Bruins' Brad Marchand addresses All-Star controversy
Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand has insisted he was merely joking when he recently suggested players may threaten to skip future All-Star Games based on location.
"Listen, I was just kind of playing around," Marchand told Greg Wyshynski of ESPN. "Everyone gets a little sensitive on social media. It's a huge problem in society, but we won't get into that."
As mentioned by Scott Thompson of Fox News, Marchand generated headlines in February when he indicated on Instagram and Twitter that players could "boycott" participating in a future All-Star Game held in a city such as Seattle, Detroit or Edmonton:
"The All-Star Game is trending in the wrong direction," Marchand told Wyshynski. "Guys want to be in spots that are enjoyable to be in. They want to be in nice cities or warm cities. It's a long season. The game itself is a small portion of that weekend. You want to be able to enjoy it a bit. When everyone else is going on trips and enjoying themselves during the break, you don't want to be stuck in Edmonton when it's minus-30 or in Detroit. You want to be able to enjoy it."
This year's NHL All-Star Game was hosted by the Florida Panthers. Next year's exhibition is scheduled to occur in Toronto.
Per the Davy Jones Locker Room website, members of the Seattle Kraken chose their own vacations over attending All-Star festivities in February.
Emily Kaplan noted for ESPN years ago that Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has willingly accepted criticism and suspensions to avoid having to travel for All-Star Games.
"If you want the big superstars to go every year and want to be part of it, then you should put in places where they actually want to be and are going to enjoy it," Marchand continued. "But that's not for me to decide. I'll probably be out of the league by then anyway. So I'm not really too worried about it."
Marchand makes a solid point. After all, the NFL doesn't hold annual February Pro Bowl events in cities such as Cleveland or Buffalo. Additionally, nobody can deny the NBA doesn't need help attracting audiences and attention as does the NHL every All-Star weekend.
In the end, giving the players a say on where All-Star Games take place could benefit all involved with the NHL.
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