Although it is fair criticism, I don't think this is a situation players should have to be in in the first place. The All-star games should be an optional event, where players should be able to opt out if they would like. There are enough stars in the league and they should be able to make it entertaining no matter what.
However, it is kind of a bad show of sportsmanship for players like Crosby and Kucherov who decide to show up and just not put the effort in. If you're chosen to represent the NHL you should be able to make things interesting, not push the narrative that hockey players «have no personality» and «can't have fun». It's embarrassing to watch the games and see players who blatantly don't care, and I don't know how it's not more embarrassing for the NHL themselves.
Thankfully it seems like we will be getting the 4 nations faceoff next year instead of the all-star games, and I think this will be a much welcomed change for the NHL. Players should be much more into it, and it brings more competition instead of some weird event that no one takes seriously.
POLL | ||
FEVRIER 3 | 620 ANSWERS NHL insider rips Crosby for his actions during all star game Do you think players should be able to opt out of allstar games? | ||
Yes, give them the choice | 467 | 75.3 % |
No, it's supposed to be growing the NHL's brand | 153 | 24.7 % |
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