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December 15, 2010 + Over the Edge

NHL Bringing it Back to the Streets

New All-Star format resembles old-school street hockey

The National Hockey League has revolutionized the All-Star game experience.
This season’s game, scheduled for January 30, will premiere the league’s new
groundbreaking all-star format that resembles the old pickup style we are all used to
playing. Teams will be chosen by captains rather than the typical matchups experienced
in the past between East vs. West, or World vs. North America.

Fans will still get their opportunity to put their stamp on the game by selecting the top
three forwards, two D-men, and goalie of the league. The players themselves will get
to choose their own line-mates. Of the elite six, two captains will be selected for each
side. The captains will then have the privilege of selecting their team in a draft of forty-
two players selected by the NHL. Furthermore, the captains will also select from a pool
of twelve rookies to compete alongside the all-stars in the skills competition.

This format is a refreshing new take on professional all-star games, which many
times are criticized for being stale and unappealing to fans. Aside from Major League
Baseball’s All-Star extravaganza, which has significance come playoff time (the
winning league is guaranteed home-field advantage in the World Series), there is
limited competitiveness associated with all-star games. Case in point does anyone
even watch the Pro-Bowl, furthermore, the NBA’s Slam Dunk competition is more
exciting than the actual game. This new look game will not only entice the fan’s interest
but also raise the stakes for the players, creating a competitive environment not often
associated with all-star games.

The altered all-star format and the possibilities of any combination of lineups have
created a difficult premise to speculate the makeup of the teams. However, yours truly
has taken on this endeavor despite its complications. The real draft will occur two
nights before the main event on January 28th.

Just as | have done in the past with predictions | open the door for readers to provide

their own perspective and | will submit their picks in an upcoming edition. Truthfully
it is just a good way to avoid writing during exams; nonetheless, | still want to hear
what readers think. Send me your picks to over-the-edge@unbc.ca Subject: NHL ALL-
STARS. My picks go as follows 1) Fan Selections 2) Captains voted by players 3) Top
eleven players selected by captains, six forwards, four D-men, and a goalie.

Fan Selections
1. Sydney Crosby 1. Niklas Lidstrom ‘le

2. Alex Ovechkin 2. Duncan Keith
3. Steven Stamkos

Carey Price

ONLINE SOURCE

Captains and Top 11 Picks’

aptains
1. Crosby
2. Lidstrom

aptains
1. Stamkos
2. Ovechkin

Forwards Forwards

1. Jonathan Teows 1. Martin St. Louis

2. Eric Staal 2. Nicklas Backstrom

3. Henrik Sedin 3. Daniel Sedin

4. Pavel Datsyuk 4. Brad Richards

5. Patrick Kane 5. Alexander Semin

6. Cory Perry 6. Evgeni Malkin
Defensemen Defensemen

1. Kris Letang

2. Drew Doughty
3. Chris Pronger
4. Brent Seabrook

1. Dustin Byfuglien
2. John-Michael Liles
3. Mike Green

4. Zdeno Chara

Goalie
a

Tim Thomas 1. Jimmy Howard