We all know the word "obsolete". It means "out-of-date", "out of fashion" or even "passe'". Whatever words you take, they describe perfectly the NHL All-Star Game. Like the baseball, and especilly the NBA and NFL All-Star Games, the NHL version has all of the credibility of a carnival side-show.
The three-ring circus that has become the NHL game wil be played tomorrow night in Atlanta. There was a time, during the days of the Original-Six when the defending Stanley Cup champions played the stars of the over five teams. The game was played at the end of training camp and was a true test of skill and pride. Now the game is an added burden to an already bloated NHL season schedule and the list of players who duck the game, using one excuse or another, gets longer and longer with each year. Being named to an all-star team has now become a "sentence"; something like house-arrest to be served in addition to the 82 game schedule.
You don't hve to be a star to play in the game, on popular or part of a quota. Look at the list of great players who will not play tomorrow night. And, to a man I'm sure they would say they"re happy they're not.
