After a one-year hiatus due to the Winter Olympics, the NHL All-Star Game returns in January with a completely new format. The NHL Players’ Association and NHL VP of Hockey and Business Development Brendan Shanahan have announced that this year’s festivities in Raleigh, N.C. will feature all-star teams not representative of the Eastern and Western conferences, but instead feature two squads hand-picked by a pair of captains, not dissimilar from how children select teams for games on residential streets before dinner.

Fans will vote for six starters, regardless of conference alliance and the NHL will select the remaining 36 players. The 42 all-stars will then hand pick two captains who will turn and draft their teams – consisting each of 12 forwards, six blue liners and three goalies – in any order they choose. The draft will take place on Jan. 28, two days before the game itself. The way the draft goes will apparently also affect other events during the weekend.

It’s certainly a unique approach to an all-star game, but whether or not it’s appropriate is certainly up to debate. First of all, how do you pick a team to cheer for? You could follow your home team’s representative, but what if your team has two or more selections on opposing sides? Secondly, what do you call the teams? Do you name them after the captain, or just call them Teams A and B? Third, how will the teams gel together on such short notice of their assignments?

Sadly in the end, it will probably still be a game where 42 players will cooperatively fall short of creating something competitive and compelling to watch. One team will put a bunch of pucks in the net and then ease up while the other team makes the inevitable “comeback” for the benefit of ratings. Nobody wants to watch a blowout. The thing that will make the most headlines is not the outcome of the game, but instead who the unlucky guy is who gets picked last.