All Star Weekend Reflection – Praised Alfie!
For months the anticipation built, and in a flash it was done. All Star Weekend, the biggest NHL party in Ottawa since the 2007 Finals, seems like it went by in a blur.
The weekend, appropriately, belonged to Senators Captain Daniel Alfredsson. He was the de facto host for the event, and was the face to the public.
The City did a remarkable job hosting the event, and the NHL put on a great show, especially the Fan Fair. The interactive displays and hands-on games were fantastic for kids of all ages.
My Favorite Moments of the Festivities
Alfie drafting Pominville – showed just how humble the Captain is, making fun of himself and the fateful goal Pominville beat him for in a playoff game.
Giroux, Hartnell Salute – The Flyers duo Mocking Mike Rupp‘s salute in the Winter Classic, as well as paying tribute to their linemate Jaromir Jagr, was classic.
Focus On Alfie – TSN, CBC profiles put the Captain at the top of mind and presented pretty well what Alfie means to this city.
If you missed it on Thursday, here is the Daniel Alfredsson segment:
Alfie Ovations – Before the skills competition and after Alfie’s first goal, the ovation and love shown for Alfredsson made your hair stand on end. It was a great tribute, and he was a goal post away from making the roof blow off the place by being named MVP, an honour that went to Marian Gaborik.
Hartnell, Lupul commentary – Too bad that couldn’t be done during real games. The insight and the chatter back and forth was entertaining and “probably” a little more lighthearted than would be in regular season games. Quote of the night “Suck it, Phaneuf” – Scott Hartnell.
108.8! – Zdeno Chara setting a record for the hardest shot in ASG history was electrifying, even if he did beat Alfredsson. The only thing better would be getting to 110 MPH.
Gaborik Channels Anisimov – Gaborik’s celebratory mock-shooting of teammate Henrik Lundqvist was amusing, in a game like this among friends. This is the appropriate venue for such an action, not against a rival club like Anisimov did.
POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENTS
Alas, nothing is perfect, and there are room for improvements. The game itself is what it is, and for those who want to see skill on display, it is a good time. Those who want hitting and defense, should close their eyes.
However, the skills competition leaves something to be desired. Having goaltenders compete in a fastest skater event? It didn’t even look like they were trying, but attempting to avoid falling. Why they changed from what was working to making them make such tight turns confuses me. That was one of the events that really worked before in my opinion.
The Breakaway Challenge leaves something to be desired. I understand that they wanted to have the NHL version of the Slam Dunk Contest, but face the facts, it will never be. The Slam Dunk contest is man vs goal, and the ball is way more predictable than a puck. There are too many elements involved in the NHL version, and the goaltenders are stuck in a place where they are just props and have to work to make the players look good. There are only so many props that can be used and when more than half of the attempts don’t go in, it dilutes the skills somewhat.
All in all, the city of Ottawa and the Senators did a great job hosting the NHL universe, and next year Columbus is going to have huge shoes to fill.