The league learned two important things during January’s 2015 NHL All-Star Game: The first is there’s one heck of a lot of talent in the National Hockey League — and the second is that the way it’s showcased simply needs to change.
The topic of the All-Star Game format came up at the annual NHL GM meetings in Boca Raton, Florida, reported Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
The league put out a call to general managers for suggestions about how to make the game better — for players and fans alike.
This season’s All-Star Game was widely criticized for what seemed to be a lack of interest from all parties. In the end, the 17-12 final was the highest-scoring game in All-Star history. (It was also the loudest — 29 goals at Columbus’ Nationwide Arena means 29 booms of the Blue Jackets’ infamous cannon.)
One suggestion, said Friedman, would be to divide the players into 10 teams and conduct a March Madness-style tournament until one team comes out as the winner. Though the suggestion brings up many questions (namely, goaltending), it’s definitely a start to what should be a better game in 2016.
