All Star Madness

So, the players for the 2011 All-Star Game in Raleigh, NC were announced yesterday, and predictably, there is some argument as to who belongs and who got snubbed.  The jerseys for the event were also revealed yesterday (above).  Before I begin my take on this event, I should direct you to the complete list of players that will be participating in the events of All-Star Weekend.

The teams have yet to be determined, as the teams won't be picked until the Friday before the game by two captains that no one knows about yet.  If I was a betting man, I would Sidney Crosby and Eric Staal, since they are the face of the league and the hometown player, respectively.  This selection of teams will offer a different dynamic in that the possibilities are endless as far as who will team with who.  As for the way the players were picked, I thought the idea of having rookies there for the Super Skills competition instead of the rookies vs. sophmores game, as it was in the past, is not a bad idea.  The players that will be participating in the actual game, that's a slightly different story.  The Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers, despite being near the top in their respective conferences, only have one representative each, being Nicklas Lidstrom and Claude Giroux, respectively.  Meanwhile, Ales Hemsky gets a spot on the roster.  I argue Edmonton's spot here, as I could just as easily argued for Jordan Eberle or Taylor Hall here instead of Hemsky.  No offense to Hemsky, but I don't think he should be the Oilers' representative at the game.  Why not Hall or Eberle?  They're only a point behind Hemsky, and maybe a rookie can infuse some life in a glorified exhibition.  Another selection that raises some eyebrows here is Mike Green.  This year has been an off year by his standards, with only 21 points to account for to this point in the season.  Name recognition can do wonders for you, just ask Green and Marc Staal.  Staal is Eric's younger brother and only has 17 points.  Two players that could have made an argument for being snubbed: Keith Yandle and Mark Giordano.  Okay, Giordano would have been a stretch, given the Flames' struggles, but his numbers are slightly better than Green's.  Heck, an argument could have been made for the likes of Lubomir Visnovsky, Alexander Edler, and anyone ahead of Green in the points category.  Phoenix, by the way, does not have a representative in the actual All-Star game, which makes the Yandle snub all the more puzzling.  The fans' picks were mostly spot on, save for Marc-Andre Fleury, who would have still made it into the game, edging out Roberto Luongo.

All Star weekend begins on January 28 and will conclude with the game on the 30th, so mark your calendars because it promises to be interesting.  Tomorrow, I will speak about this Guardian Project that the NHL has going on that will coincide with the All Star festivities.