the author of this critique appears to be the one with excessive time on his hands.

The person behind the project has several good reasons listed as to why Rory deserves a spot at the all star game. IE: he is a true blue collar workman, does his job quietly yet effectively, etc…

A few things to consider: I believe that the fans can only vote for the starting lineups at the all star game. The rest of the rosters are not taken from the fan polls, but are decided by the league or GMs or something. I like fan voting in this scale. It provides a feeling of involvement for the fans. In particular, if Rory gets in.

Moreover, he would NOT be an all star, even though he would be playing in the all star game. Nobody playing in that game would be, ...yet. To be an ‘all star’ one must be named to the first or second team all stars at the end of the season, and this is done by the NHL. The all star game is meant to be fan interactive, lighthearted, and an enjoyable showcase of skills. A showcase that contains what the fans want to see. Flash players will be voted in and put in by the nhl. Some fans, it seems, want to see Rory’s skill set: grinding out a living in the corners, blocking shots, and taking the body.

Andy

grinding out a living in the corners, blocking shots, and taking the body.

what a showcase.  i can barely contain my excitement.

Hey Jim, here’s a thought, how about YOU get a life and write about something worthwhile if you don’t like this campaign and agree with it?  You should be asking yourself what the bigger joke is, the fact that Rory Fitzpatrick has a lot of backing from people or the fact that people like you are so quick to judge something like this without actually trying to educate yourself as to what it’s about.  And just to let you know, I have a full time job and voted numerous times this weekend, you know, there are things in life that people like to call “days off.”

Instead of wasting money going to a bar and getting drunk or staring at the TV for 5 hours a day, I chose to vote for Rory.  Surely people can spare a half hour here or there to sit and vote. 

If anything, the NHL should be loving this campaign as it’s actually got people talking and discussing the All-Star Game, when’s the last time that’s ever happened?  Perhaps you should write about what a joke it is that Martin Havlat has as many votes as he does, yet if he gets voted in by the fans is that going to fuel controversy? 

Are people really going to care if Mathieu Schneider or Lubomir Visnovsky don’t play at the All-Star Game?  How many viewers would have been tuning int to see those two anyway?  The fact is, Rory getting in may actually INCREASE the TV Ratings.  Besides, the Western Conference starting six will still include Scott Niedermayer, Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Pronger, Dion Phaneuf and Sergei Zubov, is that really a problem?  Plus, with others there like Crosby, Jagr, Hossa, Kovalchuk, Iginla, Ovechkin, Malkin, Thornton etc. there’s still going to be more than enough superstar talent to excite the crowd at the arena and on TV, but according to some, the inclusion of ONE PLAYER suddenly makes the game a joke and no longer an All-Star Game. 

Bottom line, nobody cares about the game in the frst place and I highly doubt that members of the media such as yourself would never give this much time and energy to talk about something so trivial and boring if this campaign never got started.  If it helps to create interest in the game and gives people a sense of achievment if Rory gets in and they turn on their TVs as a result, how is that bad?  Stick to writing about stuff you know instead of trashing stuff you don’t.