Today is the 2009 All Star Game. Last night, you got to see a Bruin torch a Carey Price for three goals (must have been fun for the home crowd!), Zdeno Chara fired a puck incredibly hard, and Alex Ovechkin did...well, just watch the video.
Admittedly, I didn't see the whole thing. The USA was playing Sweden in a friendly as a warm up to their World Cup Qualifier against Mexico on February 11; and I chose country over, um, skills competition. Sasha Kjlestan ruled in that game.
Anyway, back to hockey. Tonight's the All Star Game. It'll be at 6 PM EST on Versus. I think it's a fun exhibition and Interchangeable Parts has a good rationale for enjoying the game as any:
6. It doesn’t matter. We’re going to spend the next two and a half months watching stretch-run "every game is vitally important!" regular-season hockey, and then launch into the pressure cooker of the playoffs. It’s nice to have a weekend where we can sit back and relax.
They're right. The Devils will play at least 3 games a week all through the end of the season with the exception of the calender week of February 22-28. And in a division as tight as the Atlantic, in a conference as tight as the Eastern Conference, you really can't take any of these weeks off. So why not enjoy a light game between the best (and 3 or 4 Canadiens) players in the NHL this season?
In the meantime, feel free to checkout what the story lines will be for the Devils over the next two months at 2 Man Advantage. I have to agree with Josh, life is pretty good in that regard right now. Also, check out this midseason recap by Chere at the Star Ledger. And if you have some thoughts on some of those second half decisions Chere notes, there's a What Do You Think on trades that you're more than welcome to join in on. And if there are polls and fan posts that you may want to participate in.
Later, I'll post up the game thread and I'll try to update it when Zach Parise does something of importance in the game. Call it Zach-Tracking. Call it what you will. It's the All Star Game; let's just have some fun.