84-Game Schedule and All-Star Game Memories

When Pierre LeBrun talked about there being the possibility of an 84-game schedule and fewer preseason games. I was all for that. The Stanley Cup dates would be moved up as well as the start of the season. That would be in September. All of these things would be a welcomed change and I hope this happens.

The part when they said there might not be an All-Star Game in 2026 left me conflicted. One of the best that I ever covered was in 2009 when it was in Montreal. It was the league’s 57th. This was the new "Russian Five". It wasn’t the original cast, it was Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Alexei Kovalev, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Andrei Markov. This photo was a moment in time. A snapshot of a bunch of proud Russian players. 

As far as the game, it was fantastic. The Canadiens always do a great job with the pre-game festivities and they were memorable. There was that Cirque du Soleil feel. Seeing the player introductions is always a highlight of the game. Has the game changed? Yes, and a lot of fans probably don’t like it but I think younger fans still like it because they see all the stars in one game and that’s still a fun feeling for them at the very least.

Changes are inevitable and this schedule would balance things out. I can see all of these things happening and if it happens, it happens, the league is still great and that’s what matters in the end.