Do Fans Care More About Player Selections Than All-Star Game Itself?

Some even pointed out that if not TK than Hart would have even made more sense than Hayes. Why would the organization choose Hayes over TK (or Hart) when the two have been far more consistent this season than Hayes, and neither was "healthy scratched" by their head coach? The decision seems to make very little sense on the surface.

After the All-Star announcement was made, the media made it a point to bring up the issue to John Tortorella during his post-game press conference. As usual, Tortorella didn't hold back his feeling on the topic, telling reporters he doesn't pay attention to any of the All-Star game weekend festivities.

The fans outrage over the "Hayes instead of Konecny (or Hart)" selection would make you believe that fans actually have a vested interest in the game, but truth be told, there's a good chance most share Tortorella's sentiments on the game and the entire weekend. As The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun pointed out, while his view is similar to Tortorella's, many children like the game and the weekend festivities, and that's one of the biggest reasons(if not the top reason) the All-Star game is still even a thing: to attract the younger crowd; perhaps even create future stars if the kids enjoy it enough to try the game out for themselves.

Every thing about the All-Star game is a gimmick, but it's designed that way for a reason. While most of us believe Konecny is the All-Star, and it's hard to deny that he is, the All-Star game doesn't truly mean anything, and there is still a chance Konecny will get to play along side Hayes in the game; all he needs is for the fans to vote him in. Perhaps the Flyers higher ups that made the decision knew Konecny had a better chance of making it into the game via fan vote than Hayes did, and that played into their decision. Maybe there's a "bigger picture" reason for their decision(only time may tell on this). Either way, Hayes will be in South Florida, and Konecny still has a chance to join him, if the fans really want him to.