That's the league's latest brainstorm to try to make the most pitiful excuse for a hockey game watchable.
And the draft itself may actually be worth watching, if just to see the expressions on the faces of the stars left waiting until the final picks. Will either captain snub a teammate? Will the Sedins finally have to play on opposing teams? Who will become Mr. Irrelevant?
We already know the game itself certainly won't be relevant.
The All-Star Game is supposed to be a showcase for the sport, a rare chance to give the NHL national exposure on a network broadcast in the United States. It's supposed to give existing fans a chance to celebrate why they love the game and new fans a reason to embrace the sport.
But none of what makes hockey such a spectacular sport is on display in this exhibition. There is no hitting, no defense and no passion. There is ample skill, but even that is muted by the fact that no one is really trying to stop those pretty passes and fancy shots.
If this is the only exposure casual sports fans get to the game, is it any wonder the NHL has trouble attracting new followers?
So what is the solution? It's pretty simple actually. Scrap the All-Star Game entirely. The Winter Classic is now the true showcase for the NHL, and the league should just make it official, drop the All-Star Game and focus on the outdoor spectacle that has enthralled existing fans and won over new ones for the past four years.
Bad weather forced the Winter Classic to be played at night this year, and the result was the biggest audience for an NHL game in 35 years. The Winter Classic can be kept in primetime, with no other games played that day. The league can even make it a multiple-day break like what's in place around the All-Star Game, which would be folded into the Winter Classic festivities. Keep the New Year's Day tradition or move the Winter Classic into the All-Star Game's slot in the weekend between the NFL's conference championship games and the Super Bowl when it will face no serious sports competition on the airwaves.
All-Star teams can still be selected. That's where most of the interest in the event lies anyway, as fans debate who was snubbed and who earned a selection that shouldn't have. The players are still thrilled to be recognized for their play. Tim Thomas showed that on Tuesday, when he remarked that his selection was "a feather in your cap."
"It's always an honor," Thomas added, "so I'm very happy."
Getting picked still may be special to the players, but actually playing the game instead of getting a long weekend off isn't quite as attractive, as the many stars who beg out of competing in it each season attest. This year's format may make it a little more fun for the players by turning it into a glorified game of shinny with their friends, but that doesn't make it any more compelling for the viewers at home.
So let the stars still get picked, and bring them to the Winter Classic. The skills competition can take place outdoors the day before the Winter Classic. The players can be introduced and honored before the start of the game or between periods. Have them on hand for all the festivities. Keep everything except the actual All-Star Game itself.
After all, the All-Star Game is not actual hockey.
The Winter Classic isn't like any other game either, but in a good way. The venue is unique, but the game still counts in the standings and all the real elements of hockey are there.
That is the showcase the NHL needs to focus on to reward hockey fans and win over new ones, and they can't afford to continue to dilute the gains the Winter Classic makes by following it with an All-Star Game that has lost its luster.
Has the All-Star Game outlived its usefulness and should the Winter Classic become the NHL's lone midseason showcase? Share your thoughts below.
