The 2011 NHL All-Star game weekend was a huge success. You know why? (Other than the 21 goals scored in the exhibition?) Because of the players.
The New York Times puts together a nice story on the fun the competitors were having.
There was humor everywhere. Alex Ovechkin told the international television audience that he and his Washington teammate Mike Green had missed their flight to Raleigh because “we were in a bar.” Later, Ovechkin grinned devilishly while using his camera phone to videotape the last man chosen, Toronto’s Phil Kessel, as Kessel shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
As we saw in 24/7, the stars of the NHL are goofy guys, happily playing a sport they love. This shows when they do press with a smile and a laugh. In a world where athletes are (understandably) buttoned up and on point, Ovechkin and the rest are a welcome revelation.
Can we get Caroline Wozniacki involved in next year’s All-Star weekend somehow?
A video of the Skills Competition is after the jump. You know, because any time you can watch goalies race around the ice, you gotta to it.