Are The New York Rangers the future of the All-Star game?
The New York Rangers are quickly approaching the end of the rebuild they began in February 2018. As part of the rebuild the Rangers acquired many young and talented players, retained key veterans and added some high profile players. All this should add up to the Rangers having a lot of players representing the organization at the NHL All-Star game for many years to come.
The NHL All-Star game is a fun filled event, but is an event in constant need of change to remain relevant. The game has gone through many versions over the years. Years ago it was a Conference vs Conference game. It was also a North American All-Stars vs the World All-Stars, as well as a Captains choice game. Today’s game is a three on three divisional tournament.
The game itself is for the fans and is essentially meaningless to the season at hand. Players are chosen, in part, by the fans, so it amounts to a popularity contest rather than an earned opportunity. This was never more prevalent than when John Scott was voted into the game in 2016, winning the MVP no less. Then there are players chosen to represent their teams but have opted to skip the festivities in lieu of rest.
There will most likely be no All-Star game during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. It makes little sense to try and squeeze an All-Star weekend when the 2020-21 season of NHL play keeps getting pushed back and will require a condensed schedule to complete. Likewise for the 2021-22 season when the season will be put on hold for the Winter Olympics, scheduled for February 2022. This gives the NHL two years to develop new and inventive ways to keep the game itself interesting, the fans engaged and the players willing to participate.