By my count, there have been 17 different match-ups playing for whatever it is they play for at the National Hockey League All-Star Game, this week in the city self-proclaimed to be the heart of hockey, Toronto.
There have been ties games, overtime games, and shootouts. They’ve played All-Stars against All-Stars — now there’s a novel concept — but also Stanley Cup Champions against All-Stars, East versus West, Campbell versus Wales, Atlantic versus Metropolitan versus Central versus Pacific, North America versus The World, the NHL versus the USSR, and a competing list of teams named after players that’s too lengthy to mention.
All-Star Games have been cancelled by lockouts (three times), Olympic (twice), a pandemic (COVID) and desires to relive 1972’s Summit Series.
The formats have morphed into one that includes skills competitions, fantasy drafts, regular drafts, appointments by committee, entertainment events and women’s hockey teams named after tennis players. Instead of selling tickets to a hockey game, they sell tickets to everything. They also sell TV rights. The “game” is 3-on-3, start to finish.
As profitable as the game has become, its origin was draped in misfortune. Originally a benefit game, there were three false “all-star”starts. A player named Hod Stuart drowned in 1907, and the two Montreal teams raised money for his family by playing league all-stars. When Eddie Shore’s hit ended Ace Bailey’s career, the benefit game — 90 years ago — was for his family. Two years later, Montreal Canadiens’ super star Howie Morenz died after badly breaking his leg…another benefit game. It was less successful than the Bailey game, so 10 years passed before the first, official, All-Star Game, to benefit Toronto charities and players’ pensions.
The Stanley Cup champions against the All-Stars remains the most popular format: 19 games. That became East versus West when the NHL Original Six teams became 12, and to Campbell versus Wales when the conferences were re-named. The most unusual change followed Canada’s captivating 4-3-1 series victory over the Soviet Union in 1972. With sagging interest in its showcase game, the NHL seized an opportunity to piggyback on the international hunger arranging The Challenge Cup in 1979 and, eight years later, Rendez-Vous ’87. I covered the former, a forgettable three-game series at Madison Square Garden, yet never referred to as the All-Star Game, just an NHL versus USSR series played during the All-Star break.
Always an exhibition game, it has been televised since television arrived. Canadians see it — with its fanfare, festivities and fan participation — as more Americanization of what was Canada’s game. It’s watched now, or seems to be, by a diminishing number of Canadians, a love-fest to be enjoyed by meaningless participation in a meaningless game that has become a weekend.
It’s safe to say the NHL has quite never gotten it right, if that’s even possible.
Incidentally, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ last win as Stanley Cup champions was not — as widely believed — when Jim Pappin scored the winning goal against the Montreal Canadiens in Game Six to capture their last Stanley Cup, in May 1967.
It was the following January, when Ron Ellis scored the winning goal for Toronto’s reigning current Stanley Cup champs, defeating All-Stars from the other five teams, 4-3.
