My All-Star Game Rant and No TV Broadcast Rant

The All-Star game is such BS. The starting lineups were announced yesterday and only include players form four, yes four, teams: Chicago, Montreal, Anaheim and Pittsburgh. It will be interesting to see who the league chooses to round out the lineups.

The actual players are:
Montreal - Alexei Kovalev (Forward), Andrei Markov and Mike Komisarek (Defense) and Care Price (Goalie)
Pittsburgh - Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin (Forward)
Chicago - Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews (Forward) and Brian Campbell (Defense)
Anaheim - Scott Niedermayer (Defense), Ryan Getzlaf (Forward) and Jean-Sebastien Giguere (Goalie)

Now, I understand that this is the Canadiens 100th year and that the All-Star game is in Montreal, but seriously four Canadiens on the team? And why are there three Ducks on the West? Why not just make the All-Star game Habs vs Ducks? Why even have an All-Star game at this point? I think it would be cool if each person on the starting lineup was from a different team. Each line/pairs could then be five players from different teams. To me that would be more exciting.

In reading some blogs and comments, many people are outraged about the way the starting lineup turned out. Others are calling those people racist and jealous. As far as the racist goes, I do have to agree that the name-calling (frogs) is uncalled for. I am not jealous that the Habs fans had more time to vote than me. I have a life and can’t sit and vote online/by text every second of every day. I did vote and I only voted for one of my teams players, the rest were players from other teams. I voted for Doan. He deserves to go. He is the epitome of an All-Star, unlike Crosby.

How can you be an All-Star when you cheap shot people on a face-off? He shouldn’t even be a captain in this league. Yes, he is a good player but he ruins himself by doing the cheap shots and whining. I don’t want to see a hockey player whine. I want to see them stand up and defend the honor of his team. I don’t want an All-Star who leaves a game when his team is losing and says, I need to review the tape to figure out why how I got injured. Way to leave your teammates out to dry, way to be a captain, way to be an All-Star.

In trying to think of a way to do this more fairly, I haven’t been able to come up with anything. It seems that the league (and other sports) have tried just about everything. Maybe limit the voting to one from each person. Plus, I think the league likes having Crosby on the starting lineup. They think having a big name like him will draw new fans. If I was a new fan and I watched the All-Star game, I think I would never watch another hockey game again. It is not the most exciting game to watch because the players are being cautious (which I totally understand) and is nothing like a real NHL game where everyone is fighting for the win. I am a huge hockey fan and I usually shut it off after two periods. I do enjoy having the goalies micd up though. That is always fun, especially when they get distracted and let in an easy goal (I believed this happened to Dipi last year). I do like the skills contests also; those are fun to watch.
Ok, I am done ranting about the All-Star game.
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But I do have one other rant… WHY IS THE DUCKS/COYOTES GAME NOT BEING BROADCAST ON TV FOR EITHER TEAM?!?!?! Seriously, someone dropped the ball on this one. And it’s not even being radio broadcast on the Coyotes “official” radio station; it‘s on 1510 am (whatever station that is). This is like one of the biggest games of the season and its radio only. Why? I am so pissed that I can’t watch this game and I hate radio broadcasts. I like to be able to see what is going on! I’m a visual person.
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Last night I went and watched my friends hockey practice for the MotherPuckers (as we haven’t been able to see any of her games) and we have (Ok, I have) officially named her Jovo. Next time I am bringing signs that say ‘Go Jovo”.