After a mostly lackadaisical game last year in Columbus, the first All-Star game in a couple of years, the league decided to change the format of almost all of it. Gone is the East vs West rivalry (kinda), gone is the drunken fantasy draft, gone are the individual captains picking the teams. Sean McIndoe of ESPN sums up my feelings perfectly.
NHL problem: Everyone hates everything about All-Star Weekend except for one thing.
NHL solution: Eliminate that one thing.
— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) November 18, 2015
Having the All-Star game in my hometown last year was a treat and a lot of it was followed with bated breath by observers in town. The fantasy draft was all anyone could talk about and you decide to scrap it? It is only a tiny part of the weekend, but it was great that no matter what your city prefers in their sports, that the NHL can shut it all down, if only for a weekend.
Bob McKenzie on Insider Trading:
“There’s going to be a 3-on-3 mini-game format for the All-Star Game. The National Hockey League Players Association recently signed off on that format, and the expectation is that the League will be making some sort of formal announcement about it tomorrow.
“What we believe to be the case is that the fantasy draft will be dead. Instead, there will be four divisional teams – nine or 10 skaters apiece, a couple of goaltenders. The two teams in the Eastern Conference would play a 20-minute mini-game. The two teams in the Western Conference would play a 20-minute mini-game. And then you would have the two winners play a 20-minute mini-game.”
If you are thinking to yourself, well this all kind of sounds convoluted, it really is but alas it is only an exhibition game. It should be an exciting format for the fans in Nashville that will surely throw a great party for everyone involved.
Now the next move is to get Dustin Byfuglien on board with the 3-on-3 after all his complaints. Dustin, you’ll love it!
