News Article: NHL (Finally) changing ALL Star Game Format to 3 x 3 Divisional mini series

[deeshamrock]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-p...619.html?soc_src=mediacontentstory&soc_trk=tw

Elliotte Friedman reporting NHL will announce this tonight on Sportsnet and the winning team splits 1 Million dollars

Per Bobby Mac

From McKenzie on Insider Trading:

“There’s going to be a 3-on-3 mini-game format for the All-Star Game. The National Hockey League Players Association recently signed off on that format, and the expectation is that the League will be making some sort of formal announcement about it tomorrow.

"What we believe to be the case is that the fantasy draft will be dead. Instead, there will be four divisional teams – nine or 10 skaters apiece, a couple of goaltenders. The two teams in the Eastern Conference would play a 20-minute mini-game. The two teams in the Western Conference would play a 20-minute mini-game. And then you would have the two winners play a 20-minute mini-game.”

Sort of like a mini playoff run. ANything is better than what they have now.

I wonder how they pick the players though, since by the above it's about 10 skaters per division so the voting would be by division ?

It seems likes a good idea, 3 x 3 is exciting and you'd have the very best players, so it should be good viewing

Click to read more...

 

[Quattro]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-p...619.html?soc_src=mediacontentstory&soc_trk=tw

Per Bobby Mac



Sort of like a mini playoff run. ANything is better than what they have now.

I wonder how they pick the players though, since by the above it's about 10 skaters per division so the voting would be by division ?

It seems likes a good idea, 3 x 3 is exciting and you'd have the very best players, so it should be good viewing

Have to give them credit, they keep trying new stuff.

 

[Herby]

My Pacific Team (with 1 player minimum from each team)

Toffoli
Gaudreau
Hall
Pavelski
D. Sedin
Domi

OEL
Doughty
Vatanen

Quick

 

[KopitarFAN]

20 minutes of 3 on 3 is gonna be nuts.

 

[LAKings88]

At least it will be entertaining. Hoping the "weak" Pacific trolls the NHL and comes away with the er um cup.

 

[mbar]

Still won't watch.

A stupid gimmicky game.

 

[jimmy1100]

Still won't watch.

A stupid gimmicky game.

Isn't that the point? It's once a year and every fourth year it doesn't happen at all.

The BEST players in the league playing 3 on 3? Or are you the one person that doesn't like the 3v3 OT this year?

Personally, I don't see how anyone could watch our OT against Philly last night and NOT want to see 60 minutes of that action.

If there's a gimmick that needs to go right now, it's the stupid outdoor games and all the overblown hoopla that goes with them.

EIDT: I'll add that a 3v3 is less gimmicky than a 5v5 all-star game where the players aren't allowed to hit. IMO, that's as bad as the stupid Pro Bowl where defense isn't allowed to blitz.

 

[KingsFan7824]

The all-star game is atrocious. It can't hurt to try this 3v3 tournament. It may suck, because a couple extra bucks as toilet paper for the winners isn't going to make them go crazy, but, we know the normal all-star game is completely awful. Back in the day, you didn't have the free agency or as much player movement, so conference pride maybe meant something more.

If this doesn't work, then they really should just get rid of the game. Pick the all-stars so players get their bonuses, give the players the 5 or 6 days off, send the all-stars to the host city to have dinner or an autograph signing with fans or something. Get rid of the game though. They probably should just throw the game out of the window now, but, maybe a mini tournament could be interesting.

 

[Herby]

The all-star game is atrocious. It can't hurt to try this 3v3 tournament. It may suck, because a couple extra bucks as toilet paper for the winners isn't going to make them go crazy, but, we know the normal all-star game is completely awful. Back in the day, you didn't have the free agency and player movement, so conference pride maybe meant something more.

If this doesn't work, then they really should just get rid of the game. Pick the all-stars so players get their bonuses, give the players the 5 or 6 days off, send the all-stars to the host city to have dinner or an autograph signing with fans or something. Get rid of the game though. They probably should just throw the game out of the window now, but, maybe a mini tournament could be interesting.

The NHL and all the major sports leagues and unions are never going to pass up the chance to make money.

 

[KingsFan7824]

The NHL and all the major sports leagues and unions are never going to pass up the chance to make money.

Very true. That's why this is worth a shot. Baseball did the home field advantage just to attempt to keep this particular game interesting.

In the same vein as free agency and increased player movement, when they came up with the all-star game concept, it was when people didn't have the ability to see every team every night. Wow, we get to watch Player X? We never get to see that guy! That all-star games have always been bad didn't matter. Now you can see every game or highlight anywhere at all hours of the day. Rotary phones used to be amazing too.

 

[kingsboy11]

Isn't that the point? It's once a year and every fourth year it doesn't happen at all.

The BEST players in the league playing 3 on 3? Or are you the one person that doesn't like the 3v3 OT this year?

Personally, I don't see how anyone could watch our OT against Philly last night and NOT want to see 60 minutes of that action.

If there's a gimmick that needs to go right now, it's the stupid outdoor games and all the overblown hoopla that goes with them.

EIDT: I'll add that a 3v3 is less gimmicky than a 5v5 all-star game where the players aren't allowed to hit. IMO, that's as bad as the stupid Pro Bowl where defense isn't allowed to blitz.

I don't mind the 3 on 3 overtimes because it almost never goes to a shootout which is what the point of the new format is for. And as exciting as the new overtimes can be, 20 minutes of constant breakaways and outnumbered attacks would get really old really fast for me.

 

[mbar]

Isn't that the point? It's once a year and every fourth year it doesn't happen at all.

The BEST players in the league playing 3 on 3? Or are you the one person that doesn't like the 3v3 OT this year?

Personally, I don't see how anyone could watch our OT against Philly last night and NOT want to see 60 minutes of that action.

If there's a gimmick that needs to go right now, it's the stupid outdoor games and all the overblown hoopla that goes with them.

EIDT: I'll add that a 3v3 is less gimmicky than a 5v5 all-star game where the players aren't allowed to hit. IMO, that's as bad as the stupid Pro Bowl where defense isn't allowed to blitz.

Sports with nothing on the line is boring.

 

[TonySCV]

20 minutes of 3 on 3 is gonna be nuts.

YES! I love it. The players can barely change on the fly as it is without causing breakaways.

 

[Bandit]

YES! I love it. The players can barely change on the fly as it is without causing breakaways.

Yeah, but how exciting will it be when nobody gives as ****, including the players? This seems like every goalie involved is going to be carted off with a groin pull.

 

[TonySCV]

Yeah, but how exciting will it be when nobody gives as ****, including the players?

You can't fall off the floor.

 

[Bandit]

Yeah, I'm just saying that 3on3 OT is exciting because the players are busting ass and something tangible is on the line. In an all-star game, neither of those things is the case. It will be a breakaway fest.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Yeah, I'm just saying that 3on3 OT is exciting because the players are busting ass and something tangible is on the line. In an all-star game, neither of those things is the case. It will be a breakaway fest.

The winners get to split $1M between 11 of them, which is a little over $90K per player, enough to buy them a nice luxury car.

Not a bad pay day for playing 40 minutes of hockey.

 

[KingsFan7824]

How about the team that wins the tournament, each team in that division gets a point in the standings? The team with the MVP, gets 2 points. That's ridiculous, but the all-star game is a pre-internet idea. A pre-cable idea. Damn near a pre-television idea.

Maybe go with $1 million per player on the winning team, instead of less than $100,000. At least make it the league minimum per player. How about the league minimum per player out of Bettman's own pocket? Now that's motivation.

 

[deeshamrock]

On how the players will be selected:
Fans vote will determine 4 players, 1 from each division. The rest of the team will be selected by NHL Operations, and min 1 per NHL team.

Schuyler Baehman ‏@NHLschuylerb · 5h5 hours ago
For 2016 NHL All-Star Fan Vote, fans vote 1 player from each Division, regardless of position. Top vote-getters = All-Star team captains.

Schuyler Baehman ‏@NHLschuylerb · 5h5 hours ago
After fans vote 4 in, remaining 40 NHL All-Stars will be named by the NHL Hockey Operations, with at least one selected from each NHL team.

 

[onlyalad]

Yes a bunch of meaningless goals in a stupid format. The ASG biggest problem was no defense being played, this will fix that.

 

[mbar]

Yes a bunch of meaningless goals in a stupid format. The ASG biggest problem was no defense being played, this will fix that.��

Exactly. This is a very "main forum hfboards" idea.

"MORE GOALS!! that's all that is needed and will make the NHL the most popular sport on the planet!!!!"

That's just not why hockey is great.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Well, it'll get me to watch this year, so that's one viewer up from the previous few years. Putting a little bit of something on the line in a million bucks helps, as does making it a mini-tourney.

If the argument is 3v3 is just a gimmick, why WOULDN'T it be the perfect gimmick for an all-star game? I'd rather see end to end odd man rushes than the fake defense played in the current all star game with no space.

And to mbar I agree in a way, it's not more goals that are needed (i.e. fixing goalie gear does nothing for me), but more scoring chances. This format addresses that for at least this game.

Then again, if you don't like the concept of an allstar game anyway (especially in contact sports, lolprobowl), this isn't going to change your mind.

 

[Jeff18]

If they play with at least 80% effort, it would be really exciting.

 

[kingsfan28]

20 minutes of 3 on 3 is gonna be nuts.

For the goalies , absolutely. Quick will face more action in 20 minutes than he does in 5 games. Quick looked gasses after the Flyer game, he will probably need an IV after the first game.

 

[deeshamrock]

Not finalized yet...although techincally the WC would be next season...


David Pagnotta ‏@TheFourthPeriod 4h4 hours ago

Piggybacking off what @DennisTFP reported yesterday, sounds like the All-Star Game won't be every season moving forward. Not finalized yet.


David Pagnotta ‏@TheFourthPeriod 4h4 hours ago

Still TBD/agreed upon between NHL/NHLPA, but objective is to have players participate in only 1 main event each season (ASG, WC, Olympics)