Nhl All Star Game Tickets

Hockey has been among the most watched sports in North America for a very long time and the National Hockey League (NHL) has done everything in its power to make it the global phenomenon it is today. One of the season's main attractions is the annual, mid season All Star Game, that pits the best of the best in the league against one another and makes even fierce rivals work together in harmony.

A Stuttering Start

The first official NHL All Star Game was held in 1947, but the idea had been in the pipeline for a few years before that. The league had looked to set up an All Star Game on several different occasions previously but the concept never really caught on.

The first such fixture was held in 1908, even before the formation of the NHL. The game was played between the Montreal Wanderers and an All Star team consisting of players from the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association. It was held in honor of Hod Stuart, a player from the Wanderers who had drowned after winning the Stanley Cup. The game was held in order to raise money for his family and to help them cope with his loss.

In 1934, another such contest took place between the Toronto Maple Leafs and an All Star team from the NHL in order to benefit the Leaf's popular right winger, Ace Bailey, as well as his family. During the game, a jersey was retired for the first time and Bailey became the first person to suggest that such an encounter should be held annually. The NHL through would not consider his suggestion for several more years to come.

Two more such games followed, in 1937 for Howie Morenz and in 1939 for Babe Siebert before the NHL finally made it an annual fixture.

The All Star Game joins the Party

The first official All Star Game was held at the Maple Leaf Gardens in 1947. It pitted the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Toronto Maple Leafs and a selection of the best players in the NHL at the time against each other. The All Stars won the game and repeated the feat in the the next two fixtures as well. The Red Wings became the first reigning Stanley Cup winners to lift the title in 1950.

Since that time, several changes have been made to the selection process for the teams and the players. A lot of concentrated efforts have been made to get the players involved and give the fans as well as the league management a say in the selection process as well.

In 1969, the format was changed to pit the best players from the West Conference and the East Conference against each other. Each team would be selected via a combination of popular vote and with the help of NHL's Hockey Operations Department. The coaches would come from the franchise with the highest points in each conference.

The format was then tweaked even further to make this fixture as entertaining as possible. Now the first six players on the roster are voted in by the public while the coaches and captains of each side are selected by the NHL. The captains then take part in a mock draft in which they assemble their teams before facing their opponents on the ice.

Big Names on Ice

The All Star Game has given hockey a lot of thrilling and exciting action over the years. Many players have used the opportunity to show their excellence on the rink like, Wayne Gretzky who scored twenty five points in eighteen games to lead the scoring charts. Gordie Howe also enjoyed a great run and played a record twenty three All Star Games, followed by Ray Bourque with nineteen and Gretzky in third position.

The latest edition of one of the biggest games in hockey is now just around the corner. The best in the business will soon line up to take on each other in another pulsating fixture. If you want to see some records being set, then get your NHL All Star Game tickets and head on down to the Bridgestone Arena for a fixture, you won't soon forget.