"Fan voting is a dumb way to do it," said Flames defenceman Andrew Ference yesterday on picking starters. "The All-Star Game is about having the best players showcased. The people who know that best are the people involved in the business. . . . Really, it can be so skewed with fan voting, it's silly. The last people who should have the final word are hometown fans."
(Source.)
I'm guessing there's not going to be any "Vote For Andy" campaigns any time soon.
Hey Andrew: should have gotten it written into the CBA, along with everything else.
The NHL asked who fans wanted to see, well, it's finding out. And if players like Ference or sportswriters like Jim Matheson disagree with that, here's a nice big cup of shut the hell up, because it's just too bad. Hockey Hall of Fame credentials or not, Matheson came off as an idiot.
The more I think about it, the more I agree that the All Star Game is just stupid anyway. You may be seeing hockey's "best" players (read: flashiest, with the occasional old guy thrown in because he's not made many before) but you're certainly not seeing hockey at its best. We see that in the spring or, dare I say it, at the Olympics. What we see at the All Star Game is a bunch of players smoking and joking. Good for them, and yeah, pretty goals - but even Owen Nolan picking his spot in San Jose doesn't beat Rob Schremp in a shootout during pre-season.
Ference is correct, but his solution isn't.