People watch it because it is hockey. Real hockey fans will watch any sort of hockey available to them whether it be game 7 Olympics high school hockey all star game.
My original point is that in fact it is not hockey. Your other examples feature players trying. The all-star-game does not feature players trying.
They have on skates and equipment, and are using sticks. Therefore they are playing hockey. Just because its not NHL caliber hockey doesn't mean its not hockey.
Competition explicitly asserts that both teams and all players want to win. The All-Star game is not a game, a sport, or a competition. It is entertainment of some sort but hockey it ain't.
That's fine but I doubt they go out there and intend to lose. So by your logic it would be hockey then.
When you shiny on the pond usually that's casual, do u not consider that hockey?
People on the pond try harder than the players will today. By a lot, actually.
If both teams were intending to lose it would be a form of sport, albeit a stupid one. At least there might be some effort being expanded.
If someone wants to watch today's exhibition, that is their business, but that will not alter the fact that there is no real game being played.
Without opening a separate discussion, I regard it like professional wrestling. The only difference is that there is some real effort in wrestling even if it is not a sport, either. That is why it is called an exhibition.
In today's sports world you can watch the stars from all the teams in the league through highlight clips on the Internet or an NHL television package like Center Ice. There's no having to wait for the one game a year that's the All Star game to see the superstars from outside your local teams and conference. I don't need to tune in today to see the Sedins or Weber or Couture because I can watch their games online throughout the season.
Also the game is awful for reasons already stated.
Normally I would say that because there are no slap shots or power plays in the All Star game, Stamkos would not be as effective, but this year he has shown much more versatility in his manner of scoring.
For the record, how was the kid passed on for the Canadian Olympic team?
