NHL All-Star Game could benefit from return to USA v Russia format

Instead, captains Jonathan Toews of Chicago and Nick Foligno of host Columbus will pick teams playground style and off they will go, representing nothing but themselves on Sunday, writes Gregg Patton.

This year Latvia stepped up by voting in the unknown Buffalo Sabre Zemgus Girgensons, left, into the NHL All-Star Game. AP Photo / Harry Scull Jr

It has been a long time since anyone took an NHL All-Star Game seriously, but the event survives anyway.

Who knows why? Inertia? Every other league has a game? They will discover a magic formula by accident some day?

Over the past couple of decades, it has often been a cartoon imitation of the sport, with final scores such as 12-9, 14-12, 16-6, etc. Contact is considered rude.

The current format has been in place since 2011. Fans elect six starters. This year Latvia stepped up by voting in the unknown Buffalo Sabre, Zemgus Girgensons, while Chicago stuffed their computers and got five Blackhawks in. A league committee picked the remaining 30 or so this week.

There is no longer an East versus West component, nor even a North America versus the World component nor, sadly, when it was the most compelling – an NHL versus the Soviet Union component (1979 and 1987).

Instead, captains Jonathan Toews of Chicago and Nick Foligno of host Columbus on Sunday will pick teams playground style and off they will go, representing nothing but themselves – no divisions, conferences, regions, countries or continents.

We hope it is at least enjoyable for the participants.

Until someone comes up with a better idea, perhaps pitting NHL stars against Russia’s KHL or something of that sort, there is no longer anything to root for, other than some acrobatic skating and fancy shooting. No doubt someone will keep score, too, just because they always do.

Follow our sports coverage on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE