NHL players were 'uncomfortable' with All-Star fantasy draft

With the NHL announcing its surprising new format for the 2016 All-Star Game, involving a 3-on-3 mini-tournament, Mathieu Schneider of the NHLPA discussed what went wrong with the fantasy draft format used at the last three All-Star Games.

"I think the concept was neat. In the beginning," said Schneider, the special assistant to the executive director of the NHLPA. "But it was a couple things: Players generally feel uncomfortable. They felt like they had to entertain. It's not really what they do, and they felt uncomfortable out there.

"But the second thing was that there was always a concern about the bottom picks, you know? We got our best guys in the world up there, and someone's always going to get embarrassed, no matter what you do for them. And at the end of the day, he's an All-Star. He's one of the best players in the game. Why would we want to do this? It's tough to reconcile with some of the players."

Schneider, a two-time All-Star during his 20-year NHL career, added that the game was viewed as "more as a chore" than an honor among players.

With the new format, Schneider hopes that three lines rolling at high-tempo for a maximum of 40 minutes will be enough to add some enthusiasm among the players - along with the $1 million payout for the winning team.

"Oh yeah. There's no question (that helps)," said Schneider.

The 2016 NHL All-Star Game will take place Jan. 30 in Nashville.

- With h/t to Puck Daddy