 |
| photo credit: Justin Sabau/Getty Images |
Nowadays, the NHL All-Star Game is more about a weekend of thoroughly entertaining festivities than one meaningless game. It's a great concept. It works, for the most part. The only (and biggest) problem with this model is that the weekend is climaxed with its undoubtedly least entertaining event.
To reiterate: THE ALL-STAR GAME SUCKS, but it's not completely beyond repair.
If the All-Star Weekend is all about entertainment, the NHL can turn to the simplest form of entertainment North American television has ever seen: the game show.
If you take away the different bells and whistles that set one game show apart from another, their general concept is to take an ordinary person and give him/her an opportunity to win a ton of money. The NHL can easily adopt this and implement it as a way to get more eyeballs on the game.
This solution scenario would require a lot of moving parts to work together in order to be successful, but I don't think there's any doubt that it will at least make the game more interesting.
Everything starts with the ticket. Print special tickets for the All-Star Game itself (the NHL already does, really,) with a tear-off extension with a person's seat number and a space to write their name. As everyone walks in, there will be an area(s) where they can choose the player who will score the game-winning goal of the game. If you think Sidney Crosby will score the game-winner, rip off your seat and name and drop it in 87's bin. If you think Alex Ovechkin will get that winner, put your name in his hat. If you want to play the odds and go with a guy you think no one else will choose, throw your ticket in for Zemgus Girgensons. After you make your pick, just go to your seat and enjoy the game...
This section will only remain open for pregame and the first 10 minutes of the first period. After that, shut it down, and pick one ticket from every players' bin. Find the people that coordinate with every name and seat number, and bring them to an area where they can watch the game together. These are your contestants. Give them a free sweater with their chosen player's name and number on the back, show them over and over again on the jumbotron and television broadcast, because whatever player scores the game-winning goal, his corresponding fan contestant wins $10,000 a free car from a sponsor, and a day with the Cup.
The NHL has given away cash prizes to players on the winning All-Star team in the past, and this past weekend, Honda gave away four cars to players whose combined salaries this season equal $19,950,000 before taxes. Don't tell me you couldn't turn some of that into a prize for ONE- LUCKY- FAN!!! *"Price is Right" music plays*
That's right, the outcome of the NHL All-Star Game will directly impact the life of someone in attendance. It could be the life-long season ticket holder, the sweet, little, old lady, or some college kid who worked the late night shift for a year so he could get his ticket to the game, WHO KNOWS!!!
Now, I know what you're thinking. That's nice and all, but how will that actually affect the attitudes on the ice? Simple, get the players involved, too! If you record a point on the game-winning goal, you receive $10,000 to donate to a charity of your choice.
So who's to say the goalies won't pull a Marc-André Fleury and let in every shot to run up the score and constantly change the potential winner every time? If a goalie records 12 saves during his period, he gets $10,000 to donate to a charity of his choice.
A mere cash prize won't be enough to give the All-Star Game the intensity of the Stanley Cup Finals, maybe not even a regular season game, but who wants to be accused of not trying when charity is on the line? At the very least, the league can get players to give maybe a 50% effort instead of whatever minuscule amount of physical exertion was put forth in the last few All-Star Games.
That's a suggested potential of $50,000 in giveaways, so it wouldn't be hard to foresee some push-back from the stingy hands of the NHL, but if the All-Star Game is truly about putting on a show for the fans and not about making a quick buck for the league offices (spoiler alert. it's the latter,) then a some sort of solution must be reached. Keep the fantasy draft, because that's fun. Keep the skills competition, because that's fun. You can't keep the current All-Star Game format, because it is the opposite of fun. Watching people win a ton of free stuff, now that's fun.
If the All-Star Weekend is all about entertainment, the NHL can turn to the simplest form of entertainment North American television has ever seen: the game show.
If you take away the different bells and whistles that set one game show apart from another, their general concept is to take an ordinary person and give him/her an opportunity to win a ton of money. The NHL can easily adopt this and implement it as a way to get more eyeballs on the game.
This solution scenario would require a lot of moving parts to work together in order to be successful, but I don't think there's any doubt that it will at least make the game more interesting.
Everything starts with the ticket. Print special tickets for the All-Star Game itself (the NHL already does, really,) with a tear-off extension with a person's seat number and a space to write their name. As everyone walks in, there will be an area(s) where they can choose the player who will score the game-winning goal of the game. If you think Sidney Crosby will score the game-winner, rip off your seat and name and drop it in 87's bin. If you think Alex Ovechkin will get that winner, put your name in his hat. If you want to play the odds and go with a guy you think no one else will choose, throw your ticket in for Zemgus Girgensons. After you make your pick, just go to your seat and enjoy the game...
 |
| Example of All-Star Game ticket with tear-off raffle ticket addition. |
The NHL has given away cash prizes to players on the winning All-Star team in the past, and this past weekend, Honda gave away four cars to players whose combined salaries this season equal $19,950,000 before taxes. Don't tell me you couldn't turn some of that into a prize for ONE- LUCKY- FAN!!! *"Price is Right" music plays*
That's right, the outcome of the NHL All-Star Game will directly impact the life of someone in attendance. It could be the life-long season ticket holder, the sweet, little, old lady, or some college kid who worked the late night shift for a year so he could get his ticket to the game, WHO KNOWS!!!
Now, I know what you're thinking. That's nice and all, but how will that actually affect the attitudes on the ice? Simple, get the players involved, too! If you record a point on the game-winning goal, you receive $10,000 to donate to a charity of your choice.
So who's to say the goalies won't pull a Marc-André Fleury and let in every shot to run up the score and constantly change the potential winner every time? If a goalie records 12 saves during his period, he gets $10,000 to donate to a charity of his choice.
A mere cash prize won't be enough to give the All-Star Game the intensity of the Stanley Cup Finals, maybe not even a regular season game, but who wants to be accused of not trying when charity is on the line? At the very least, the league can get players to give maybe a 50% effort instead of whatever minuscule amount of physical exertion was put forth in the last few All-Star Games.
That's a suggested potential of $50,000 in giveaways, so it wouldn't be hard to foresee some push-back from the stingy hands of the NHL, but if the All-Star Game is truly about putting on a show for the fans and not about making a quick buck for the league offices (spoiler alert. it's the latter,) then a some sort of solution must be reached. Keep the fantasy draft, because that's fun. Keep the skills competition, because that's fun. You can't keep the current All-Star Game format, because it is the opposite of fun. Watching people win a ton of free stuff, now that's fun.
