Favorite All Star Memories

First of all, I hate the NHL's version of it right now. Is it really this bad or is it because I'm not a kid anymore?  When I was growing up I used to look forward to this game every year. Hopefully this year the Player Draft will make it entertaining. In the spirit of the All Star Game comming up in Raleigh I want to see what everyones favorite memories have been from the past.

Listening to John Garrett make his claim to fame (Damn that Gretzky if only he hadn't scored 4 goals in the third period of the 1983 All Star Game I would've been the MVP!). Its actually a pretty funny story unless your name is John Garrett.

John Garrett was involved in one of the oddest scenarios in the history of the NHL All Star Game.  Replacing an injured Richard Brodeur, the Vancouver Canucks only representative at the 1983 All Star Game that year, John Garrett was voted the game's MVP.  After Wayne Gretzky scored four times in the last ten minutes, a re-vote was held and Gretzky was named the All-Star Game MVP.

1993 and 2009 Montreal - In 1993 the entire weekend belonged to Washington's Al Iafrate for setting a new record of 105.2 mph. Then sixteen years later again in Montreal the Big Z breaks Iafrate's record. It's been awhile since I heard a Bruin receive a standing ovation in Montreal. Which is why I think the best fans in hockey come from Montreal. Also it seemed like Russia invaded Montreal on that weekend. Starting with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin taking over the first ever Skills Shootout. One of the most loved Canadians Alex Kovalev (not a typo they love him in Monteal like teens like the Twilight Series) goes on to capture the MVP. Who would've thought that Kovalev would excell in a game where you don't have to try?

1996 Boston - The fans in Beantown know how to celebrate their Legends. If you don't know what I'm talking about then go back and listen to the intro that Ray Bourque gets when he comes on to the ice. Then Bourque goes on to score the winning goal with 37 seconds left.

1997 San Jose - Sharks captain Owen Nolan scores a hat trick on home ice. The best part was when he skated down the wing and pointed where he was putting the puck before scoring. Domink Hasek didn't know what to do after that. Also I noticed that there was a glowing puck when I watched these highlights. We'll save that for another blog some other day.

2003 Florida - I remember getting up off the couch when I saw Dany Heatley make future Hall Of Famer Rob Blake look like a pylon scoring his first goal of the game. Heatley would go on to score four goals in the game. And here Jeremy Roenick make fun of the gap between his teeth. Yah its pretty bad but he can't touch Bobby Clarke I was thinking to myself.

Lets not forget this is the first time the NHL would use the Shootout in an All Star game. Two years later the NHL made it a part of the Regular Season. Also the West won in a shootout and Heatley scored the only shootout goal for the East and walked away with MVP honours.

Who wins this battle?