ECHL "All-Star" Game is tonight.

[royals119]

More like a "some-star" game, since there are three regular season games going on today, and the chosen all-stars from those teams have been replaced on the roster. They've always had to replace players because of call-ups in the past, but this scheduling quirk where they don't have a break in the regular schedule so everyone who is chosen can attend is just bad. I know the whole thing is kind of lame anyway, but at least it used to give some of the best players a chance to be seen by more scouts. Now its basically become a game between the home team and whichever 18 guys are available and can get a flight to Jacksonville on short notice. They added 3 players from Trois-Rivieres, I assume because they have had all their games rescheduled recently because of the attendance restrictions in Quebec and they were willing to go.

Game is on NHL network and Flo-Hockey.

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[JMCx4]

@royals119 ... Didn't see your thread before I started adding ASG posts to the ECHL thread. Sorry.

 

[Ratitude]

I caught it on NHL network actually after having forgotten about it. Sadly picked it up in the 3rd period with only ten to go. I am not a fan of the format with the host city playing against all stars from around the league but then again hey it's an entertaining showcase. Had a blast when Adirondack hosted it both at the ECHL era and UHL Frostbite.

 

[Atlantian]

More like a "some-star" game, since there are three regular season games going on today, and the chosen all-stars from those teams have been replaced on the roster. They've always had to replace players because of call-ups in the past, but this scheduling quirk where they don't have a break in the regular schedule so everyone who is chosen can attend is just bad. I know the whole thing is kind of lame anyway, but at least it used to give some of the best players a chance to be seen by more scouts. Now its basically become a game between the home team and whichever 18 guys are available and can get a flight to Jacksonville on short notice. They added 3 players from Trois-Rivieres, I assume because they have had all their games rescheduled recently because of the attendance restrictions in Quebec and they were willing to go.

Game is on NHL network and Flo-Hockey.

The chosen All Stars from both Atlanta and Florida who competed yesterday were at the all star game. The All Star break starts today. Jacksonville wanted the all star game moves from the middle of the week to the holiday Monday to draw a larger crowd

 

[JMCx4]

The chosen All Stars from both Atlanta and Florida who competed yesterday were at the all star game. The All Star break starts today. Jacksonville wanted the all star game moves from the middle of the week to the holiday Monday to draw a larger crowd

Attendance numbers will tell that tale ... with the usual spin & fudging.

 

[JMCx4]

Game summary from @royals119 favorite J'ville area sports writer ... ... Florida Times-Union: League stars overcome Jacksonville Icemen in wild ECHL All-Star Classic

 

[tarheelhockey]

I am not a fan of the format with the host city playing against all stars from around the league but then again hey it's an entertaining showcase.

I've only witnessed this format in person once (Charlotte, back in the 90s). The twist back then was that the defending champion played the All Star team. That helped build on the momentum of winning the league title, and from a home fan POV it was a feather in the cap to win that game. Had it been two AS teams like in the NHL, I'm not sure the host market would have reacted with as much enthusiasm.

It's all in how they sell it. First and foremost, you want the STH crowd to get fired up and attend the game. After that, maybe get some TV coverage and ad revenue.

 

[royals119]

I caught it on NHL network actually after having forgotten about it. Sadly picked it up in the 3rd period with only ten to go. I am not a fan of the format with the host city playing against all stars from around the league but then again hey it's an entertaining showcase. Had a blast when Adirondack hosted it both at the ECHL era and UHL Frostbite.

From the local fan perspective I totally understand the home team vs all stars format, and really you need the home fans buy in to have a chance to break even on it. The Royals hosted it twice in the past when it was East vs West all-stars, and the game itself wasn't that great with only a couple of Royals playing, and a few guys from rival teams to jeer. Like most all-star games just watching guys play no defense and end to end rushes with lots of scoring is fun for a period or two, but it gets old quick and everyone is just kind of coasting by the third period. The skills competition was actually more fun than the game. Back then they had them on separate days. They took down the glass on the sides for the skills and the players hung out on the ice, so if you had seats close you could actually talk to them, or listen to them talking to each other. We also had some fan fest events where the players were in the community. One event was at a Dave and Busters type place, and they gave the players game tokens, so fans could play against them. They had a lunch I think too where you could eat and hang out.