Let the All-Stars shine

"There are so many skilled players, you'll see a lot of freewheeling," Montreal wing Shayne Corson, a member of the North American team, said Friday. "But I've got a feeling it's going to be a little different. There's a bit of a rivalry already because of the international theme."

New format or not, the All-Star game still figures to be goalies' nightmare with wide-open play and lot of scoring.

"Fans like scoring and we like to score," said Chicago's Tony Amonte, who will play for North America. "The Blackhawks emphasize defense so much, heck, every team does nowadays, that this is the one time all season where you can think about offense."

At the break, the league is averaging 5.28 goals per game. That is on pace for the lowest-scoring season in 42 years. Reasons for the decline in scoring ranging from rules favoring the goalies to thinning of talent through expansion. However, the NHL's commisioner Gary Bettman isn't worried.

"What we're trying to do is build the game, make it stronger and make sure that we're run in a way that maximizes our potential." Bettman said. "We had some franchise transfers and ownership issues, and I think our franchises have never been stronger. Our footprint has never been stronger."