from Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe,

After an honest period of thinking, the only All-Star Game moments I can recall in the past decade are the following: the John Scott charade, the costume pageant featuring Patrick Kane (Superman) and Alex Ovechkin (weird Canadian guy), and Phil Kessel being picked last. That is, I remember nothing from the All-Star Games themselves — not a goal, not a save, and certainly not a body check. In other words, the All-Star Game is an empty-calorie treat, nothing to be taken seriously.

Yet the NHL, in preparation for the 2017 version, built restrictions to make sure a Scott repeat doesn’t take place when the fans do their deed to vote in a fringe player.

Under this year’s rules, players eligible for the All-Star Game have to be on an NHL active roster as of Nov. 1. If he’s assigned to the AHL or any other minor league team between Nov. 1 and Jan. 26, the player becomes ineligible.

The All-Star Game is a punchline. There’s no need for the league to treat it so seriously.

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