All Star Break Withdrawal?

There's no hockey on TV!!! Okay, so instead I watched comedy on NBC, sort of. I can never do one thing only when I'm home so I half watched... and READ about hockey.

Yes, last night was a good night for call-up Kurtis McLean. But doesn't he look like Chris Elliot? No, seriously. That's all I could think of when he was talking in the locker room when asked about getting his first NHL goal.

"... exciting! I'm still feeling the effects. Give all the credit to Yann." then he thought about it "Ill take a little, and having the game winner be my first goal." It was his second game in the big club after being called up on emergency basis. Kurtis was asked how he intended on STAYING up.

"I'll continue my solid play." He already knew he was heading back down to Bridge during the All Star break which seems to improve his play. He talked about having some chemistry with Frans and Tambellini. He is meeting the Sound Tigers in Portland and then going to enjoy a few days of rest during this break.

For the rest of us, we will have to be entertained by the All Star Dog & Pony Show. Okay, that was mean. I know this is big to the NHL and I do enjoy it. But due to the amazing amount of controversy this year, it has been tarnished more than usual.

The ballot fixing, the complaining, the REAL All Stars saying "Thanks but No-Thanks." All these things are making it almost impossible to really get excited about the festivities this year. And this year they have more sponsorship than ever before. Hopefully they have the audience to watch it.

Listening to NHL Live and other shows on XM Home Ice, the fans have some great ideas about improving this showcase of our brightest stars. With luck, the NHL will review some of them at their next BOG meeting.

The All-Star game was supposed to be for the fans, but it originally was played at the BEGINNING of the season, not mid season when healthy bodies are of the utmost importance. And of course, what's the most entertaining portion of the weekend? The Skills Competition. So why not work on that more than the "game" itself.

Everyone has their ideas, and so many of them are good ones.

NHL.com will have great coverage of the events all weekend and don't forget that we DO have one All-Star representing the Islanders. So log on, turn on, and support Mark Streit this year. My favorite inside joke about the All-Star game for the last two years is, "When Jason Blake went, the word of the day was "Aloof." When Ricky went, the word was "Elusive." I wonder what the word of the day with Streit will be. Guess we'll have to watch to find out.

Night all.