All-Star Fantasy Draft – The Worst Thing Ever?

I can’t stand to watch, but I am keeping an eye on Twitter.

It’s a real toss-up over what part of this event is the worst.

1. The fact that the NHL seems to think that there’s some relevance or interest in this draft.
2. The fact that major media outlets treat the draft like there’s some relevance or interest. For example, TSN is pointing out on their front page that Pavel Datsyuk and Erik Karlsson were the first 2 picks. Is there some significance to that?
3. The fact that some American media guys are taking it seriously…I’ve seen serious stories out of Pittsburgh, New York, and Philadelphia discussing where their hometown players were drafted and whether their play may have merited a higher selection.

Like the all-star game in other sports, the NHL’s version has become completely ridiculous.

When I was a kid, I really enjoyed the NHL all-star game. I can vaguely remember collecting hockey cards that depicted the Gretzky/Yzerman vs. Lemieux/Sakic battles. There was some real interest in the East/West contest. That was before the Internet, and before everyone had access to every game they wanted to watch. It was an opportunity to see the best players from markets that we virtually never get to see.

Now, we see every team as often as we’d like. If I want to watch the Kings play the Sharks on a Thursday night, I can. That means that there’s no element of surprise in the all-star game; I’ve seen all the players, and can see them whenever I’d like.

The league has toyed around with gimmicks over the last few years, but none of them have managed to capture my attention. I’d like to see them return to the East/West battles, or even the North America vs. the World, but something definitely has to change if I’m ever going to watch this game and the assorted activities again.