2011 NHL All Star Game: Nicklas Lidstrom Is Lone Red Wings All-Star...Thank God

Every team must have one.

That's the mandate the NHL attached to the All Star game long ago to ensure that each team in the league was represented in what the NHL believes is a premier showcase of the league's best and brightest.

Of course, if you're the Pittsburgh Penguins or Chicago Blackhawks, fans and league officials alike will ensure that your representation far exceeds the required minimum, and honestly, that's just fine with me.

Despite being at the top of the league standings and sporting several "All Star" worthy players, the Detroit Red Wings will have just a single player representing their team in Carolina two weeks from now.

As far as ambassadors go, one could not invent a better selection than Nicklas Lidstrom.

However, isn't it just a little irksome that some of Lidstrom's fellow Wings, such as Henrik Zetterberg, Niklas Kronwall or Johan Franzen, all on pace for career years, aren't going to be sitting next to him on the plane ride down there?

After all, the Red Wings are one of the most talented teams in the league—is it really fair that they should have the same number of All Star players as a bottom-dwelling team like the Edmonton Oilers?

Whether it's fair or not is up for debate.

Nevertheless, for my part, I couldn't be happier that Lidstrom, and Lidstrom alone, will be all the fans see of the Red Wings at the 2011 NHL All Star game.

With a team as banged up as the Red Wings have suddenly become (they're currently missing six regulars), trotting two or three healthy players down to Carolina to spend their break knocking around with their peers and playing in a meaningless game seems less than optimal.

More than likely, what the Red Wings will need at the end of January is an extended hockey-less break.

Perhaps a chance to take a quick trip somewhere warm and sandy will present itself during this time.

Maybe they'll take the opportunity to spend some extended time with their families.

Maybe, they'll simply relish the opportunity to sleep in late, not shower until noon and then, plop themselves in front of the TV on January 30th to watch their buddy Nick be his mindbogglingly perfect self amidst a collection of mere mortals.

Whatever they chose to do with their time, not playing or even thinking about hockey will more than likely be at the top of their list.

This is a good thing, a very good thing for the Red Wings.

Once the league resumes its regular season, and the Red Wings return to play on February 2, those "snubbed" on the All Star ballot should not only be refreshed, re-energized and ready to make a push towards the playoffs, but injured forwards Pavel Datsyuk and Dan Cleary may indeed be ready to make their return to the ice.

That should bode extremely well for a team looking to maintain their lofty position in the standings and get on a roll heading into the postseason.

The All Star game is hardly a taxing physical event, but it does rob players of the chance to take a break from the grind and clear their heads before embarking on the home stretch of the season.

For that reason, having Lidstrom serve as the Wings solitary envoy is something Red Wings fans everywhere should thank the Hockey Gods for.

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