With the NHL about to take its annual (almost) break for the All-Star Game, it is good to remember that the All-Star Game is a chance for the league to showcase its bounty of talent and for fans to enjoy a respite from the tension of rooting for their team to reach the postseason and challenge for the Stanley Cup.
For players, it is a chance to set aside rivalries and grudges, and appreciate what they share – the chance to play the game at the highest level. From the first official NHL All-Star Game played in 1947 in Toronto, which featured the likes of Turk Broda, Bud Poile, Syl Apps, Maurice Richard, Ted Lindsay, and Milt Schmidt, to last year’s classic elimination format All-Star Game in Tampa that featured Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Drew Doughty, and Carey Price, it is a chance for the biggest stars to shine.