Popularity Contest

By Patrick Hoffman
January 8, 2009


As I’m sure all of you hockey junkies are aware of, the National Hockey League recently announced its Eastern Conference and Western Conference starters as voted by you, the fans.

While I think it is great that the NHL is tapping into its fan base to select their favorite stars for this year’s all-star game in Montreal, the time has come for it to be scaled back due to how absurd the voting has become.

Instead of having the votes based on performance, it seems to me that voting is all about popularity. For example, just take a look at the Eastern Conference starters:

G Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
D Andrei Markov, Montreal Canadiens
D Mike Komisarek, Montreal Canadiens
F Alexei Kovalev, Montreal Canadiens
F Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
F Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

Now, I know that this year’s game is a celebration of the great history of the Montreal Canadiens during their centennial season, but isn’t selecting four Habs as starters a bit much? With the exception of Price and even Markov, who both deserve all-star recognition for their fine play this season, the other two Canadiens’ don’t deserve to be starters:

D Komisarek: 3 points in 22 games
F Kovalev: 28 points in 38 games

Excuse me but what happened to Alex Ovechkin? AO is tied for first in the league in goals with 27 and is second in the league in points with 53. If the vote was based strictly on numbers rather than on popularity, I’m sure Ovechkin would be a starter. You could also make a strong case for guys like Marc Savard of the Boston Bruins (49 points), Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils (46 points), or even Nicklas Backstrom (44 points) of the Washington Capitals.

While Komisarek is a solid young defenseman, he’s not a defensive stud. For example, New York Islanders’ defenseman Mark Streit not only leads the Eastern Conference defensemen in scoring with 32 points, but he also leads the entire league. Mike Green of the Washington Capitals (26 points in 27 games) also appears to be a much better choice than Komisarek.

Voters who picked the starters for the Western Conference also appear to be living on Fantasy Island with their selections:

G Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Anaheim Ducks
D Brian Campbell, Chicago Blackhawks
D Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim Ducks
F Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks
F Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
F Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks

If I’m not mistaken, there are more than two teams in the Western Conference and as such a lot more players deserving of a starting position on this year’s all-star squad.

Let’s start in goal. I know that Giguere has been through a lot this season, especially with the passing of his father. And while his numbers (11-9-4, 2.96 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage) are respectable, they are certainly not better than San Jose Sharks’ netminder Evgeni Nabokov, who is 21-3-4, with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.

Speaking of the Sharks, why isn’t defenseman Dan Boyle a starter? The 32-year-old defenseman has 32 points in 37 games and is second among defensemen in scoring. Yes, Niedermayer is a brand name in the NHL but his numbers (22 points in 40 games) aren’t as good as Boyle’s.

While Toews has been solid this year with 29 points in 36 games, I’m sure it would have been understandable if the fans selected players such as Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames (46 points), Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks (46 points), or Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings (42 points).

Yes folks, the NHL All-Star Game is a showcase, but that does not mean that the league should base its starters on a popularity contest. Players who have been performing and producing on a consistent basis should be starters.

Let’s see if this changes in the next few years.

Patrick has covered the NHL for various online resources, including Kukla’s Korner, since 2003