The Early All-Star Benefit Games

The NHL All-Star Game began as a result of a near-death experience, a violent attack that remains one of the more infamous incidents in hockey history.

The Boston Bruins were playing the Toronto Maple Leafs on December 12, 1933, when Bruins' defenseman Eddie Shore went after Leafs' forward Irvine "Ace" Bailey.

Shore, known for his rough play and violent temper, had been checked by another Toronto player.

He responded by charging towards Bailey and kicking the skates from under him (a "slew foot").

Bailey crashed head-first to the ice, fracturing his skull. In the days to come he would require two brain operations, and it was uncertain whether he would survive.

Bailey eventually recovered, but his hockey career was finished after seven NHL seasons.

As a benefit for Bailey and his family, the NHL decided to hold an exhibition game a few weeks later.

On February 14, 1934, the Stanley Cup champion Maple Leafs hosted a team of "All-Stars" gathered from the remaining teams in the NHL.

Ace Bailey was on hand, and his pregame handshake with Eddie Shore became one of the iconic photos of the NHL's "Original Six" era.

Bailey's Maple Leafs went on to beat the All-Stars, 7-4.

The second NHL All-Star Game was played in 1937, in honor of Howie Morenz.

The Montreal Canadiens' legend had died suddenly the previous season, a few weeks after fracturing his leg during a game against Chicago.

On November 2, 1937, in Montreal Canadiens hosted the NHL All-Stars, with the All-Star team winning 6-5.

It was another two years before the NHL All-Star Game returned, and it took another tragedy to bring it about.

Albert "Babe" Siebert, former NHL star and newly-appointed coach of the Montreal Canadiens, had drowned during the 1939 off-season.

The third All-Star exhibition was known as the Babe Siebert Memorial Game, with the All-Stars defeating Montreal 5-2.

NHL All-Star Game Goes Annual

The NHL All-Star Game was adopted by the league as an annual event in 1947.

As in the benefit games of the 1930s, with the Stanley Cup Champions hosted the game every season, playing against a roster gathered from the other five NHL teams.

The exceptions were In 1951 and 1952, when the league tried a different format for making teams.

During those seasons, the First All-Star Team (drawn primarily from American-based franchises) played the Second All-Star Team (drawn primarily from Canadian-based franchises.

The idea was abandoned after two years. The champs-versus-the-rest format returned, and continued until the 1968-69 season.

Over the history of that format, the league All-Stars hold a slight edge, with 12 wins, 9 losses, and 2 ties.

The game was scheduled as a preseason exhibition until the 1966-67 season, when the midseason "All-Star break" was introduced.

The All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award was introduced in 1962.

The First East-West Games

The NHL doubled in size in 1967-68, becoming a 12-team league split into two divisions.

That led to a new All-Star format in 1968-69, with the East and West Division All-Stars facing off.

It was also the first time All-Stars were paid, with players on the winning team getting $500 each and the losers taking home $250 each.

The Conference All-Star Games

Further expansion split the NHL into two conferences, with the Wales Conference-versus-Campbell Conference All-Star Game beginning in 1975.

That format continued after the conferences were renamed Western and Eastern in 1993.

The Soviet Visits of 1979 and 1987

With international hockey growing more popular, the Conference All-Star Games were twice replaced by exhibitions that capitalized on the rivalry between Canada and the Soviet Union.

The Challenge Cup was a three-game series played in New York in February of 1979. The NHL All-Stars (including non-Canadian players) won the opening game 4-2, and had a two-goal lead halfway through game two.

But the Soviets stormed back, winning the second game 5-4 and thoroughly dominating the NHL team with a 6-0 win in game three.

Rendezvous '87 was a two-game series played in Quebec City in February 1987. Again, the NHL roster included non-Canadians, with players from Finland, Sweden, and the USA.

The NHL team scored a 4-3 victory in game one. The Soviets won the second game, 5-3.

The International All-Star Games

In 1998, with NHL players committed to play in the Winter Olympics for the first time ever, the league capitalized on the international hype by having the North American All-Stars play against the World team.

The international matches continued for five years, until the Eastern-Western Conference format returned in 2003.

The "Fantasy Draft" All-Star Games

For the 2010-11 season, the NHL All-Star Game underwent a radical makeover, with the introduction of a "fantasy draft."

The NHL assigned two captains, who picked rosters from the pool of players invited to the game.

For 2011, the first year using the format, the captains were Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and center Eric Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes (host team for the game).

The first player selected in the draft was Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward. The final pick was Maple Leafs winger Phil Kessel.

Team Lidstrom won the game 11-10.

The Skills Competition and Other All-Star Add-Ons

In 1990, the NHL All-Star weekend was expanded to include the "Superskills" Competition, with selected players competing in a series of events like hardest shot, fastest skater, and the shootout.

From 2002 to 2008, the league also invited rookies to play in an abbreviated "Young Stars" game.