First of all, what was the NHL thinking with that poster? The 2018 All-Star Weekend is in Tampa Bay and yet neither of the Lighting’s star forwards Stamkos or Kucherov, who are lighting up the league this season, are anywhere to be seen.
When will the obsession with Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks end?
Anyway, it’s already that time of year again. You know Christmas must be close when the voting opens up to decide the four division captains representing the Pacific, Central, Metro, and Atlantic divisions.
Voting is done via NHL.com, and by that we mean once again you’re able to spam their ballot box with up to ten votes every 24 hours until New Year’s Day.
The option is there for fans to make different selections in each of those ten ballots, but these are the four players that Team Puck Yeah want to see in the NHL’s spotlight that weekend.
JOE’S PICKS
Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers – Pacific division):
The NHL would be stupid not to make McDavid the captain and then American fans might be able see him play for once.
John Tavares (NY Islanders – Metro division):
Garth Snow will be sending bribes Gary Bettman’s way in order to keep JT as happy as he possibly can be in order to convince him to stay in Brooklyn/Long Island.
Alex Pietrangelo (St. Louis Blues – Central division):
He won’t win a Norris this year even though he probably should, so at least give him some recognition.
Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning – Atlantic division):
How can you not make the captain of the team hosting the All-Star game the captain of one of the teams? Well it is the NHL so it’s possible.
LOGAN’S PICKS
Drew Doughty (LA Kings – Pacific division):
A mic’d up Drew Doughty is my favourite version of Drew Doughty. It’s not all about the slick flow or the trademark missing teeth with him, he can also dish out a few good chirps. The NHL needs to bring out the personalities of its players more and the Kings number one d-man has loads of personality.
Phil Kessel (Pittsburgh Penguins – Metro division):
Sure, you could pick Crosby, but that’s a little obvious isn’t it? Picking Kessel for captain purely comes from wanting to see more great footage of Phil being a Thrill. 81 doesn’t ball as hard as he thinks he does, but that doesn’t matter out on the ice – Kessel could dominate the weekend with his antics.
P.K. Subban (Nashville Predators – Central division):
Speaking of bringing out the best NHL personalities… P.K. Subban might piss off the purists but the man knows how to have fun, which is exactly what the All-Star Weekend needs. If he’s having a good time, his team will too.
Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs – Atlantic division):
Touted by many as the next captain of the Maple Leafs, why not get in some practice early? He knows how to have fun, yet his stoic demeanour is ideal for a leader. If you get under his skin, he won’t show it, instead he’ll get busy by filling your net with pucks and feel damn good about it.
So there you have it, that’s the Puck Yeah picks for the 2018 NHL All-Star captains.
Let us know who you would pick and remember, you can spam the NHL by voting up to ten times every day, so do your worst to help get your favourite players to Tampa Bay.
