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Tentative snipers More defense led to lower score in All-Star GamePosted: Sunday February 03, 2002 9:51 PMUpdated: Monday February 04, 2002 3:22 AM
The NHL’s annual All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles left many impressions. Here is a sampling. The game itself proved a few things. First, hockey without physical play is not hockey at all. Witness the polite approach by the players Saturday –- even passing up shots from 20 feet out so as not to risk hitting an opponent with the puck in the ankle or some other vulnerable area. Granted, the goaltenders were very good, but the attackers seemed tentative, opting for cross-ice passes and slam-dunk looks almost exclusively. Several players admitted that they did not want a repeat of last year’s 26-goal exhibition, but the reduction in offense had more to do with unsure offensive play than it did elevated defensive consciousness. There was more gliding than striding, with only Paul Kariya consistently displaying speed between the bluelines. Further, any player who needs to be physical to be effective is lost in this type of demonstration. Joe Thornton, Jarome Iginla, Chris Chelios and Jeremy Roenick come to mind. In fact, Chelios -- by his own count -- had played only one good All-Star Game in his previous 10 appearances -- that one being in his hometown Chicago. He can now say one in eleven.
Roenick, for his part, asserted Friday that he would deliver the first bodycheck of the tilt. He made good when he rattled unprepared defenseman Alexei Zhitnik midway through the first period. The simple act of finishing a check in the offensive zone drew one of the loudest crowd responses of the afternoon. Alas, it was the only bump of the game, but the fan reaction alone proves the point -- bodychecking is as much a part of what makes the sport great as a pretty pass, a spiffy save, or a gorgeous goal. Speaking of goals, Friday’s first-ever YoungStars format proved to be the perfect showcase for Atlanta Thrashers electric 18-year old Ilya Kovalchuk. Skating four-a-side, Kovalchuk dazzled with his shot-making ability, scoring six-times -- displaying a showman’s touch and a sniper’s guile. His performance titillated, creating a word-of-mouth buzz that any Hollywood production would crave. Up next is the Olympics -- the sporting world’s largest stage. Don’t be surprised if hockey’s spotlight doesn’t follow him to Salt Lake, with a Calder Trophy to follow. And when Kovalchuk’s time comes to participate in the full-blown all-star affair, there will be at least one player willing to shoot to score every time. At the other end of the certainty spectrum is the continued baffling play of Jaromir Jagr. Is he injured or insecure? Distracted or disinterested? Whatever, the once preeminent one-on-one player in the game was again invisible and ineffective -- traits that appeared last season -- terms that should never apply to a player of his sizeable talent. Jagr’s indifferent play was again on display, as it has been since his move to D.C. and as it was last season in Pittsburgh before Mario Lemieux’s return as a player and reemerged in the springtime, lingering throughout the playoffs. Meanwhile, as Jagr continues to go missing, the reclusive Mark Pavelich miraculously appeared -- apparently driving form the nether-reaches of Northern Minnesota to be part of the celebration and reunion of the 1980 gold-medal team. He supplied Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times with exactly five words when asked why he decided to show up after all of these years, saying, “now was just the time”. The words alone aren’t particularly telling, but given the state of world affairs, the impending Olympiad on US soil, and the galvanizing force that the "Miracle on Ice" team was and remains to be, Pavelich’s statement resonates. His simple sentiment evokes weighty associations -- intended or otherwise -- hardly standard fare when talking All-Star Games. That is a good thing. Darren Eliot, a former NHL goaltender, is a hockey analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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