EHM The Blue Line

The starting lineups has been announced:

http://www.nhl.com/allstar/2008/starters.html

But Loungo doesn't going as he wants to spend some time with his wife, who's pregnant, instead Manny Legace is going to be third goalie:

http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=pag ... eid=349459

here's the Western roster, the Eastern is announced in the near future.

http://www.nhl.com/allstar/2008/west_roster.html

Duncan Keith? I know he's an underrated defenseman around the league, but the All-Star game should be for more star-like players.

Mike Richards and Kimmo Timonen representing the Flyers.

I'm especially glad to see Richards was recognised, even if it isn't the starting lineup where he really belongs.

Yeah Duncan Keith has been playing well this season, but he shows up because of his speed and offensive capability. Not sure about d-zone. And with Patty Sharp on that team leading the league in Shorties..well...hmm.

But still Keith has been decent this year and I can see it as a Hawk. but as a player over Rafalski...no.

Henrik but not Daniel??? Wow. Hank said yesterday "Finally I have proven I am the better Sedin" Daniel said "Bite me" (no--really he said congrats and I guess you are the better player..now shoot)

Pronger and GETZLAF , i can now die in piece, knowing he's gettin the acolades he deserves,

Do you think that Pronger will team up with Phaneuf? Even with the no-hit stipulation, i'm sure they couldn't help to hit hard if put together

That would be a nice combination!!! 1 of them might be the first all star to receive a penalty in... 5 years is it, . I know its a long time. Anyone help me out? Lol.

Hopefully they do team up. Miss their prey and run head first into each other..causing each to miss the next 9 months with concussions.

Oops..that is mean.

Marc Savard has been called up to play the AllStar game for the injured Dany Heatley!!

Nice for Savard...although I think he should have been already in the "original" lineup.

Yeah, a lot of people were a little bummed upset that Savard wasn't named to the AS team right away. He should've been on it last year too. The bigger travesty is that Tim Thomas wasn't included. That man has played his butt off!

Timmeh

Hey! Who is that up above me? Wow! Welcome back Daniel

Danny wrote:Timmeh

I'm really glad that he got the call to fill in for Brodeur. If anyone deserves it, it's Tim Thomas. The guy has played his butt off this year. Plus, you've got to respect the way the guy has worked his way up to where he is.

Sure looked like one against CatchUp's boys last nite. Just practicing for the number he will let in in the All Star game I guess.

Last night was just bad and should never be spoken of again.

Hmm...



8-2 random references all over the board for about the next 6 months or so sound about right.

It will put the Marleau fiasco to shame!!!

Yeah, that'll be fun!

Has anyone seen that Scott Niedermayer has been brought into the Western squad because of an injury to someone. I'm all for Ducks makin the squad, but this is JOKE, he's played 19 games all year, how is he in the squad?!?!

batdad wrote:Hey! Who is that up above me? Wow! Welcome back Daniel

Hello again. Work keeping me away from anything even remotely connected to fun.

Don't mock Timmeh, beware of bear

getzlaf15 wrote:Has anyone seen that Scott Niedermayer has been brought into the Western squad because of an injury to someone. I'm all for Ducks makin the squad, but this is JOKE, he's played 19 games all year, how is he in the squad?!?!

Actually I have no issue with this. The All Star game is a publicity stunt. It is not a real hockey game. It is a game to show off to all the sponsors what is going on in the league. He is there replacing Zubov...a star defenseman who skates and moves the puck well.

I mean, who else would they put in there to show off the skill of the league from a defenseman point of view that even comes close to Nieds that is not there already (Lidstrom there)?

Yes, he has only played 19 games, but he is the DEFINITION of an NHL All star, and is the BEST person the league could use to promote the game as a player right now, outside of the injured SID THE KID.

Yup, I agree. It's not to determine which is better, the east or the west, it's more a place for the fans to get a glimpse of all the biggest stars of the league in one game. A photo opportunity if you like.

I actually thought it was more interesting back in the day, when it was North America vs the World for a season or maybe two? Back then I actually cared to know how it ended. Not like passionately, but it was somewhat interesting nevertheless.

Nowadays, I'd much rather watch a normal regular season game between any two teams playing each other, where both sides actually want to win the game, and not just play around and smile at the cameras, while the audience is cheering simply for the fact that these players bothered to come by and are "sort of" playing hockey infront of them.

All-Star games should be interesting if the players were allowed to hit and use their bodies in the defensive zone. It would save us for the parody of hockey that ASGs are.

Sure, some will argue that the no-hit is to prevent an injury... hmm... me not convinced. They can be injured anywhere, anytime. But everyone should find it stupid to not allow them to live outside of the rink...

Is the ASG is supposed to be a hockey game? If yes, play it with the hockey rules. If not, don't lie by telling us it's a hockey game.

"yes, but the no-hitting is to let more room for the offensive players to make superb plays". Wrong. Did Nash needed a lot of room to score a beauty against Phoenix lately? Did the likes of Ovechkin, Malkin, Crosby, and all, need room to make spectacular plays? No. And that's why their plays are so spectacular: because they have very few room to make it and nontheless success to make it. That's why they are true stars, not because they played in a boring and stupid parody of the game of hockey.

[/rant]

Bah, yer just mad cause HUET is not in it.

batdad wrote:Bah, yer just mad cause HUET is not in it.

Lol

Although i really like Huet, i think he didn't deserve his spot in the ASG this season, so no offense there. I'm also not mad not to see Kipper. Even if he's waking up since a few weeks, his first quarter of the season was so ugly that he didn't deserve a spot either.

I'm just fed up to see the ASG beeing sold like a super-hockey-event while it has very few to deal with hockey. Sure, it's an exhibition game. But watch the NHL teams' exhibition games in the pre-season: they hit, they defend...they play hockey! Sure, the physical presence is less dominant in those pre-season games than in the regular season (let alone the playoffs), but darn! that's a part of hockey! ASGs look more like a warm-up before a game than like a real game. To be honest, i enjoy more the skills competition. At least you know it's just for fun and for sponsor's eyes, so you've got the expected product on the ice. It's supposed to be entertainment, and it is. But calling the ASG a hockey game is just a big stupid lie. If Pronger and Phaneuf are teaming up in the ASG, who will fear going into the boards against them? Noone, because they'll know those two hitting machines won't be allowed to use their biggest defensive asset. If they were teaming up in a real hockey game, most would think twice before going along the boards... And they'd either show some courage to get there, or devellop an incredible play to avoid them, resulting in either a big hit or a magical pass, rather than just a pitifull no-action like we'll see in the ASG.

I mean, it's great to have all those stars on the ice, but they are here because they are really good hockey players. So let them show what they are the best at: playing true hockey! Else, the whole event is a complete no-sense, IMO.

Well, i doubt this rant will change anything to the problem, but we still have some freedom of speach, right?

I think the all-star game is a great idea. Like Shad666 said, guys like Pronger and Phaneuf are guys mostly known for their big hitting and grinding play. That's true, but i still think the all-star game as a kind of "hanging-out-with-the-boys-and-having-some-fun" of thing. It's an extra game in the season for the best guys in the league, so why play hard and beat each other unconscious (bet i spelled that wrong )? It's not like the guys are out there to make the playoffs. I mean, if Owen Nolan ever called a shot in an "important" game (as in for the playoff race) and missed it, his caoach (and the media, by the way) would have kicked him out faster than we finnish guys can say "wilkes/barre/Scranton Penguins"! So why not have some fun once in a while?

But, well, you know what they say about opinions...