Friday, January 28, 2011

Friday Five: Weekend of Some-Stars

The weekend is upon us and it could be used to dig out for the vast majority of you or you could hunker down and watch the All-Star festivities. Both are tasks that could be worse than death, depending who you are; but which is the lesser of two evils-- that's what you have to ask yourself.

1. What's the event of this weekend that's really what you're looking forward to??

I think the new addition of the player draft is something that is a great idea and is what I think I'll be waiting for what turns out. To be honest, this goes with the retro route the NHL has taken with the outdoor games and the modernized retro jerseys many teams have instilled in their set. It could be one of the better changes that the NHL has put into an All-Star Weekend since the Skills Competition was put into place in 1990.

Also, can't wait to hear from the group of media people that I follow on Twitter to post pictures of sights, sound, and savory foodage which they'll partake in while in Raleigh. (Like Greg Wyshynski, Sean Leahy, Craig Custance, and Joe Yerdon)

2. What's your favorite moment of the All-Star Weekend from the past??

As a Caps fan, Al Iafrate's 105.2 MPH slapshot in Montreal was pretty bad-ass, with is Skullet flowing through the air. Nowadays, you can get guys constantly throwing out 103's with the technology of sticks, but with Iafrate carrying that ancient wood stick, it was a thing of beauty. More modern, Dany Heatley's performance in his first All-Star game was fun, if only for Jeremy Roenick's commentary while he was playing alongside Heatley.

3. Why is everyone so down about the All-Star Game and hunger for competitive games??

The All-Star Weekend is really just a mini-summer vacation for hockey fans, especially on Twitter. It's almost like people don't have hobbies outside of hockey; which is fine if that's your deal-- but sometimes people need a break, players need a break, and then sanity can be restored. This isn't as bad as from the Free Agency period start until training camp, but it's getting a bit more aggravating to deal with.

4. Is there any chance that Evgeni Nabokov doesn't show up to Long Island??

This past week on Face Off Hockey Show, we had our "Na-Back-On Pool" when he'll return and I said it'd be by Valentine's Day. He's going to have to swallow his pride if he's wants to get off of Long Island during the summer, because he still belongs to Long Island, even if he doesn't play because of the crazy contract rules. If he wants to play in the NHL, he'll actually suck it up and play on Long Island to sport his wears and maybe get a windfall of attention like Dwayne Roloson did and actually get a better gig.

5. What stone-cold locks do you have for the unofficial second-half of the year??

First, I think the Coyotes situation will sort itself out.....but then it won't and we'll be in the same boat we were last year. Second, the Canucks will falter due to the injuries to Alex Edler and Sami Salo still trying to work out from his injuries, they'll still stay on top of the Northwest, but they'll be slowed down. Finally, the New Jersey Devils will rally for a big second-half run....then miss the playoffs by five points and will get the 14th overall pick rather than a shot at the #1 pick.

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That's it for this week, but if you have questions-- I have sarcastic answers for it all. Email me at Scotty.Wazz@gmail.com and you can ask your questions for a future Friday Five. Enjoy your weekend folks, All-Star or not.

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