NHL All-Star Game - LW goes live-blog back-to-back

After last night's Versusastrophe, looks like I'm getting the CBC coverage of the game tonight...

Interviews with the laugh-a-minute Sedins precede the anthems.  Or they precede more commercials that precede the anthems.  No, they haven't switched teams etc etc...

Back from break to see the Montreal players not picked for the game with some kind of amateur dramatic tribute to the team captains and Caniac favourites, Rod Brind'Amour and Ron Francis.  Brind'Amour then takes the kids off the ice to bag skate them and lift weights for the rest of the evening.




Player intros...Why is Martin Havlat's Sedin-like beard an entirely different colour to his hair?  Why did Dan Boyle's caption say "Daniel Boyle"?  And David Backes apparently plays for the St. Louis Reds now, according to his caption...

As if the Sedins, Giroux, Marc Staal, Havlat's beard and the ghost of Glen Wesley didn't bring enough gingerness to proceedings, some ginger guy sings the US anthem too.  Coming back from yet another break, an inadvertent piece of audio fluff masks part of host Ron MacLean's comments, so I hear: "Let's get this sh-- on the road".  I'll assume the missing syllable was "ow" rather than something else.

Right on cue, it's the ghost of Glen Wesley doing the pre-game siren thing!  Now awaiting the appearance of Alexei Zhamnov and Conan O'Brien later in the evening.

1st period

Ovechkin banks one in past Fleury within the first minute.  Knew I shouldn't have put money on the shutout...

Not long until Stastny converts on the 150th odd-man rush of the game to make it 2-0 before three minutes are up.  And the corpse of Patrik Elias then beats Fleury five-hole as I look up - 3-0 Staal already.  Nope, make that 4-0 as Giroux pokes one home to open the account for Team Ginger.  If nothing else, this start only proves how much better the presence of Sidney Crosby's faceoffs and defensive effort makes Fleury look (yawn)...And sorry for stealing the premise of your column tomorrow, Rob Rossi...

One emergency call later, Jacques Lemaire arrives behind the Team Lidstrom bench and we go several minutes without a goal...Until Anze Kopitar gets in behind the new defense pairing of Mark Fraser and Olivier Magnan-Grenier to make it 4-1.  As we know, a four goal lead inside 10 minutes is the proverbial worst lead in hockey, so no surprise if this one turns around.

The obligatory Jeff Skinner figure skating conversation takes place early.  The graphic confirms he was born in May 1992.  I feel old.

What did I tell you?  4-2 as the 7-3 310lb Bufflin sneaks in unnoticed behind the defense.  Lou Lamoriello fires the coaching staff of Team Staal.  Everyone wonders how Lamoriello has the power to do such a thing.

Loui Eriksson scores off a horrendous giveaway by Kris Letang, who will undoubtedly be stapled to the bench by the new coach of Team Staal, Larry Robinson, for the rest of the game.  Quickly followed by a Matt Duchene goal to tie it at four with three minutes still to play in the game.  Oh, there's another two periods after this?

No further goals before the period ends, as both teams are content to spread four men across the blue line, force the opposition to chip the puck in before picking it up and banging it off the glass and out the zone.

1st intermission

Entertainment is to be provided by Steve "3 Doors" Downie, who will be given 90 seconds to smash his way through both penalty box doors and the Zamboni entrance using only his fists and flying shoulders.

2nd period

Price and Hiller now in goal after the ritual sacrifice of the two starters in the first period.  Early on, Shea Weber almost breaks his arm by pulling out of of a one-timer.  Patrick Sharp makes it 5-4 Staal, giving him four points already.  Puck hog.

Just noticed that the strange shading on the hockey pants the players are wearing, particularly the red ones, makes it look from some angles that they have wet themselves.  I'm sure Reebok has a suitably flashy market-savvy name for it anyway.

Letang makes it 6-4.  Lemaire is now understood to have been fired or resigned/retired, with Lou Lamoriello coaching both teams simultaneously on an interim basis.

Kopitar pulls one back on a rare 8-on-0 break.  Marc Staal is something like -5 now.  Not really his kind of game... Jeff Skinner is seemingly going to be on the ice for the entire game now, or at least until he scores.  Letang decides to rip a shot straight at Hiller's mask.  Will Corey Perry slash his own team-mate in retaliation?

Stamkos beats Price up high from in tight to tie the game up again.  Glenn Healy accuses Stamkos of using an illegal curve.  As if a player once coached by Barry Melrose would risk doing such a thing...

Danny Briere gives Team Lidstrom the lead for the first time with another roof shot from in tight.  No stupid fist pump celebration from a subdued Briere though.  At the other end, a presumably fatigued Skinner is robbed by Hiller on a breakaway, then Hiller repeats the dose on Rick Nash.

In the last minute, the refs blow a clear call as Ryan Kesler garottes Matt Duchene with a trailing microphone cable.  Accidental, sure, but the rule is clear: Players are responsible for loosely attached audio equipment at all times.

2nd intermission

Not sure what's on tap.  Traditionally, this is the slot for the MacLean vs Bettman mid-season mutual cringerview, but the much-hyped "Guardian Project" thing is supposed to be getting unveiled.

After an interview with Marty St. Louis and his three kids (tough to tell which ones were the kids), it looks like we're getting at least some of the Guardian Project stuff rather than our esteemed Commish.  In summary: Huh?

Still plenty of time for a Bettman interview, but instead we get a look at some of the results of the NHLPA player poll that came out yesterday.  Key fact: 95% of players do not think Frans Nielsen is the most underrated player in the league.

3rd period

Tim Thomas is mic'd up for this period while he's between the pipes.  A certain irony about the announcers asking him about being focused at different times during games while distracting him with conversation as play goes on around him.

Thomas is alert enough to stop Skinner's 57th shot of the game, but soon after, Captain Staal beats him on a breakaway.  CBC revert suddenly to talking to Staal on the ice instead, rather than that loser, Thomas.

Penalty shot awarded to Duchene as Ovechkin throws his stick towards the puck as Duchene breaks in.  True to this year's form, Ovechkin misses anyway.  True to form, Lundqvist stops the penalty shot attempt.

Apparently, the MVP will be decided by text voting.  Pretty sure that ruins any chance Dustin Byfuglien had of winning.

Letang puts one through Thomas to make it 8-7 Staal, but then the pump-free Briere splits the shutdown Boyle/Karlsson pairing to tie things up again.  Next, Toews beats Lundqvist to make it 9-8 Lidstrom.  OK, no shutout for Hank.  Take him out the game NOW, Lemaire/Lamoriello/Robinson...

Glenn Healy takes time out to praise the play of Lundqvist and the much-injured Rangers this year.  Obviously, he has some affection for the team still, but still odd and unusual for a Canadian broadcaster to offer anything Ranger-wise other than how Sean Avery is a blight on the game.  With excellent timing, St. Louis squeezes one past Lundqvist for a 10-8 lead.  But soon matched by Rick Nash at the other end.  10-9 Lidstrom.

As we hit the last two minutes, the intensity level is ratcheted up to "Fleetingly Moderate" as Team Staal looks for the tying marker.  I learn that writing about so many goals forces you to use horrible Beninatisms such as "tying marker" in order to stop repeating the same phrases.

Strangely enough, Team Staal fails to crank up the physical effort needed to hold the puck in the offensive zone with the goalie pulled and Loui Eriksson puts one into the vacant cage.  Must muzzle my inner Beninati...

But hold on - E-Staal still has time to notch another tally (OK, I'll stop now...) to make it 11-10 late.  It's too little, too late, however.  Team Lidstrom holds on.  Lundqvist must dwell on what will be the biggest deluge of late goals he will face until...er, Tuesday when the Rangers ritual home screw up against the Penguins takes place.

Wrap-up

Just enough time (i.e. approximately 12 seconds before the network here completely bails to show some X-Games garbage) to learn than Patrick Sharp was voted as MVP.  Well he does have a pretty easy name to spell.