All Star Games Lessons Learned
| 01 Feb 2011
I got my hands on an NHL memo talking about lessons learned from the NHL All Star Game. It seems that the league learned some lessons from the new format, and have some notes on how to make next years weekend even better. I went ahead and bullitized the main points from the memo and am leaking them to masses.
- The NHL Draft created a ton of hype and a ton of press coverage that normally wouldn’t have happened. Next season we need to repeat what was successful in generating interest and make sure a Maple Leaf gets drafted last.
Potential Alternative: make sure A Red Wing gets drafted last.
- The breakaway competition seemed to lack luster with good goalies who were actually semi-skilled at stopping pucks, even at ½ effort. We recommend a format like Montreal in 2009 when we used local goalies who weren’t particular skilled at stopping pucks. Good thing next year is in Ottawa where there seems to be a surplus of goalies who aren’t skilled at stopping pucks.
- Choosing a captain with strong ties to the local rooting allegiances really gave the fans a rooting interest in the game, which is why next years captains should be a Maple Leaf and a Canadian.
- Our biggest fear is that one day a player will get injured participating in all star activities, and so far we’ve been lucky to avoid such a catastrophe. Still, in order to hedge our bets, David Jones should be banned from All-star games for life (not that he’d likely make many, but better safe than sorry).
- In order to get more diversity in the starters, next season instead of fans voting in the starters we’ll let TV execs do it. That way only Americans will make the all star team.
- Next season we should add the inaccuracy shooting competition, and let Defensemen fire bombs from the point and see which piece of glass they hit. Dion Phaneuf will be an honorary participant whether he makes the game or not.
- Next season the All-star game is in Canada, where the drinking age is only 19. I see a cross promotion with another HBO 24/7 and a rookie open-bar, with guest bartender Matt Duchene.