Pepper from Red Skate wonders if Alex Ovechkin's lack of support in All-Star Game voting stems from the team he plays for.
"But, clearly, those who put significant time and technological savvy to the task of voting didn’t vote for who they thought should be on that announced lineup, who was most deserving. Instead, they simply voted for the players they wanted to see. Primarily because of the teams for which they play."
In my opinion, the lack of support for players such as Ovechkin, Jeff Carter and Phil Kessel (true All-Star starters, based on stats) stems from a lack of interest.
Think about it.
A week into the voting, Montreal Canadiens fans had compromised the system: No matter what, a majority of Canadiens players would get starting roles. Would you take the time to vote for your favorite player if you already knew his likelihood of being in the starting lineup was slim?
It took a monumental effort from Penguins fans to get two players into the starting lineup.
It isn't because of his sweater that Ovechkin isn't an All Star starter. It's because nobody cared to vote when they realized the voting process was an exploitable gimmick.
Think Crosby's nearly two million votes came from two million different people? The NHL can only dream that was true.
Monday, January 5, 2009
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The lack of support for Jeff Carter was largely because he was a write-in candidate, I think. I do have a bit more support for him now than I did a couple weeks ago when people were complaining that he should absolutely be the Eastern Conference starter at center. At the time he was second only to Vanek in goals, but he only had (I think) 5 assists. I'd be okay with that from a winger, but I expect my centers to set people up more often than not.
ReplyDeleteRegardless, the whole thing was a sham from start to finish.