Archive for the 'All Star Game' Category

On the Dodge/NHL SuperSkills Competition

Published
by
Matt Saler
on January 27, 2008
in All Star Game
. 3 Comments

Update (7:41 PM): I should be a little more specific: along with the camerawork issues, I felt that the pacing of the Competition was not tailored for a TV audience. CBC (and, I assume, Versus) had hardly any time to show a replay or conduct an interview before the next player was going. When you watch a game, you know it’s paced for TV, but that just was not the case last night.

If you think the Competition is more for the fans in the arena, then this isn’t a problem. If, however, it’s for fans watching on TV, it should matter and it’s something the League should look at next time if they’re set on broadcasting the thing.

Also, Brian has left a great comment on the breakaway challeneg below. - Matt

Because I’m home and so rarely get the chance to watch HNIC, I watched the Competition mostly on CBC last night.  I did switch over to Versus on occasion and saw that they were using the same footage for everything except ice-level interviews.

In doing so, I noticed something: the SuperSkills Competition does not translate well to TV, whether it’s the experienced hockey people at CBC/HNIC or the new kids on the block at Versus. It was especially noticeable in the relay event as the camera cuts made following along difficult. The audio competition between the TV guys and the arena announcer got a little old as well.

Keep in mind that I’m talking about CBC here. Those who love to berate Versus should be reminded that both stations used the same camera work.

There were entertaining moments, to be sure. I just think that the Competition worked better as a form of entertainment for the fans in Atlanta than for the fans watching on TV. I don’t know, maybe they could try the traditional wide angle shot of the rink rather than having a guy on skates with a camera shooting from behind the players.

Or they could just not show the Competition on TV.

I’ll be heading back to school this afternoon and have a fair amount of homework, but I plan on watching the Game (on Versus - no CBC in West Michigan) if I can.

1/26 Notes

Published
by
Matt Saler
on January 26, 2008
in All Star Game, Chris Chelios, Chris Osgood, Fabian Brunnstrom, Nick Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk and Steve Yzerman
. 6 Comments

Update (6:44 PM): Watching some of the pre-event coverage on CBC here in the Detroit area (home for the weekend). They say Pavel Datsyuk will face Tomas Vokoun in the breakway contest, while Chris Osgood will be up against Alexander Ovechkin. - Matt

… Tonight at 7:00 ET is the Dodge/NHL SuperSkills competition on Versus. Of the six non-YoungStar events (obstacle course relay, fastest skater, elimination shootout, accuracy shooting, hardest shot, and breakaway challenge), I can only find confirmation that Pavel Datsyuk and Chris Osgood will be competing in the last.

However, you have to think Pavel will be in on the accuracy event, the shootout event, and possibly the fastest skater as well.

Nick Lidstrom will probably be in the hardest shot competition and possibly the accuracy event.

Osgood, aside from the breakaway competition, will have to be in the shootout event.

… Speaking of Osgood, San Jose’s Ron Wilson is still hoping to convince Mike Babcock to start Evgeni Nabokov instead of the Red Wing. Sorry, Ron, but Osgood has been the better goalie this season, with his League-leading GAA and #3 save-percentage.

At first glance, Nabokov has his own League-leading stat, his 27 wins, going for him, but he’s played in 48 of the Sharks’ 49 games. That’s a winning percentage of .5625. Osgood, by comparison, has played in 26 of 51 with 20 wins for a winning-percentage of .7692, which translates out to 36 wins over 48 games.

Nabokov deserves to start the All Star Game over Osgood, Ron? Really?

… Ron Wilson, by the way, won’t give up the idea that his Sharks outplayed the Wings in the post-season last year. His comment that the Wings are “better now than they’ve ever been” is much appreciated, though.

… James Mirtle has a post up on how to fix the All Star Game. His solution? Make it a spectacle like the Winter Classic. No argument there, but I still think changing up the section process would go a long way in getting the fans interested, as well. In a day where so many fans have fantasy teams made up of players not from their team, why not have us vote for the entire roster instead of merely the starters?

… On a related note, the folks at AOL’s NHL Fanhouse talk about the future of the Game.

… Ted Kulfan has projected lines for the Western All Stars:

Nash-Datsyuk-Iginla
Sedin-Thornton-Gaborik
Arnott-Getzlaf-Perry
Horcoff-Kopitar-Ribiero

… I find this comparison of Daniel Alfredsson to Steve Yzerman just a little off-putting. I do not deny that he is a great leader and certainly the Senators’ MVP, if not the League’s, but Yzerman was one of those leaders that comes along just once or twice in a generation. I don’t think that’s just the Red Wings fan in me talking. To say The Captain is and was someone special is a major understatement.

Ottawa GM Bryan Murray pointed out that “winning brings recognition” and there’s no doubt that winning a Cup would vault Alfredsson to a higher level in the pantheon of leaders. But to Yzerman’s status?

I was impressed by Alfredsson in the Wings recent game in Ottawa, but part of my perception of him is tainted by having watched him get beaten by Buffalo’s Jason Pominville for a series-ending overtime goal in the 2006 Conference Finals. It’s unfair of me, I suppose, but that’s one of the first things that comes to mind when I think of the guy. (via Snapshots)

… George Malik has more on the Fabian Brunnstrom story.

… Ansar Khan has a nice piece on Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk.

… The Freep focuses on Chris Chelios today, with seven different Chelios-related headlines on their Wings page.

Lidstrom and Zetterberg in All Star Game commercial

Published
by
Matt Saler
on January 23, 2008
in All Star Game, Henrik Zetterberg, NHL, Nick Lidstrom and Video
. 2 Comments

The NHL is marketing the All Star Game in a number of ways and one of them is by sending stuff to bloggers. I got an email from Sinuate Media today asking if I would be interested in posting video and/or banner material. Rather than turn them down because I’m not a big fan of the All Star selection process (after voting stops), I chose to actually accept some admittedly indirect attention from the League, more because it’s so rare (for me, anyway) than anything else. So, That’s where the temporary banners you see come from.

As for the title of the post, I present you this video. It’s actually pretty cool.

As I indicated last night, I think the NHL’s All Star reserves and replacements all too often are ludicrous choices. However, I’m all for the players voted in by the fans (even given the occasional stuffed ballot box). I’m proud of Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and Pavel Datsyuk for getting voted in, even if Hank can’t play. I also think the League made the right decision in naming Chris Osgood as a reserve. I should have made that clearer in last night’s rant.

It’s not the All Star Game itself I have a problem with, per se. I suppose it’s more the fact that the fans only have a say in who the starters are. Why can’t we vote for the whole roster line-by-line and pairing-by-pairing, with those players with the most top-line/pairing votes getting the start?

Maybe the League figures the average fan has a tough time thinking of six players League-wide to vote for, let alone a full roster. That may be a valid concern, since many fans are so parochial. Still, it may go a long way in ending the feelings of injustice and give the NHL a break from all the negative waves emanating from angry fans feeling their players got the shaft.

Also, I should mention that Ryan Doherty of the new Hockeytown Blog will be covering the All Star Game and its related festivities from Atlanta this weekend.

I couldn’t have said it better myself

Published
by
Matt Saler
on January 22, 2008
in All Star Game, Brian Rafalski, Links and NHL
. 0 Comments

Update (11:05 PM): Clark Rasmussen of DetroitHockey.Net, posting a comment at Abel to Yzerman, just noted that the FSN broadcast team of Ken Daniels and Larry Murphy said Rafalski was asked to go to the Game by the League, but declined.

That lessens the blow somewhat so far as the Wings fan part of me is concerned. The pure hockey fan side of me still feels the outrage of Niedermeyer’s being named a replacement for Zubov at the expense of any number of more-deserving candidates in the West. In that respect, I stand by my post below.

(By the way, I’m not watching the LA game because I’ve gotten maybe 17 hours of sleep over the past 48 and I have to be up at 5:30 in the morning. I’d like to be able to attain the standard level of consciousness tomorrow, so I’m going to bed.) - Matt

IwoCPO has an excellent post over at Abel to Yzerman that you have to read.

Every once and a while, the NHL does something that forces fans to weigh the benefits of continuing to follow the game against the complete and utter stupidity that so often comes from the League offices. This is one of those times.

In my judgment, the League passes once again, but only just. The All Star Game is simply too meaningless for this to do anything more than royally piss me off.

Luongo turns down All Star spot

Published
by
Matt Saler
on January 9, 2008
in All Star Game, Chris Osgood and Links
. 0 Comments

TSN reports that Roberto Luongo has decided to skip the All Star Game in order to spend time with his pregnant wife.  That should make Pascal Leclaire the starter and possibly open the door for Chris Osgood to be named a backup with Evgeni Nabokov.

That’s assuming the NHL is amenable to the idea of four Red Wings being on the team. If so, they should give Tomas Holmstrom a spot while they’re at it!

NHL All Star Game polls open

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 16, 2006
in All Star Game and NHL
. 0 Comments

If you can stomach Mark Messier’s angry bald visage in Cold-FX banner ads - it’s the “NHL Cold-FX All Star Game Balloting” page “presented by 2K Sports” - cast your vote today. Just don’t write in Dominik Hasek. We don’t need him getting a groin injury in the All  Star Game, even if he deserves to be there.

Link