Sh toMrs. We need to re-think the all-star game ne mee qT very year at about the midway point of the hockey season, the NHL plays their annual all-star game. The format consists of the best from the Western Conference squaring off against the top players residing in the East. Unfortunately, however, almost every year, the NHL all-star game turns out to be a dud. Despite the best hockey talent displayed in a single game, there is absolutely zero emotion, which is what hockey thrives on. The stars have nothing to play for and so it becomes a high-priced game of shinny every year without fail. There’s no defense to speak of and the best goalies in the world get lit up like Christmas trees. Sure, the offensive wizardry put on display by guys like Alexander Ovechkin is dazzling, but there isn’t too much to get out of a 12-11 game where everyone skates at half speed and checking is a foreign word. The skills competition, which precedes the game, is the best part of the all-star weekend. That’s where the true talent and ability of the world’s best come out in force and the fans get their money’s worth. The all-star game conundrum has been talked about and re-hashed more than the presidential election, but the fact remains that if Gary Bettman and the NHL want the all-star game to be at all relevant, something needs to change. Proposals have been floated around to alter the format where it becomes the under-27-year-olds against the over-27- year-olds or back to the old North America versus Europe layout. Those ideas don’t solve the problem of putting any sort of reason to play into the game, though. I have two ideas that would spice up the game and get everyone excited about it. The first is to have the defending Stanley Cup Champions, which this year 16 would have been the Detroit Red Wings, take on an all-star cast from the rest of the league. That’s how it was done from the 1940s up until the late ‘60s. It becomes a great honor for the Stanley Cup winners and also gives the rest of the league’s best a crack at the champions. Like it is currently done, the game would rotate between NHL cities each year. The second method is a bit more radical but would be much more exciting than anything else the NHL could cook up. The NHL continues with its all-star weekend like they always do, but instead of having a single game, have a mini- tournament between the divisions. There are six divisions in the league with five teams in each one. Have all-star squads from each division compete in a round- robin system on the Saturday with the final game on Sunday. All the teams from the winning division get home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. If two teams from the same division end up facing each other then it reverts back to the current points system. That would sure give the players an incentive to try hard and it would also allow fans to see more players from different parts of the league. Like always, it would switch cities every year. Now, this would be tough to get teams to agree to, but it would be awesome for the fans. Teams like Detroit would rather relocate to Florida than go through with this because it would punish them for winning so much. They play in a weak Central division against struggling teams like Nashville and Columbus most of the time. The argument could be made, though, that that is the price they would have to pay for racking up such easy points. Either way, something has to be done. In principle, the all-star game is a fantastic .idea and a great showcase for the league, but every year it turns out to be much bigger hype than it’s worth. Giant’s winger breaks team record By Garth McLennan, Sports Editor he Vancouver Giants have a new star in town. Left winger Casey Pierro-Zabotel has set a new mark for points in a single season when he notched an assist, and his 88" point of the year, in his 49" game against the Medicine Hat Tigers last Wednesday. The Giants went on to win 4-3. Pierro-Zabotel picked up his historic helper on a goal by winger Craig Cunningham. Pierro-Zabotel surpasses former Giant star Gilbert Brule, who previously held the distinction when he posted 87 points in 70 games back in 2004-05. Pierro-Zabotel, who is in his final WHL season playing as an overage 20-year-old, has put up 27 goals and 61 assists. He’s been a star for Vancouver all year as he’s only been blanked on the score sheet five times all season. While Brule, who was drafted sixth overall to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2005 and is now a member of the Edmonton Oilers organization, was a hard-to-the-net power forward, Pierro-Zabotel is a slick playmaker with sublime passing skills. Breaking the Giants single- season point record isn’t the only high Pierro-Zabotel is going through this season. His 88 points are good enough to lead the entire Western Hockey League in scoring and his 61 assists also lead the loop by an astounding 13. In fact, Pierro- Zabotel’s assist totals have already set a team record earlier in the season. They broke former Giant Darren Lynch's record of 53 that was set way back in the team’s inaugural campaign in 2002-03. _Pierro-Zabotel,whoisa prospect in the Pittsburgh Penguins system via the 2007 entry draft when he was selected in the third:round, 80" overall by the Penguins, is also leading the WHL in plus/minus. He’s proven that he is a phenomenal player defensively as well as offensively with a terrific +53 rating so far. This is only Pierro-Zabotel’s second season with the Giants and, unfortunately, his last, but his \ improvement has been meteoric. Last season, he netted 49 points in 48 games while scoring 19 goals and was a +19. His development has skyrocketed and so has his place on the Penguin’s depth charts. .The Giants are rolling on the strength of Pierro-Zabotel and the Giants’ other young superstar and projected top-five draft pick Evander Kane. They have been among the league leaders all season long and Pierro-Zabotel has a very real chance of capping off his'dream season with a national championship Memorial Cup at the end of the year.