The NHL All Star-Game is coming up in a bit, and there have been some interesting twists and turns along the way. Ovechkin falling in the standings amid his sudden goal scoring drought, Kris Letang becoming the #1 voted for defenseman despite being a write in candidate, Sean Avery actually getting votes, etc. But one thing stands out here: this is a popularity contest, plain and simple. In general the good players get a lot of votes, but sometimes players who are truly elite but just aren’t flashy or as promoted league-wide as other ones and don’t receive as many ballots. If you voted for Marc-Andre Fleury or for that matter Sergei Bobrovsky because you believe that they’re really the best goalie in the league, well then you’re full of shit. If you voted for them because they are your teams’ goalie and you want to see them play in the All-Star Game, fine. I honestly have no problem with people voting for their team’s players because they have team loyalty. Like I said, it’s a popularity contest. People vote for who they want to see. However, I think a lot of people would like to see who’d be going to the All-Star Game if everyone voted based on skill. It would be interesting wouldn’t it? So I’m asking you, who would you put out there? Three forwards, two defensemen, and one goalie. Don’t completely disregard position, but feel free to put three centers out there if you feel like two of them could play left & right wing effectively. Assume all the players injured or sick right now are healthy. Give it a thought and write it out, and defend your choices. Leave your answer in the comments section below, I don’t wanna see this crap on facebook or whatever, I promise I only sell the email addresses to spam-bots when I’m strapped for cash.

Go.