Ribeiro robbed, Murray to ALL STAR game...

[Habby1197]

With Hossa out, Ribs had a chance to go... they took Murray instead....

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=71203

[puck7x]

More All-Star game news...

- Another Senator , Wade Redden will not be able to play in the game (flu) and Pavel Kubina will replace him , McCabe was supposed to replace him , but he's nursing an injured nose...

- Matt Stajan added to East young stars , replaces injured Garnett Exelby.

[Bonavistaman11]

I think Ribs should have been there as well...

but it makes more sense to replace a right winger with another Right Winger.

As for Centers, Ribs should be there before both Messier and Primeau.

:ghg:

[dlbalr]

It has already been mentionned that it's a good idea to replace a RW with a RW (Murray for Hossa), makes sense to me...Also, the Eastern Conference already has 6 centres, so there's no need for a 7th.

As for the comments regarding Messier and Primeau, let me begin by talking about Messier, He, despite being a 4th liner, produces at the rate of a marginal 2nd or above average 3rd liner. Hardly an all-star in that right, correct? True, however, this is a sympathetic pick based on his services to the NHL throughout his career, one of these per season isn't that bad of a deal IMO. My guess, Bettman had a part in this selection...

As for Primeau, guess what, I'm actually going to support this pick. Why? Simply for one reason, this: The players in the All-Star game are, in a sense, supposed to be the most valuable players of their respective teams. Many around the league feel that Primeau has a chance of winning the Selke trophy; anyone who is receiving consideration for an award should be considered for the All-Star game. The same would be the case for Mattias Norstrom of LA. Neither of them are offensive powerhouses, but play vital roles in the success of their team. Calling them "stars" may be going a bit high, but they are both valuable to their teams in their own right. The All-Star game is said to feature the top players in the National Hockey League, nowhere does that statement say "The top OFFENSIVE players in the NHL. This would be my guess as to why these players were selected.

Now for my final opinion, which actually deals with the Habs. If you take a look at the All-Star and Young Stars game rosters, you should notice that only one team has more than 3 representatives in the 2 games combined. That team is New Jersey, the defending Cup champions. All the rest have 3 or less. How many do the Habs have? That's right, 3, the "unofficial" limit, so that all teams can be represented in the games. My guess for why New Jersey has 4? Simple, it's merely an award for being the champions.

Of course, the above likely isn't a reason as to why Ribeiro wasn't chosen, however it should be noted. To say that he was robbed is a bit of an overstatement, considering some of the other talents that are not participating. Examples: Peter Forsberg and Marc Savard, the 2 players with the highest points-per-game averages in the entire NHL. Despite this, they weren't selected. I rank Ribeiro below both of these players in terms of offensive capabilities, and overall two-way play. I would choose either of those 2 before Mike in a game like this anyday (well, at least for now anyways). Don't take this the wrong way, I think Ribeiro had a legitimate shot at going to Minnesota, and I'm sure he was given his due consideration by the coaching staff/NHL. So he didn't make it, oh well, there's always next year and the ones proceeding that. If he's as good as some on this, and other boards, claim he is, than this will not be an issue in the seasons to come.

Let's just enjoy the game itself with the Hab content there is, I'm sure those going are more than happy to be there, and those at home/on vacation will be happy to get the time off, they've deserved it. The YoungStars game and Skills competition are tomorrow, let's see if Souray can win the hardest shot contest!