Going into the 48th Annual All-Star game this weekend in Vancouver, there was a lot of hype that this All-Star Game would be different than the ones that came before. This year, inspired by the Olympics, the NHL adopted a new North America versus the World format. The idea was that the game would be more intense due to international pride. Well, um, maybe...

North America prevailed over the World, 8-7, Sunday afternoon, despite Teemu Selanne scoring a hat trick and earning MVP honors in the losing effort. The game was pretty darn entertaining, just for the simple fact that no one played the trap. But it really wasn't as intense as some would have liked. It was pretty much the standard All-Star outing. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Bodychecks were few and far between. Everyone was over passing. There were three penalties called by referee Paul Stewart, but all were of the accidental variety. So all and all, the United Nations would be proud. Peace ruled the land.

It didn't take long for the World team to get on the scoreboard. With the game less than a minute old, Scott Stevens attempted to play the puck up the left wing boards in his own zone and gave it away to Saku Koivu. The little Finn quickly moved it ahead to Selanne who was all alone in front of Patrick Roy at the right post. Selanne wasted little time in turning the puck to his forehand and sliding a shot between Roy's pads for the 1-0 lead just 53 seconds into the contest.

Jaromir Jagr stretched the World's advantage to 2-0 at 2:15 of the opening period. Dmitri Mironov hammered a shot on net from the center point that Peter Bondra deflected in front. Roy managed to stop the initial shot but couldn't control the rebound. Jagr pounced on it near the right post and snapped it home.

The World onslaught continued just 1:45 later when Selanne busted in on right wing and piped a shot high short-side past Roy. Piped is an accurate description since the puck actually struck the middle bar in the top of the net and caromed out before anyone realized it was in. Selanne knew and raised his arms, but play continued for several minutes without a stoppage. When the play was finally reviewed, Selanne was rightfully awarded his second goal of the game.

Falling behind 3-0 in the game's first four minutes wasn't exactly part of the North American gameplan. Luckily, it didn't take long for the North American stars to respond to the challenge. Just 13 seconds after Selanne made it 3-0, John LeClair barged around Sergei Zubov on right wing and buried a shot between Dominik Hasek's pads to give the North American squad life.

The unit of LeClair, Wayne Gretzky, and Eric Lindros picked up the tempo and carried the momentum for the rest of their shift. Then the line of Mike Modano, Keith Tkachuk, and Theo Fleury came out and dominated, further establishing the North American presence. Fleury created a glorious scoring chance, taking command of the puck behind the net and centering to a wide open Modano in the slot. Mikey Mo got rid of his shot in a hurry, but Hasek caught it in his stomach. A few moments later Joe Sakic, Mark Recchi, and Shayne Corson also had the World team on its heels, forcing Hasek to make a lunging save on Sakic at the left post to deny a sure goal.

It wasn't long before the pressure turned into a power-play chance for the North Americans. Slava Fetisov got called for cross-checking Mark Messier at 10:04. Calling it a cross-check might be a bit strong, but either way it was two minutes for Fetisov. The North Americans made the advantage count when Keith Tkachuk deflected a Chris Chelios point shot between Hasek's pads at 10:50 to make the score 3-2. No one is better in front of the net than Tkachuk. No one. It's a joy to watch him work.

The North Americans would draw even at 18:50 of the first period. Sakic chipped the puck out of the zone to Recchi along the right wing boards. The Colorado captain then exploded past Recchi in the neutral zone and took a return pass. Sakic had plenty of room to take the shot himself as he cruised down the right wing of the World zone, but he slowed up and waited for Scott Niedermayer who was coming late on the left side to create a two- on-one. Sakic made a beautiful saucer pass over the stick of Igor Kravchuk right to Niedermayer's blade and the speedy New Jersey defender one-timed a bullet past Hasek to knot the game at 3-3.

While the World dominated the game's opening minutes, the North Americans controlled the final half of the frame. They ended up outshooting the World 13-7 in the opening 20 minutes.

That dominance carried over into the start of the second period as Fleury gave North America a 4-3 lead at 1:53. The little Calgary sparkplug was working the puck down low with Modano and Tkachuk when the biscuit came free at the left side of the net and two World defenders overskated it. That allowed Theo to step in and sweep it past Olaf Kolzig to the far post.

The World team was clearly shaken. With four unanswered goals against them and the Vancouver crowd getting involved, the once promising start was suddenly in danger of becoming a blowout the other way. Somebody had to do something. Enter Selanne. The Finnish Flash hooked up with his fellow countrymen to produce the prettiest goal of the game. Koivu darted into the North American zone on the right wing and peeled into the middle as he dropped the puck to Jere Lehtinen. The Dallas winger took a few strides down the right side and then fired a pinpoint pass cross ice to Selanne busting backdoor on left wing. The pass and Selanne arrived at the left post at exactly the same time and the game was tied 4-4.

North America came back and threatened to reclaim the lead when Sakic won a puck in the left wing corner and set the table for Amonte standing alone at the top of the left circle. Amonte cranked up a big slapper and went skillet on Kolzig, ripping a shot off his cage. Kolzig was rattled for a second but recovered in time to watch Niedermayer's ensuing shot form the right point deflect into the seats.

The World then got a tremendous scoring chance thanks to some over passing by the North Americans. Modano curled inside the blue line on the right side and sprung Leetch free down the left wing with a nifty cross-ice pass. Leetch was all alone for a shot but tried to center back in front. The pass missed its target and got deflected out of the zone. Kamensky turned on the jets and beat everyone to it, earning himself a clean breakaway on Belfour. The Russian weapon glided in and looked the net over before unsuccessfully trying to split Belfour's pads. The Eagle is the best at showing the five-hole and then taking it away.

Selanne may have just bagged a hat trick in an All-Star Game, but Jari Kurri was still his hero. And at 12:36 of the middle frame, Selanne got to watch his hero put the World team back in front, 5-4. Kurri finished a play started by the cycling of Koivu and Lehtinen by walking down the left wing boards and sneaking a wrist shot under Ed Belfour's glove.

It only took the North Americans 2:10 to answer back. Messier swung behind the world net from right to left and feathered a sweet pass out in front to Chelios who was cheating in from the right point. Kolzig read the play nicely and denied Chelios with a right pad save, but Lindros was camped in front and swatted home the rebound to once again tie the game at 5-5.

Before the World team could collect themselves, Sakic and Tony Amonte teamed up to put North America back in front, 6-5. Sakic carried the puck in on left wing and slowed up a bit to occupy the defenseman and allow Amonte to storm wide. Sakic then floated a real wizard lead pass down low to the Chicago dynamo. With room to operate and in full flight, Amonte rocketed behind the net and attempted to wrap the puck back in front for Sakic. His attempted pass struck the blocker of Kolzig, who was sprawled out on the ice trying to cover the post, and skipped up under the crossbar for the goal.

The World team would catch a break when Fleury got whistled for obstruction at 18:48 of the second. But they couldn't make the power play work in the final minute and the period ended with North America in front 6-5. The North Americans once again outshot their World counterparts in the second period, 17-11.

The third period opened with the World on a power play for 48 seconds, but they just couldn't make anything happen. Just seconds after the penalty expired, Tkachuk found himself a step behind the defense chasing a bouncing puck in front of Phoenix teammate Nikolai Khabibulin. Tkachuk swung at it and of course hit it... that's who he is, that's what he does... but Khabby blocked it and covered. But Tkachuk would get revenge on Khabby a few moments later when Fleury won a faceoff in the World's left circle. Modano chased the puck down along the left wing boards and sent a magnificent pass through the slot to Tkachuk all alone in the right circle. He didn't make a mistake. 7-5 North America.

North America built a seemingly insurmountable lead at 4:00 when Gretzky and Messier combined to give their club an 8-5 advantage. It was a similar play to Amonte's goal, at least at the start. Gretzky carried the puck in over the blue line with Messier on a two-on-two against Kurri and Lidstrom. As Gretzky slowed up and drew Lidstrom's attention, Messier charged to the net with Kurri right on his tail. Gretzky somehow managed to slip a pass down low past Kurri to Messier. The Moose, who was quickly running out of real estate by the time he collected the pass, did what few others could and roofed a backhander short-side over Khabibulin's shoulder. That's not fair.

Messier's goal brought the Vancouver crowd to its feet and kicked the World team in the belly. It didn't look good for the guys with greencards. But this wily pack of foreigners had spunk. They weren't about to give up. At 7:03 they drew within two at 8-6 when Kravchuk crashed the net and knocked the rebound of a Kamensky slap shot past Martin Brodeur. Just 2:41 later, Igor Larionov moved in down the right wing and threw a rather harmless looking shot to the net from the outer half of the circle. Brodeur was in position but Igor's shot somehow found its way through his body and made the game 8-7. Oh yes, that World team had spunk.

With just over 10 minutes left in regulation, the World's comeback was in full force. But the North Americans didn't panic. One of the reasons they stayed calm was that they had Scott Stevens back on defense. El Diablo's captain was a rock on the blue line, busting up several World scoring chances down the stretch. The best came when Mats Sundin tried to orchestrate a two-on-one in tight only to have Stevens knock his attempted pass down and clear the puck to safety.

The World came close to tying it with just under four minutes left in regulation when Ziggy Palffy gained the North American stripe on the left wing, pulled up, and spotted Kurri coming late. Kurri dropped the hammer on a one-timer from the top of the right circle that Brodeur flopped to the ice to stop. The puck slipped behind him and was sitting out in the open when Chelios tried to reach in and tuck the loose biscuit under his netminder. But stuff doesn't always go as planned. Chelios got bumped and he ended up knocking the puck towards the open net, but luckily the pill drew iron and slid behind the cage.

Weight would open the door for the World team at 16:32 when he tripped Selanne at center ice. The World club went with its hot hand and sent out its Finns to work the power play. Selanne, Lehtinen, and Koivu were up front with Kurri and Lidstrom, the lone Swede, at the points. North America countered with Gretzky and Messier up front and Leetch and Chelios on the back line. It was a mismatch. Gretzky, Messier, Leetch, and Chelios dominated the opening portions of the penalty. Not only did they not allow Lidstrom and the Finns a scoring chance, they created two of their own with Messier just missing a short-handed goal after a setup from Gretzky. This foursome set the tone and the North Americans killed the penalty without the World team even getting a sniff of the net.

The North Americans went on to dominate the final minutes of the game. They kept the World team bottled up in their own zone, cycling the puck deep and prohibiting Khabibulin from getting to the bench. There were only 20 seconds left in the game when Khabby was finally able to get off the ice in favor of Bondra. By then it was too late. North America held on for the 8-7 victory, outshooting the World team 43-29 for the game.

Impressive Performances

WORLD

Teemu Selanne (3-0-3): The Finnish Flash was a worthy MVP recipient. He was a dominant force out there.

Saku Koivu (0-3-3): It was a huge game for the Finns. They did a whole lot of world shakin'. Koivu was one of the main reasons why, dancing all over the ice and making plays like a champ.

Jere Lehtinen (0-3-3): The Dallas winger doesn't get much hype, but he's a tremendous all-around player. He rounded out the Finn trio that controlled the flow whenever they were on the ice.

Dominik Hasek (10 saves): Hasek gave up three goals, but he was tested rather mightily over the last half of the first period and made a number of key saves.

NORTH AMERICA

John LeClair (1-0-1): His goal just 13 seconds after Selanne gave the World a 3-0 lead was the turning point in the game. It gave his club life and made a game of it. LeClair also helped turn the contest in North America's favor in the first period with his relentless work on the forecheck.

Wayne Gretzky (0-2-2): The Great One played a pretty strong game, collecting two assists and finishing at a +3. His assist to Messier on the eventual game-winner was, like, nice or somethin'...

Joe Sakic (0-2-2): Joe was all over the place. He probably created more chances than anyone else, he just couldn't finish on any of his team-high seven shots. He was especially active in the second period when he fired six pucks on the World cage.

Keith Tkachuk (2-1-3): The Coyote captain showed off his mad deflection skills in the first when he waved his magic wand and knocked one out of the air past Hasek. Tkachuk is the man when it comes to deflecting pucks. He could make an instructional video and call it "How to Deflect Pucks"... or maybe "Larry"... Larry's always a good name.

Theo Fleury (1-2-3): The li'l fella was his usual scrappy self. Theo's never just along for the ride. He makes an impact.

Mike Modano (0-2-2): Modano teamed up with Fleury and Tkachuk to create North America's most dangerous line.

Wacky Game Fact

Ken Hitchcock was behind the World bench and lost yet another All-Star game. The Dallas head coach is 0-11 in All-Star games over the course of his coaching career. That'll suck...

Lines

World: Hitchcock was extremely clever with his lines, creating trios for each country involved. Selanne, Lehtinen, Koivu, and Kurri rotated on a Finnish line; Jagr, Holik, Bondra, and Palffy on a Czech Republic/Slovakia line; Alfredsson, Forsberg, and Sundin manned a Swedish unit; and Kamensky, Larionov, and Bure comprised a Russian triumvirate. The defensive pairings were a bit more flexible, but Kravchuk and Fetisov skated together, as did Lidstrom and Mironov, and Ozolinsh and Zubov.

North America: The North American lines weren't quite as steady. Modano, Tkachuk, and Fleury stayed together the whole time. Sakic, Recchi, and Corson started out together, but Corson only played a few shifts because of a sore groin muscle and was often replaced by Messier. Gretzky played the majority of the time with Lindros and LeClair, although he did see time with Messier. That left Weight between Shanahan and Amonte. On defense, Niedermayer and Bourque were together a lot, Leetch skated with Chelios, and Stevens and MacInnis were a pretty regular pair. Darryl Sydor filled in when needed.

Closing Thoughts

The game was pretty good. It could have been better. While there were some exciting moments, overall it seemed like the guys didn't really care who won. It wasn't that they weren't trying, it's just that the things they were trying were stupid. It just wasn't good hockey. Guys were over passing and forcing plays at the blue line. There were a ridiculous amount of turnovers. At times play was as ugly as homemade shoes. And the game lacked that one defining moment, like Owen Nolan last year going head- to-head with Hasek. Rating the game on a scale of 24 to 32, with 32 being the highest, I'd give it a 28.

January 18, 1998

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