NHL, NHLPA Cook Up 11-Game All-Star Weekend Shakeup

The NHL and NHLPA have spent serious brainpower on a new All-Star weekend format, and that usually means the league thinks the old playbook has gotten stale. This one is built around 11 games, which tells you they are trying to create something with more rhythm, more pressure, and less of the all-star exhibition fog that fans have learned to shrug at. When the league and the players’ union both invest this much effort, there is usually a bigger message tucked underneath the sizzle.