I know next year is the East's turn again since it was West this year, but they should have a Calgary Vs. Edmonton game, that would be sick. I'm rooting for Boston, VS Montreal for the east.
I don't think Toronto has a stadium that would work -- the Skydome is indoors. I'm not sure what's available in Montreal. And, as you said Walter, I doubt that NBC would want the game in Canada, and Bettman would probably go along with that, even though the NHL doesn't get much money from NBC.
OK the Penguins are stinking these days. The power play is nonexistent and this has been a constant under the Therrien regime, I'm getting sick of it. Sure he took them to the Cup finals last year but he still can't assemble an effective power play special team.
The Skydome has a retractable roof, so it could still have an outdoor game. The other option would be Vancouver, but that city has enough on its plate, with the Olympics.
The night I complain about the Pens lack of a power play, they get not one but two power play goals. Okay, they were playing the Thrashers but a win is a win. Hopefully someone got a fire lit under their ass.
I never knew that. Of course, I do not watch baseball anymore, so I do not see the stadium, either.
The All-Star starters have been determined... not much ballot stuffing going on, huh?
Even this Habs fan will admit that not one of those Montreal players should be starting. Having the entire starting lineups from both conferences to consist of players from only four teams is quite silly. That's what happens when you put the voting entirely in the hands of the fans.
No offense meant, because I've known and met some very knowledgable Habs fans, but this farce taints the rest of the league's opinion of the average Canadiens fan's pride in the traditions and history of the sport. When fanboyism reaches this amount of fervor, the respectful, knowledgeable, and tradition steeped fan is the one who is most drowned out. I expect this stuff from an expansion team, not the league's oldest, proudest, and winningest franchise.
That said, the league dropped the ball by not nipping it in the bud right after the bot voting was discovered. So I blame them.
Yes, it's quite embarrassing, especially since Markov is the only player that could be argued as even deserving to be in the All-Star game, let alone be a starter. The league really should have seen this coming after the near-miss fiasco a couple of years ago when Edmonton fans almost got a journeyman forward voted in as a starter (I can't remember his name now). I still suspect the league "fixed" the final vote there, since he just dropped out of the starting spot on the last day of voting.
PS - This is basically an automated, internet version of the time my friends and I all voted the entire Red Sox World Series lineup to start in the MLB All-Star game.
Of course I'm joking. But they certainly are in a rebuilding phase after going years with a worse record than even Boston, which is saying a lot. I can forgive them their exuberance for their players after being starved for so long.
It's pretty frustrating...the D and intensity just isn't there - blow a 3 goal lead again last night and lose. Very aggravating. Not to mention the PP was anemic once again.
My wife surprised me with Pens v. Caps tix for Christmas. It's the sunday March game in DC. At the rate that the Caps are rising and the Pens are falling, it won't mean a thing by that time...