The NHL announced the full All-Star Game rosters Wednesday. It comes on the heels of loads and loads of hoopla of fans getting to select one captain for each division.
That was largely because fans proved to be exactly what we already knew they were: humans with a sense of humor about a ridiculous mid-season media spectacle that’s largely just a break for 99% of players. The captains selected by fans were Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane, Jaromir Jagr (who had said he didn’t want to be a part of the game) and Coyotes enforcer John Scott, who has been scratched more than he’s played this season.
The format this year will be a 3-on-3 tournament between four teams, one for each division. Each divisional team is required to have at least one player from each team. With that in mind, here are the All-Star Game Rosters:
ATLANTIC DIVISION
Captain: Jaromir Jagr (FLA)
Patrice Bergeron (BOS)
Uncle Leo Komarov (TOR)
Dylan Larkin (DET)
Ryan O’Reilly (BUF)
Steven Stamkos (TBL)
Aaron Ekblad (FLA)
Erik Karlsson (OTT)
P.K. Subban (MTL)
Ben Bishop (TBL)
Roberto Luongo (FLA)
METROPOLITAN DIVISION
Captain: Alex Ovechkin (WSH)
Nicklas Backstrom (WSH)
Claude Giroux (PHI)
Evgeni Malkin (PIT)
Brandon Saad (CBJ)
John Tavares (NYI)
Justin Faulk (CAR)
Kris Letang (PIT)
Ryan McDonagh (NYR)
Braden Holtby (WSH)
Cory Schneider (NJD)
CENTRAL DIVISION
Captain: Patrick Kane (CHI)
Jamie Benn (DAL)
Matt Duchene (COL)
Tyler Seguin (DAL)
Vladimir Tarasenko (STL)
Jonathan Toews (CHI)
Dustin Byfuglien (WPG)
Roman Josi (NSH)
Shea Weber (NSH)
Devan Dubnyk (MIN)
Pekka Rinne (NSH)
PACIFIC DIVISON
Captain: John Scott (ARI)
Johnny Gaudreau (CGY)
Taylor Hall (EDM)
Joe Pavelski (SJS)
Corey Perry (ANA)
Daniel Sedin (VAN)
Brent Burns (SJS)
Drew Doughty (LAK)
Mark Giordano (CGY)
John Gibson (ANA)
Jonathan Quick (LAK)
Coaches
Atlantic: Gerard Gallant (FLA)
Central: Lindy Ruff (DAL)
Pacific: Darryl Sutter (LAK)
Metropolitan: Barry Trotz (WSH)
Notable pieces here: Only the Nashville Predators, Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals are sending three representatives. The Panthers and Capitals have been hot, so Nashville is a bit of a surprise there.
The requirement of having at least one from every team has made for a few weird decisions with the teams that have just one representative. For instance, Leo Komarov and Ryan McDonagh. Other times, that single pick was obviously the right choice, like with Justin Faulk, Erik Karlsson and Brandon Saad.
The Central Division’s offensive strength made for a couple of weird picks too. It meant that Dustin Byfuglien and Devan Dubnyk are in as the Jets’ and Wild’s only picks. Strange because Ryan Suter is having an fantastic season, as is Blake Wheeler. The need to get in other teams at defense and goalie there also means that John Klingberg got cut, since Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin were obvious inclusions at forward.
Corey Crawford also seems like a bit of a snub in the Central, since he’s been having a pretty solid year. Pekka Rinne, meanwhile, is not. His .909 save percentage screams, “The All-Star Game is being played in the city where my team plays.”
And the one absence that everyone will latch onto: Sidney Crosby.
How would you rearrange these teams? What are the omissions or odd picks? Why does the Pacific Division get the same number of players as other divisions despite being a flaming glass of curdled milk? Why are people upset about silly things like Hall of Fame resumes because of John Scott and not making a stink about the divisional format penalizing stronger divisions? Why do people who will never watch this game complain about it? Will we remember in our outrage that players are allowed to decline their invite? Discuss.