vees:blog

There is lots of talk on how to make the BCHL All-Star experience more competitive. The game in it’s current format pits Coastal Conference vs. Interior Conference, but seems to lack intensity. I’m not here to knock the All Star Game, which I’m somewhat excited about tonight, but I wonder how to extract more entertainment out of it in the future.

This year in an effort to coerce more fire from the participants, the BCHL has a sponsored scholarship for the MVP of the game, which could help a smidgen, but I doubt it will alter the feel of what host Dr. Duncan Wray (Vernon Owner) called a ‘pond hockey’ game.

Some suggestions and alternatives bandied about are:

1) AJHL vs. BCHL - these two Jr. ‘A’ leagues produce the most NHLers, NCAA commitments, fans, and media coverage in the country. Bragging rights between the two circuits would be a fun event drawing the eyes of more hockey fans and scouts also being an All-Star would be that much more of an honour with each league producing one roster instead of two.

To raise the stakes further the winning team’s league could be granted home ice for the Doyle Cup rather than home ice alternating each season.

Each league would have 2 years to gear up for hosting, easing the burden of organizing the event. With each league holding the event every other year, the game would be much more enticing for fans, as the opportunity to get to a game would be a unique opportunity.

2) Prospects Game - Combining draft eligible and NCAA eligible players would make for a much more competitive game with scouts in the stands and stakes high for players. With a possible scholarship or draft pick on the line, there would be no shortage of work ethic. A glaring problem would be that many of the league’s best players would be overlooked due to the criteria and filling two rosters could mean weaker players are invited.

The dates would have to change as the game currently shares the same spot on the calendar as the CHL prospects game (1 scout can’t be in 2 places).

3) Home Ice?? - Make home ice in the League Final (Fred Page Cup) the reward for a Conference winning the All-Star Game. Major League Baseball adopted this tactic to spice up their showcase event and it has helped improve the intensity of the game. I imagine the BCHL would enjoy the same effect.

4) Scrap it - Hosting and organizing the event is a large undertaking, while turning a profit is far from a guarantee. Perhaps creating an end of the season list (like NCAA Football’s All Americans) would honour the leagues best without the hassle of a game to organize. This route seems a bit lazy, rather than working to make the game better, but has some support among hockey purists.

5) Outdoor Game - Okay, that’s a reach!