Other All-Star games could learn from NHL's new format

written by Andrew Callender    

The NFL and the NBA could learn something from the NHL All Star game. What the NHL did for this years All Star game was remarkable. The fantasy draft set up was by far the best way to go. You really got to see how the players ranked each other. Now Staal’s first pick of his teams goalie Cam Ward was a bit biased, but after that you could see the strategy’s play out. It was obvious the players were having a lot of fun just watching it unfold. From a fans perspective it was very interesting to watch. I know personally every year when I buy the NHL games, the first thing I do is a fantasy draft. It was a intriguing to see how the players would draft as compared to my friends and me.


    This years All Star game drew a 1.2 rating, which is up 33 percent from the 2009 all star game. It was a good game to watch as well. Now with the NFL’s Pro Bowl the rules are completely different. It is so hard to watch. The defense is restricted in a lot of what it’s allowed to do. How great would it be if Peyton Manning was one captain and Drew Brees was  the other? It gains the fans interest because that’s what we do when we play in the back yard.

    The NHL is was ahead of it’s All Star competition with the addition of the Fantasy Draft and the always fun to watch Skills competition. There is no reason the NFL and NBA shouldn’t follow. I think it would pull in a lot of border line fans who want to see how the stars would build their teams. It also brings a sense of pride to the actual All Star game. The captains don’t want to be the one who didn’t build the best team. Bragging rights mean a lot to these athletes whether they want to admit it or not.

written by Andrew Callender