by a Habs player who was voted in. If Souray can keep his head up and proud - this may prove perfect as his contract expires the end of this season. UFA *cha-ching* dollars will roll his way.

As a hockey fan, the biggest laugh will be the Eastern starting line of Briere - Crosby - Ovechkin. If you've missed anything - Ovechkin broke Briere's heart by never calling him back. And now they're back again like an ex-boyfriend at a family dinner. And Crosby? Mario Lemieux was so thrilled he made him a packed lunch.

Sherry's Addendum

As Jordi pointed out, the All-Start starting rosters have been announced but I thought I'd give you a visual tour for those of you who like "pretty" pictures.

Western Conference

Joe Thornton - Joe Sakic - Jonathan Cheechoo


Scott Niedermayer - Niklas Lidstrom


Roberto Luongo

Eastern Conference

Sidney Crosby - Alexander Ovechkin - Daniel Briere


Sheldon Souray - Brian Campbell


Ryan Miller


The rest of the roster will be filled out by NHL Hockey Operations and the GMs and coaches. Rory Fitzpatrick finished third in voting but somehow I don't think Randy Carlyle will be too gun-ho about inserting him right away. Come on guys, peer pressure!

And how did your Ottawa Senators do in the voting? Not well...but I took the initiative not to partake of any ballot stuffing. But I'm one of those kooks who didn't want my boys going this year. Wade Redden finished with the most Senators votes at 305,497 votes but still only finished 8th.

Provided that they don't get into a cat fight with each other for any miscellaneous reason, the forward line for the East should be electric.

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My Mom Thinks I'm Cool!

I think it's more or less become the general consensus that the NHL All-Star Game is a joke. The truth is, everybody already knows the players would rather be taking the week off to chill at a beach or something rather than play on a team with people that they probably dislike. There's not as much physicality, not as much finesse because nobody cares. You're not going to go out and give it your all in a game that doesn't mean diddly-squad and risk getting an injury that might sideline you.

But I suppose we can look at it from a different perspective. The League will tell you that they're doing it for the fans because really, what's wrong with the concept of putting some of the best players together in the league and seeing what they can do? It really is a double-edged sword with the whole concept though. In Major League Baseball, the winning League of the All-Star game is guaranteed home field advantage during the playoffs but I don't think anybody likes the idea of losing out on home stadium advantage in the playoffs all because of one game, thereby discounting anything they did in the regular season. It's a shame that the product you see during the All-Star game from the players is never at the standard that you would expect from your super-star players, but you can't blame them when they really don't have any reason to give 110%.

Really, in the end, it's a way for the League to make some extra cash and for that I'm not going to blame them because we all know maintaining a professional sports team costs money and the National Hockey League is floundering in the States. However, this method only works if people actually show up and watch the All-Star Game or buy their paraphernalia or whatever. The thing is, the All-Star gear is incredibly ugly this year and the game is held in Dallas.

I will say this though, I think this year's All-Star Game will be a success all because of one, Rory Fitzpatrick. The fans discovered a flaw in the system and they exposed it, instead of the League or mediots getting all up-in-arms about the whole thing, they should learn from this and make the necessary changes. However, considering how much publicity this whole campaign got, the League couldn't have bought better publicity. Fitzpatrick was on ESPN talking about the campaign for crying out loud, and ESPN usually hates hockey like it's the red-headed stepchild of major sports.

The whole campaign is a little bit unfair to Fitzpatrick. He never wanted any of this attention and he was faced with the difficult decision of whether or not he should actually go or not. He knows that he's not up to the calibre of a Lidstrom or Niedermayer but if it's what the fans want, how can he say no? Frankly, Niedermayer or Lidstrom would hardly give a rats-arse if they make it or not. The players enjoy the honour of being named an All-Star but when it comes to actually wanting to play in the game, do they actually want to play in this thing?

To be honest, I hope Fitzpatrick goes. He can skate on the ice during the warm-up, line up for the anthems or the league should pay for his ticket and he can sit in a nice cushy press box. He deserves to be there as a thanks for all of the coverage he brought the whole thing and for his sake he shouldn't play because his deficiencies will just become all the more obvious compared to the high calibre players that are there.

Critics of this campaign need to chill the heck out about the fans making the All-Star game seem like a joke when everybody already knows it's a joke. Mediots like to claim that being chosen an All-Star is a badge of honour but not even the players wear it like it is when they show up for the game.

There are some aspects of the game I enjoy though. I love the Superskills competition simply because it's alot less informal and it gives the players more of a chance to showcase their individual talents. I love the interactions between the players in the All-Star game itself because it's rare to see some of these players play together. It showcases old and new talent so while the concept is good, the execution is flawed. One thing is for sure, you won't be seeing unlimited online fan voting come next season.

But if you can, who do you think we should push next year?

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Steve Yzerman jersey retirement ceremony

Two nights ago, I was lucky enough to attend the ceremony in the lower bowl right behind the zamboni pit so I saw all the participants in the event (including Yzerman) walk directly underneath me. It was pretty sweet.

I wrote up a pretty long recap here and you can check out photos here. I thought of Finny when the Ducks were warming up before the game (I even got a puck that got flicked over the netting).

All-Star Game
To be honest, the all-star game used to be a big deal. I think allowing voting over the internet makes it really easy for someone to vote 5 million times so it kind of distorts the results in comparison to voting before you could do it online. Plus it's not like it's a real game with much physicality. I think it used to be a bigger honor back in the day, but maybe that's just me.

I did not vote Rory, I just voted for the players I thought deserved it the most. However, I did think the Vote for Rory campaign was pretty funny especially the attack ads (like the one against Nicklas Lidstrom).

New Year Resolutions
Dominik Hasek - To keep his groin healthy.
Dan Cleary- To continue this offensive streak.
Niklas Kronwall- To not get injured anymore so he's in prime condition for the playoffs.
Mike Babcock- To find a way to improve the power play.

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