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November 12, 2010

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NHL All-Star game due for a makeover

SIDNEY Crosby or Alex Ovechkin might get the thrill of being picked No. 1 all over again.

No, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals aren't losing their superstar captains, but Crosby or Ovechkin could be selected first when the NHL All-Star game gets a makeover unlike any other.

Call it hockey's version of a pickup game.

The NHL announced on Wednesday that it is switching from the conference-vs-conference format it has used for years to a player draft conducted by the All-Stars, in which captains selected by the players will determine the teams.

Fans will continue to vote via electronic ballots from a list of 100 players, but their votes will only determine the first six All-Stars. The remaining 36 players will be chosen by the NHL's hockey operations department.

Then the fun begins.

Two captains will then be chosen, and they will draft the rest of the players to their yet-to-be-named teams. Those teams will compete in the All-Star game and skills competition.

"The goal here was to give the game back to the players, put them back in that environment that they are comfortable with," said Brendan Shanahan, an eight-time All-Star who is now the NHL's vice president of hockey and business development. "That was the concept to make it fun and entertaining for the players."

The NHL and the players' association have been working for months on ways to spice up the All-Star game.



 

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