The NHL All-Star weekend is approaching, and the new format is sure to bring some fun to the event.
The old East-vs.-West style has been replaced by a schoolyard-type draft that combines both of the conferences’ All-Stars into one pool. The captains of each team, Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and Hurricanes center Eric Staal, will make their picks on Friday, Jan. 28, at 8 p.m. ET at the Raleigh Convention Center. The draft will be televised live nationwide on TSN and RDS in Canada and Versus in the U.S.
A coin toss will determine whether Staal and Lidstrom picks first. Then, both captains and their alternate captains will alternate picks until all 36 players are picked. Team Lidstrom’s alternate captains include Blackhawks playmaker Patrick Kane and Lightning veteran Martin St. Louis, while Team Staal’s alternates are Canucks forward Ryan Kesler and the high-scoring Capitals defender Mike Green.
The draft will consist of 18 rounds. To make sure that the last pick isn’t the kid who eats glue, the goalies will be picked before the 10th round, and the defensemen before the 15th. These rules should make for an entertaining draft, which will be full of the game’s biggest personalities.
Of the selected All-Stars, only Sidney Crosby and Jarome Iginla have been ruled unable to participate in the game.
Having two teams selected by captains instead of fans should produce some continuity and camaraderie not seen before in the All-Star Game. Ideally, this will lead to some creative goals/playmaking.
The change in format was engineered to add some new plotlines to the game, which has become somewhat stagnant in recent years.
