All-Star Draft
The first little bit was predictable. Ward being first to Team Staal, then the two high-profile scorers next. The Sedin's getting split up wasn't much of a shocker than everyone says it is. Once Lidstrom lost the puck flip it was guaranteed (I say that since everyone was saying Ward would go to Staal, that would have been the best chance for those two to play on the same team). The first shocker - or at least I think it was - happened when Patrick Sharp was selected over Jonathan Toews in the 8th round. After "making Toew sweat", Kane finally made the world right and picked his buddy with the next pick. After the goalies were picked, it looked like Lidstrom got the best in that section. Staal should have been more selective, yes, Ward had to be one of his goalies, but there were a few rounds he could have picked a goalie on a hot streak than one on a middle-of-the-pack Eastern team (standings-wise).
After the goalies where picked, Eric finally stopped Staaling (see what I did there? ya, I'm not proud of it either) and finally picked his brother Marc. Another "shocker" a little later when Staal picks teammate Jeff Skinner - and by shocker, I mean how high he went, not the fact Staal picked him. The next pick was a blast-from-the-past for St. Louis as he selected Brad Richards for Team Lidstrom. The defensemen were picked earlier than the 15th round, with Erik Karlsson going in the 14th round to Team Staal (and becoming Mr. Irrelevant Defenseman). Not too many player where left to be drafted - although it was a bit of a shock to see Corey Perry being drafted low - but the inevitable happened when Phil Kessel was the last one picked. It was kinda dumb though to give the LAST guy drafted a new car.
I liked the "Sounds of the Draft" feature TSN had, hearing Patrick Kane make Toews wait to be picked, Price telling Thomas of his near-decapitation, and the rare NHLer-with-a-personality disease that Matt Duchene caught. Also liked the shot Staal made towards the Leafs, calling Toronto a non-hockey market. It was a little disappointing that the Rookies were just split up and got to choose what team they could play on. They should have been drafted separately. It was also fun seeing the Sedin twins take shots at each other (and Marc Staal laying a guilt trip on his brother). Speaking of guilt trips, can't believe Staal fell for the one Duthie did in regards to Rick Nash not being pick, but it is true that Nash doesn't get much attention. Overall the draft was entertaining, despite some of the predictable picks (thank you Mr.Staal). Oh, one more thing: did anyone think Jonas Hiller looked less of a goalie and more of what an ideal nerd looks like? Just me? Ok, moving on.
All-Star Skills Competition
Admittingly I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to hockey, so I would have preferred single over head-to-head competition in the fastest skater, hardest shot, and accuracy shooting events, but overall it was a great event. The introduction of skating backwards and goalies into the fastest skater events was awesome, although Lidstrom should have picked a better goalie than Thomas, as Pierre McGuire can attest to. The Breakaway Challange (a.k.a. Mike Richards' nightmare) was better than last year. Ovechkin retained his crown, but P.K. Subban should have been the winner (despite wearing a Hurricane jersey). Corey Perry had the best move out of the rest with his lacrosse-style puck carry all the way. The accuracy shooting provided some intense match-ups. A few of them ended up being very close. The Sharp-Toews match-up should have been a best 2-out-of-3 since Sharp won the first but was re-done because Toews didn't hear the whistle. Daniel Sedin went 4-for-4 on his first attempt and also won the final heat. The Skills Challange Relay was an interesting event, combining one-timers, passing, puck control, and target shooting. Team Lidstrom won, making it the only event they won. The Hardest Shot event went almost as expected, with Chara winning it with a new record of 105.9mph, although it's interesting to note that he lost his original head-to-head match-up against Shea Weber. Ovechkin's attempts provided the entertainment, after he broke his stick on his second attempt, he used Letang's (really? a rival's stick?), registered 0.00mph twice because the radar gun wasn't ready - the second one eventually registered, but he was given a 4th chance - and finally got his shot off. The final event was the Elimination Shootout, with Corey Perry winning it. St. Louis ended up second by trying he same old turn-your-back-mid-way-through move before his shot - although the deke he end up doing on Price was nice. Subban also gets points in my book for running Fleury on his second shot. The competition ended with Team Staal winning 33-22 over Team Lidstrom.
One Last Thought
There are two events that should be brought back for next year's competition:
- Goalie Shooting. The one were they have to shoot from their own crease, over an obstacle at centre, and into the net on the other side.
- Puck Control Relay. Where skaters would skate full length of the ice, pick the puck up, and stickhandle through a course of pylons.
