I’m fed up with watching patty-cake hockey in the NHL All-Star Game. I’m fed up with watching defense take a holiday. I’m fed up with the barrage of goals. I’m fed up watching players, especially defensemen, make half-hearted attempts to defend. They stand around and turn their heads to follow the puck instead of doing their jobs.
Give the goalies a break. The games have become a shooting gallery, averaging 15 goals a game since 1989. Eighty percent of those goals would not have occurred if somebody had put a body or stick on the opposition. Of course, with the current North America-vs.-World format, which I dislike, that will never happen–teammates are playing against each other.
Give me the games of Stanley Cup champions vs. All-Stars, Eastern Division vs. Western Division or Campbell Conference vs. Wales Conference. Those games were real hockey.
