Vote Rory Fitzpatrick into the NHL All-Star Game!

[Soundy]

Exactly.

Not saying players SHOULDN'T participate in "extra-curricular" competition, but really, aside from a little personal pride and honor, there's no real loss if they DON'T go.

[Robbie]

In the end, he didn't get enough votes to play in the all-star game.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news ... 10a0734736
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/ ... c8dbb84900

Roberto Luongo will play though. No Canuck has ever won all-star game MVP, so go Luongo! I feel that Markus Naslund was cheated big time in the 2002 all-star game when early voting gave the MVP to Eric Daze.

[Soundy]

The great thing about it is, Rory's handled it all with class - even the sniping from the likes of Gretzky and Grapes.

Despite criticism from Wayne Gretzky, who said fans don't even know who Fitzpatrick is, to Don Cherry, who said in his weekly Hockey Night in Canada rant that everyone is laughing at Fitzpatrick, he never lashed out.

"Nobody ever likes to hear anything bad about themselves, but everybody wanted an opinion on it," said Fitzpatrick.

"A month ago, nobody cared about the all-star game. Now, it's this big only-for-the-stars thing and so precious and guys who have made comments probably wouldn't have made comments two months ago.

"I have to take it as a positive. It's gotten the game some attention and the all-star game some attention."

Even at the outset of the Internet campaign by Steve Schmid -- a Sabres fan who hails from Fitzpatrick's hometown of Rochester, N.Y. -- the defenceman turned into a walking, talking advertisement of everything that's right about NHL players.

[Rammer]

In the end, he didn't get enough votes to play in the all-star game.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news ... 10a0734736
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/ ... c8dbb84900

Roberto Luongo will play though. No Canuck has ever won all-star game MVP, so go Luongo! I feel that Markus Naslund was cheated big time in the 2002 all-star game when early voting gave the MVP to Eric Daze.

Well that worked out about as well as it could have, showing the NHL thqat the fan vote means litle while not compromising Rory to the point of making a decision on it. Hopefully the NHL doesn't allow the same format for fan voting for next years allstar game.

As for Louong getting the MVP for the allstar game, he will have to split time in the most disadvantaged position in order to do so. It would be a miracle to end up as the MVP as a goaltender, with little D in front of him.

[Robbie]

As for Louong getting the MVP for the allstar game, he will have to split time in the most disadvantaged position in order to do so. It would be a miracle to end up as the MVP as a goaltender, with little D in front of him.

If Luongo gets a shutout in the period that he plays, he will be up for serious consideration. Mike Richter won MVP in the 1994 game. And in the 2002 game, there were many who felt Nikolai Khabibulin should have got MVP honours after his shutout third period. Unfortunately, the flawed MVP voting was already completed before the World team scored four quick goals late in the third period in their 8-5 win, with Naslund scoring the winner.

[KnowItAll]

No Canuck has ever won all-star game MVP, so go Luongo!

I thought Pavel got it the yr he and his brother played together for the World and whipped N.A butt. Who did win it that yr, and what the heck year was it anyhow. Or was he a panther already by then?

[Robbie]

No Canuck has ever won all-star game MVP, so go Luongo!

I thought Pavel got it the yr he and his brother played together for the World and whipped N.A butt. Who did win it that yr, and what the heck year was it anyhow. Or was he a panther already by then?

Yes, Pavel Bure was MVP in the 2000 all-star game in which the World team won 9-4 over the North American team. But Bure was already a Florida Panther by then.

[KnowItAll]

oh well, Pavel will always be a Canuck to me

[TheLionKing]

There's always next year for Rory

[KnowItAll]

There's always next year for Rory

but only if he takes care of his knees.

[Lions_Fan_4_Life]

meh don't count chickens before they hatch "league source", i say BS watch rory make the game after all.

[TheLionKing]

As a spectator maybe.........http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=191457&hubname=

[Lions_Fan_4_Life]

wow, i thought he'd get in. Oh well.

[B.C.FAN]

Thankfully, this embarrassing sham fell just short. The whole affair was a disgrace to the league and made a mockery of the all-star game and Fitzpatrick.

It's time to change the rules to at least limit fans to one vote per 24 hour period, as the NBA does.

[Soundy]

Thankfully, this embarrassing sham fell just short. The whole affair was a disgrace to the league and made a mockery of the all-star game and Fitzpatrick.

The All-Star game itself is a mockery and a sham, depending on who you ask. See Pratt's column in today's Province.

Frankly, those who are getting so upset about it - especially those outside the NHL itself *ahem* - are just being ridiculous: there's really no SIGNIFICANCE to the game; it doesn't mean anything to the pro season, and in the end, it's still largely a popularity contest, whether it's the public voting, or the media, or even much of the NHL front end. If you really want it to be a "meaningful" honor, the ONLY people who should be voting are the players and possibly the coaching staff.

Otherwise, there's really nothing worth getting your jersey in a twist about.