Who isn’t a fan of watching some of the best players (regardless of the sport) duke it out in an all-star game? Well, if it was as boring and lack-luster as the past NHL all-star games, probably not many…but that is about to change! Thanks to Brendan Shanahan, this year’s NHL All-Star game will be more like a good ol’ fashioned hockey game. To begin with, fans can vote for 6 players of their choice, and at the end of the voting period, the top two voted players will become the new “captains” of the two All-Star teams. Some very good points are brought up in yahoo sports hockey blog, by Puck Daddy. After the two captains are chosen, they then get to draft the players THEY want on the team. 
That’s right, the voters DO NOT get to vote on the entire team, rather only on the captains. This brings a whole new level to the All-Star game. Does the captain draft his friends? Teammates perhaps? Fellow countrymen? It does not matter which conference the player is from…
This in my opinion, ups the stakes instantly, for what player doesn’t want to prove that he is capable of playing and playing well for his “captain.” Player’s who respect their captain certainly have extra motivation to play hard, and having the bragging rights at the end of the day cant hurt either. 
This does mean that people will be left out, however that is something that is crucial in my opinion. Why? Because that not only creates even more healthy competition, but it will hopefully drive players to improve their game. Gaining the respect and admiration of fellow hockey players sometimes can mean more to players than knowing that they have a large fan base, and who wouldn’t feel honored to be “picked” by a person such as Crosby, Ovechkin, Datsyuk, or Stamkos?
As puck daddy rightly points out, the more passionate the players are, the higher quality of game it will be. Its going to be an exciting game, and even if it takes a year or two to work out the kinks in the system, I believe that it is a great change to the All-Star game not only for the fans, but also for the players!
Interested in voting? Vote HERE
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