theScore's new series, "The Noise," is published every Monday. It normally kicks off each week with a quick look at three teams or players making headlines, good or bad, but we made an exception this time around.
When you think about lasting memories from this past All-Star weekend in Los Angeles, what immediately comes to mind?
Other than Chris Pronger giving Justin Bieber a gleeful back massage, the main takeaway for many was the presence of the NHL's past luminaries and the mutual admiration between them and the league's current stars.
The legends were there as part of the league's centennial celebrations and in conjunction with the "NHL 100" list that was unveiled Friday night to commemorate that anniversary, but surely the alumni can and should be involved more in future All-Star celebrations.
Even though it wasn't in the original plans, tabbing Wayne Gretzky to fill in as head coach for the victorious Metropolitan Division squad was a brilliant move that ultimately had a major impact on the event itself, both in terms of the outcome and Gretzky's own redemption story behind the bench.
Doing more of this with the legends in future years, and intentionally as opposed to as a last-minute replacement, would go a long way in terms of increasing interest in All-Star weekends that lack a John Scott-esque transcendent must-watch factor.
There are a number of ways to do it, too. Getting the best of the best like Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Bobby Orr, and Joe Sakic to serve as head coaches of the four respective divisions or having one legend from the host city lead that team's divisional squad would be fun ways to get the league's greats more involved.
That might be a bit unfair to the best current head coaches, who deserve to be honored with All-Star nods of their own, so here's another way: Work the alumni into the skills competition.
This year's skills event was a snoozer for several reasons, and while there are other ways to liven it up, teaming the modern-day players up with the legends would be delightful, as long as it was done in a way that didn't embarrass the old-timers.
They wouldn't be expected to fire 100-mph slap shots or set fastest-skater records against the current stars. Just have them square off against each other while representing the four divisions (by virtue of their most identifiable former team), and award points to the current squads based on the assistance of their legendary partners.
It could be much simpler than that, like having the elders feed passes to the active players in the accuracy event, or how about ditching the less than thrilling four-line challenge for an entirely new event that gets the alumni and current players to work together in another way?
For the second straight year, the NHL lucked into a compelling All-Star angle, this time thanks in large part to the 100th anniversary. To its credit, though, the league got this one right, incorporating its alumni in a way that both gave the past stars their proper due and celebrated the vast history of the league.
But this shouldn't be a once-in-a-century phenomenon. Whether it's behind the bench or on the ice, the league's most respected figures need to be front and center at these events more often.
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