Boo Bettman

So the NHL All-Star 'Game' is this weekend. I use the word 'Game' very loosely because in no way does this on ice display look like hockey. It's more of a Disney on Ice spectacle than it is competition. I'm still trying to figure out why its even played. Sure, its a nice break in the season and marks the unofficial push for the playoffs, but the game itself is a farce. No contact, no goaltending and no intensity. Now, I'll admit that the Skills Competition does have a fighting chance of being attractive, but we all know the black eye that fighting is getting these days. The fastest skater, the hardest shot, the most accurate shooter all have merit. But the relays or the three on none drill, even the NHL version of the Slam Dunk with the creative breakaway thingy are all a bit of a trivial joke. 'A guy steps onto the ice...' you fill in the punchline.

And now, the ultimate punch in the gut. The League has decided in its infinite wisdom that players who aren't hurt but miss the weekend will be forced to miss their next game. What a joke that is, and its Gary Bettman telling it. Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings will miss their teams next game on Tuesday due to their absence in Montreal. So let me get my head around this. Two guys who are proven stars want to skip the NHL's big pat on the back weekend because they'd rather opt out and spend it with family. These are guys who are being punished? Family men with morals. Players that barely got two months off this summer and had to get right back to the grind. Two NHL award winning players are the guys the NHL is telling to take a night off.

Here's a hypothetical scenario. Right now, Detroit is only 5 points out of 1st in the entire League. Without its two top players on Tuesday they lose but have a great run towards the playoffs, but miss the President's Trophy by a single point. Along comes Game 7 of the Finals and Detroit, sans home ice advantage, lose. That one game back in late January might be real crucial, huh.

Or here's a more realistic one. Columbus, the team the Wings play on Tuesday, win the game. That victory vaults a Blue Jackets team into a playoff spot in the very tight West. In a Conference where every point counts do you think teams like Edmonton, Vancouver and Minnesota are overly pumped about this. I'm sure the Oil would love to play a Detroit team without the best D-man in the world and one of the top 5 forwards on the planet. If Columbus wins Tuesday's game and goes on to eek into the playoffs by a point, point the finger at Bettman and Co.

This decision has multi-million dollar consequences tied to it. Sure it seems like a simple punishment for not showing up to promote the League, but in Vancouver where they'd sell out a couple of playoff games, not to mention merchandise, beer sales and hell why not take it further and say hotels, restaurants, etc..etc..etc...This one simple little decision could kick a guy right in the pants. Yes in the pocket and the groin.

But hey, if its so important to have a couple of the game's best show up and play shinny for an hour, then so be it. But if Edmonton misses the playoffs based on this decision, Gary Bettman will be about as welcomed in Oil Country as Clarence Campbell was in Montreal. Ironically, where this whole debacle is taking place.