Bienvenue a Montreal
All Star Weekend provided another not-a-must-see-TV event, but it was good enough for those who actually have the Versus network on their cable packageI'm not going to get started with why the game wasn't on NBC. That's for a different time.
I have the Versus network. I know what channel Versus can be viewed on. I watched both Skills Competition, the YoungStars Game, and the All Star Game. Once again, I came away with ideas that can make it a better overall event. Once again, I was not impressed.
The highlight of the weekend had to be the NHL's attempt to enhance the Skills competition with the elimination shootout. Not the end result, but the league's attempt. I like where their head is at with this event - every All Star takes a penalty shot; if they miss, they go home; if they score, they hang around until they miss.
However, I couldn't help but notice some of the league's best act more concerned about getting out of there early, instead of trying to be the last one standing. Marc Savard and Shane Doan the last two shooters, seriously? Savard can score, but he's known for his passing. And Doan is in the All Star Game, but, let's face it, he's not on that same elite level as the Alexander Ovechkin's of the world.
Speaking of Ovechkin, his breakaway attempts, in what the NHL tries to describe as their "Slam Dunk" competition, got him the most votes by fans Saturday night. But what the announcers and analysts forgot to point out after his Canadian costume-filled, double-twigged goal, was that he scored using Evgeni Malkin's left-handed stick. For one, Ovechkin is a righty, and two, it is the same Malkin that most recently battled Ovechkin in what seems to be the most heated All-Star vs. All-Star rivalry in the sport, similar to Jerome Iginla vs. Vincent Lecavalier back in the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals. I would have liked to see the Versus people spend some more time on the Ovechkin/Malkin rivalry, but they missed the boat.
And before I forget about Lecavalier, his introduction before Saturday's Skills Competition has to receive the award for "most awkward 30 seconds" of the weekend. Not only did the Montreal Canadiens PA announcer give a more spirited intro for the Tampa Bay Lightning forward, but he waited a good 30 seconds to announce the next player, allowing for the standing ovation to take its toll at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
I understand, Lecavalier is from Quebec. It's a homecoming for him, of sorts. But that wasn't why he received such an ovation. He received the ovation from Canadiens fans alike because his name has been rumored for weeks to be on his way out of Tampa Bay, and onto Montreal.
Tampa Bay Lightning beat writer for the St. Petersburg Times, Damian Cristodero, said on my show last week that these rumors "seem to have more legs" than Lecavalier rumors in years past, but whether it happens or not, you have to feel for Lecavalier, who, isn't exactly asking out of Tampa. I do have to admit, it was kind of cool to see what Lecavalier would look like donning Canadiens colors.
Here are some other high/low points of the weekend:
High: 4-on-4 Overtime.
Low: Shootout after 5-minute overtime.
The overtime was a 4-on-4, which is what the entire game should be, but it was clearly a more spirited effort than regulation. Nobody wanted to get caught up ice, left to watch the opposing team score the game-winner while they were out there. That's the way the whole game should be played, without hitting. I could have watched that type of effort with that type of talent all night, so the fact that it had to be stopped only five minutes in for yet another shootout event was downright stupid. Let the kids play. Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas once told me that the shootout obviously favors the shooters, but did you see the saves Thomas was pulling out in OT? The NHL got a minor glimpse of what the All Star Game could be in that five minutes. But will they realize it? Probably not.
High: Ummmm . . . . OK, fine, the 5-minute overtime was the only real "high point" of the weekend, and it just so happened to occur while I'm writing this.
Low: Referee who called a penalty in overtime.
I really can't get over how much backchecking I just saw in that 5-minute overtime of an All Star Game. I also can't get over why that ref would call a hooking penalty in that same overtime, especially since he put a Canadiens player, defenseman Mike Komisarek, in the box for hooking. Usually the home teams are favored in these events, and making a call on Komisarek, when you already had a 4-on-4 was a poor decision to keep the game's excitement level at a high. Please, spare us the penalties, especially when the game just starts to get good.
High: Can't stress it enough, overtime.
Low: Versus Network.
My beef with Versus continues in 2009. Not only did we miss several pieces of action due to replays running longer than expected all weekend long, but for crying out loud, can we move the players' cue cards for commercial breaks from the corner of the room to somewhere remotely near the camera? And if I have to watch one more clip of the Sports Soup guy trying to make it seem like he's actually talking LIVE with the Versus broadcasters, than I'm going to puke. I mean, how stupid do they think we are? As if we don't know the Sports Soup host pre-recorded his terrible segments with the Versus crew? C'mon guys, you're better than that, I hope.
All Star Weekend final thoughts:
As if you don't already know what I'm going to say. We saw what this game could be in five minutes of 4-on-4 overtime. Cut next year's roster down to eight forwards, six defensemen, and three goalies. Make periods 15 minutes, instead of 20. Let the league pick the teams. And finally, make it count. Give the winning conference home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Finals. I was always against making the All Star Game count until I saw this year's overtime. Just enforce no checking. Any serious contact will be a penalty. And clearly, they're not afraid to call those. Make it a game of shinny that counts. No checking, 4-on-4, sudden death overtime. There it is, commissioner Gary Bettman, right in front of your eyes in Montreal. Make it happen.
posted by Danny Picard @ 7:42 PM
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