NHL All-Star Weekend 2009: What Did We Really Witness?

How wonderful the atmosphere must have been in Montreal. Even as an avid Sabres fan, I had to hand it to the Habs for hosting what seemed to be a perfect All-Star Weekend.

Come on, you can't beat one of the original six—and arguably one of the NHL's most well-known and historic franchises—as the host during their centennial celebration. The commercials in Canadian-French leading into the events were great and really brought a sense of old-time hockey back to the NHL.

Even during the regular season, it's said that the sheer passion in the atmosphere for a Canadiens home game makes it one of those "something you have to do at least once in your life" occurrences. 

Outside of the near-perfect atmosphere, the talent on ice made the All-Star festivities—as in any sport—a spectacle of elite skill and god-given talent.

I am not only a Buffalo Sabres fan, but an NHL lover in general. I still don't understand why more of America hasn't experienced the enjoyment and rush that NHL hockey delivers every night, but that's another story.

Though I've applauded the NHL for constructing a perfect All-Star Weekend, I feel that when the actual events started and the puck was dropped, the true NHL fans that have watched loyally for years were greatly let down.

The ending of the Hardest Shot competition—and even the All-Star Game itself—had me wondering about the real intentions of this weekend from the NHL's standpoint.

On Saturday, there was as much hype around whether Zdeno Chara would break Al Iafrate's hardest shot record of 105.3 mph. The first five contestants unloaded their rockets and Nashville's Shea Weber stood in front with a 103.4 mph blast.

On his last shot, Chara, not only knocked Weber out of first, but broke the 16-year-old record by 0.1 mph. Give me a break—0.1 mph? Really? It's pretty hard for me to believe that radar gun for a second.

The All-Star game itself was very entertaining the following day.

Twenty-three goals were scored between the two stellar teams—the most in the East vs. West format.

Great.

I'm not saying that the game's high goal total was "rigged," as I, along with the rest of the NHL's fanbase, am a supporter of the post-lockout rules that were established to increase scoring to give the people what they want—more offense.

The media drooled over the newly-crowned NHL poster boy Alexander Ovechkin. Sorry Sid, people want tons and tons of goals. I could have told you before the game that Ovechkin would end the contest in dramatic fashion.

Half of me didn't think it would happen, probably because I hoped that it wouldn't. However, when I heard that the East sent him out in the shootout and he scored, all I could do was laugh.

Was this coincidence appearing in its most ideal moment, or a blatantly obvious attempt by the NHL to gain more revenue with the storybook ending?

I'm taking the latter, but I guess that's really for you to decide.

I'm somewhat indifferent on this "odd" coincidence because I realize that the NHL—like any other professional league—is always trying to expand its fanbase, but they seemed to fall short with the most loyal fanatics. 

If Chara blasting a record-breaking slap-shot and Ovechkin scoring the game-winning, shootout goal to win the All-Star game is what they need to stay afloat financially, or to say, "Hello sports world, we are here," then fine. More hockey for me and all of us.

But then I started thinking, "Wait, what kind of league is this in which they need to possibly stage the above occurrences to move up on the American sports popularity list?"

One of the best parts about being an NHL follower is that, though it's considered one of the "Four Major Sports," it seems to be on a completely different level.

For years it's just been hockey. Rarely have NHL stars been featured in major commercials, and I'm pretty sure not many players have had a skate deal. If they did, we didn't know about it.

Hockey players simply play the game, go to the locker room, and drive home. It is a pure sport, and purity is something all the other major sports lack.

In the NFL, NBA, and even MLB, we know about players' girlfriends, where they vacation, and what shoes they wear, as the media constantly plasters them onto our television screens and into our homes.

This has created more off-the-field news than is worthwhile. Gretzky aside, the superstars aren't huge, God-like individuals like the ones portrayed in all other major sports—and that's what has made the NHL great.

Does hockey really need a LeBron James? Most say yes, while the loyalists would most certainly say no.

Is the NHL finally selling out like the rest of the other major sports leagues? Like I said, it's up to you, but to me, it seems pretty obvious.

In the end, I hope I'm completely wrong.