Report: Big changes coming to 2020 NHL All-Star Game weekend

According to a report from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the NHL and NHLPA are making changes to the league’s annual All-Star Skills Competition, scheduled for Saturday, January 26th in St. Louis.

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We’re going to see some changes to the All-Star Skills Competition for January’s event in St. Louis. Some of the events that players have really struggled with (such as puck control) are on the chopping block. The NHL and NHLPA agree that you want your guys having fun and looking happy. The opposite is not the best advertisement for the sport. St. Louis has a fantastic alumni group, and discussions are under way on how to involve them — but my dream of having Al Iafrate win the hardest shot while smoking a cigarette appears unlikely. Like the all-stars themselves, there is concern about having alumni compete and not look good. I assume female players will be invited again, too.

Hmmmmm… cut back all the events you want, but please, please, PLEASE, try to work some alumni players into the events. Imagine seeing Brett Hull come out onto the ice in St. Louis for the accuracy shooting event. Imagine Al MacInnis teeing off slap shots. Imagine Curtis Joseph staring down Patrick Kane in a shootout. Maybe it’s just the nostalgic side of me, but I’d kill to see the league embrace their alumni more and get them involved in All-Star Weekend.