Walking around in downtown Ottawa this morning, there is an undeniable buzz in the air.
All Star Weekend is finally here and it all kicks off with tonight’s event being hosted at the Casino Lac Lemay. Daniel Alfredsson and Zdeno Chara will go head to head as they pick their teams for this weekend’s festivities. All the action begins at 8:00 PM on TSN.
Alfie has already spoiled some of the surprise when he suggested that if he has the first pick, he will take Erik Karlsson.
Not only is the All Star Game built for a guy as skilled as Karlsson, but Alfie is has been pushed in that direction by his kids. After that, it is up in the air. Will Alfie follow a Karlsson pick with his other teammates Spezza and Michalek? Would Chara take Karlsson if he had the first pick just to mess with his opponent? And who takes Brian Elliott?
And then you have the drama of who goes last. I’m going to go on record and predict Jason Pominville as the last pick. He is in the tough spot of having two division rivals as team captains.
A few rules to note for tonight.
- A coin toss will decide first pick, with Alfredsson and Chara, joined by their assistant captains, alternately drafting the 38 remaining All-Stars through 19 rounds
- Each team will consist of three goaltenders, six defensemen and 12 forwards
- Each team's three goalies must be picked by the end of Round 10 and each team's six defensemen must be picked by the conclusion of Round 15.
- The NHL Foundation and the NHLPA Goals & Dreams fund each will donate $10,000 on behalf of the All-Star selected with the final pick of the Draft to the grassroots hockey program of his choice.
While all the attention will be on the Fantasy Draft later tonight, there are a few events to take in today. The NHL Trophy Procession is set to take place on the Rideau Canal from 2:30 PM-3:00 PM and immediately after that, the NHL Fan Fair opens up at the Rideau Convention Centre.
So how do you see tonight unfolding? Who goes first? Who goes last? And will Alfie try to unite the four Senators players for this weekend's festivities?
