The All-Star game itself was a highly entertaining offensive show.  The East beat the West by a score of 12 to 11.  Twenty-eight of the 36 players involved had a point, and Alex Ovechkin scored the game-winning goal in a shootout (one of the most exciting occurrences to watch in sports).  Alex Kovalev of the hometown Canadiens won the MVP Award and a brand-new Honda Ridgeline truck that went along with it.

In spite of the lack of defense (there were no hits), the game was still highly competitive.  Towards the end of regulation when the lead kept bouncing back-and-forth between sides, both teams visibly picked up the pace and intensity of their play.  Mike Komisarek was actually whistled for a hooking penalty in overtime, the first overtime penalty since 2000.

All-Star games are known as “goalie-nightmares.”  With no defense, the best players in the league basically have free-reign to score while the goalies are left helpless.  In the end, this year  Boston’s Tim Thomas became the fifth goalie in All-Star history to win back-to-back games.

Some hockey pundits have said that the status of the All-Star game is up in the air.  There are problems with the festivities, none worse than players ducking out of the event in spite of making the team.  This year the league instituted a rule saying that any All-Star who skips the festivities must sit the next game after the break.  Unfortunately for the Red Wings, Nick Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk both chose not to go to Montreal in spite of making the team.  Not only was the team left without representation during the All-Star game, but the Red Wings lost their game against Columbus right after the break.  Think they didn’t miss two of their top players?

The two stars should have taken a page from Sidney Crosby’s book.  He did not play in the game or participate during the skills competition due to a lingering knee injury, but he did go to Montreal and participate in what he could.  He doesn’t have to miss a game because he still showed up – it won’t make an injury worse to travel to a city and hang out with family and friends while watching some good hockey.

All in all, a great All-Star weekend in Montreal, where it’s been said that only three things matter: the French language, the Catholic religion, and hockey.

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Walter Daly is a former collegiate baseball player for the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York.  Currently, he is a grad student at the University of Southern California working toward a Masters in Journalism and coaches a high school baseball team in Los Angeles.  Walter is not only a great baseball player and coach, but also knows how to throw a nasty forecheck and is ready to throw down the gloves at the drop of a puck.

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4. ⊚  What Christmas Day at the Laker/Celtics Game Taught Me
5. ⊚  Play the Damn Game Already!