Friday, June 24, 2005
No Stars
According to a report in the East Valley Tribune, the National Hockey League could skip the 2006 NHL All-Star Game.
NHL sources confirmed to the paper that, if the league sends players to the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy, then the league would likely cancel the All-Star game.
The All-Star weekend is scheduled for February 4-5, while the Olympic Games are slated for February 10-26, making it difficult to incorporate both in a new schedule, especially when travel and practice time are taken into consideration.
A new collective bargaining agreement is reportedly nearing completion, and the league doesn't want to shut down twice during a season in which they will be trying to lure back fans after an acrimonious labour dispute.
This article begs the question, why not incorporate an end of the year All Star week - similar to the NFL's Pro Bowl in Hawaii. Have the event in Toronto next year and do it with some splash.
# posted by Shaky @ 11:58 p.m. 
