The NHL : A New Format for Next Season’s All-Star Game Is Considered

Don’t be surprised if the National Hockey League changes its format for the All-Star game next season.

There have been reports that the NHL will expand the All-Star break from two days to a week beginning next season, when the game is played in Quebec City.

There is also speculation that there will be an exhibition game between NHL stars and a team from the Soviet Union before the All-Star game.

The NHL governors discussed changing the All-Star format in a meeting here before Tuesday night’s 38th All-Star game. But NHL President John Ziegler would not say what, if anything, had been decided.

“I’ll have no comment until we meet again on Wednesday,” Ziegler said.

Ziegler did say that the board had tabled a proposal to move the Pittsburgh Penguins from the Patrick Division to the Norris Division until June.

Paul Martha, the Penguins’ executive vice president, said that he expects to have enough support to switch divisions.

The Penguins want to switch because they believe they would have an easier chance of making the playoffs, since the Norris Division isn’t as strong as the Patrick Division.

The NHL owners also met with the NHL Players Assn. Tuesday morning to set up ground rules for the negotiation of a new collective bargaining agreement.

The current collective bargaining agreement, signed in 1979, will expire next September, and the players say that they will strike unless the compensation rules for free agency are relaxed.

“The owners will say that there has always been free agency, but there really hasn’t been any player movement since the agreement was signed,” said All-Star defenseman Kevin Lowe of the Edmonton Oilers. “They are going to have to come a long way or else there’s going to be a strike.”

King center Marcel Dionne, a senior vice president for the Players Assn., said that the contract talks with the owners will be held this summer in Toronto.

Dionne is a member of the NHLPA’s eight-man bargaining committee.

“ Strike is a word that nobody wants to hear,” Dionne said. “But when we signed the last collective bargaining agreement, there were lots of teams in trouble. And now the league is in good shape, so we’d like our share.”

Ziegler would not comment on the possibility of a strike.

The NHL All-Stars were supposed to participate in a skills competition during Tuesday morning’s practice.

The competition was called off, however, because of equipment problems. A speed gun that was going to be used to measure the fastest slap shot reportedly malfunctioned, as did a clock that was going to be used to determine the fastest skater.

That was the official NHL line, anyway.

There were reports, however, that players’ union balked at the skills competition because it was concerned about injuries and that some players balked because they were concerned about embarrassment.

“The first we were told about (the skills competition) was when we got here Monday,” said Dave Taylor, the only King in the All-Star game.

Although the skills contest was canceled, there was a penalty-shot competition in which the Wales Conference defeated the Campbell Conference, 8-6.

The highlight of the shootout occurred when Gretzky fanned on his shot, but the puck hit the post and went into the net anyway.

“Wayne wasn’t definitely not trying to score,” said Gus Baldi, Gretzky’s agent.

How’s that, again, Gus?

The Hartford Whalers took time out from their role as host team for the All-Star game to make a trade with the Chicago Black Hawks.

The Whalers got center Bill Gardner for future considerations, either a player to be named later or a draft pick.

The Whalers have lost four straight games, most recently an embarrassing 5-4 decision Sunday to the Washington Capitals. The Whalers had led at one point, 4-0.

Gardner had 27 goals in 1983-84 and 17 last season. He hasn’t played much this season, though, and has just three goals.