No 
driving today… today I was a fan. After relaxing with the family all day, we headed down to Philips Arena for the Skills Competition and Young Stars game.
We got another look at the 2008 Dodge Challenger. It was the same car from last night, but there was light… and a crowd. The second best news of the evening was that my son LOVED it… I knew he had good genes. The Challengers will be rolling off of the line in May, and can be ordered in April, although most dealers are taking deposits. These things are hot.
Dodge is the title sponsor for the skills competition.
Yesterday, the Atlanta Journal Constitution had some “not nice” things to say about the NHL All Star Game. 
They have pulled the article behind the “gotta pay for it” curtain. The highlights were that the MLB and NBA All-Star games will have a higher economic impact than the NHL All-Star game. They also mentioned that there were more hotel rooms dedicated to the Poultry Convention than the NHL ASG. But, while saying all of this, I think there is something that isn’t being accounted for… as many as 2/3rds of the fans were local. They didn’t get hotel rooms, because they live here.
Looking around at the crowd in the event, at least half of the jerseys were from the Thrashers. Let’s face it, people aren’t coming in from Montreal and New Jersey to wear Thrasher’s jerseys… but they are wearing Oiler’s and Lightning jerseys and coming from Lilburn and Marietta. So, I know that the number of hotel rooms doesn’t tell the story. I also know that the AJC won’t report on the economic impact if they are wrong and the numbers come in high. 
So, what about the event?
It rocked. The 3 on 3 Young Stars competition was a hoot . These kids knocked out some goals. 13 goals in 12 minutes of play. Two of them had been passengers in my van from the airport. It was fun to watch them.
The skills were exciting as the Eastern team dominated. Despite the AJC reporting LeCavalier winning the hardest shot, Chara actually did the feat… 103.1 mph. It was quite exciting watching the shootout, obstacle course and other events. Even Garrett was cheering for Hossa and Kovy.
So far it has been a great event. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and driving again.
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