NHL All-Star Game Format: Reasons Not to Like It

Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr
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Oh how I yearn the old days.

While he NHL added another night of prime time programming the Thursday before the All-Star game, the league has done little else to improve the actual one-ice product and more importantly, the interest on the ice for the actual game. 

As constituted, the best-case scenario is drawing some oohs and aahs from fans that overpaid for tickets. 

Here are our top reasons why we dislike this format.

Coaches Dont Know Their Players

Coach Claude Julien
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Boston Head Coach, Claude Julien will be coaching one of the squads, however he will be coaching no less than eight Western Conference players.

These are players he does not have a feel for he must place on lines, while his Eastern Conference players that he sees often during the season should be a breeze for him to handle.

Where Is the Guy from Jersey?

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How does the league forget about Patrik Elias. He has put up All-Star numbers. For starters it would not have hurt allowing a Devil to represent the club in the game. But set that aside.

Elias flat out deserved a trip to Ottawa. 

18 goals, 28 assists for 46 points. C'mon, lets get this right. Plenty of All Stars don't have those impressive numbers.

Besides, with 42 slots available, a player from each team should be a no-brainer for the league.

Logan Coture: Unavoidable Embarrassment as the Last Player Chosen

Logan Cotoure
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Last year it was Phill Kessel, this year it's Logan Coture. Both are great scorers and integral part of their team's success this year. 

However they fly to the All-Star Game and folks, without any uncertain terms, they get spat at in the face. A car is no consolation prize. 

This is just wrong. Both Coture, this year and Kessel last year handled it great, but each looked uncomfortable.

Teammates Versus Each Other

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As a youngster growing up in New York I would root without question for the Eastern Conference, or in my earlier years, The Prince of Wales Conference.

Now not only can you not root for your conference you have to worry about teammates from the same club you root for going at it during a game. Sure a scrum won't ensue, however do you really want to see Henrik Lundqvist make a save on Marian Gaborik during the All-Star Game?

Expect to see it.

East vs. West: Where Has the Rivalry Gone?

2004 East vs. West
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Watching the NHL All Star Game Draft seemed like a getting-to-know-me summit.

Simply put, players from the East do not know the players from the West that well—particularly the younger players. With limited player movement year to year familiarity with teammates makes the game flow so much better. Instead we will see a "getting to know you," feeling out process in the first period.