2018 NHL All-Star Game: Brian Boyle replaces Taylor Hall on roster

Though New Jersey Devils forward Taylor Hall won’t be at the 2018 NHL All-Star Game due to injury, teammate Brian Boyle will replace him.

New Jersey Devils forward Taylor Hall is pretty darn good at the NHL All-Star Game. He’s been a part of the past two rosters to win the three-on-three tournament. So naturally, people were excited he was named to the initial Metropolitan Division roster. But thanks to a recent injury, Hall won’t be able to attend.

However, this is a blessing in disguise because his teammate Brian Boyle will replace him.

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For those who don’t know, Boyle recently had leukemia. He overcame it and has been a huge inspiration to a lot of people. It isn’t quite the Disney script of Mario Lemieux overcoming non-Hodgkins lymphoma to win the Art Ross, but this is about as close as you’re going to get to that magic.

On paper, Boyle has pretty good stats. Through 38 games, he has 17 points, including 11 goals. Considering he gets just over 14 minutes of playing time per game, that’s not too shabby.

But sometimes, stats aren’t all that matter. Boyle has shown a ton of heart and dedication in fighting through leukemia. The NHL’s premier event needs a few awesome stories. Boyle’s deserves to be shared.

For those who might question if he’s a deserving All-Star, let me issue my rebuttal. First of all, does it really matter? No. Worst case scenario, Boyle doesn’t help his division win an exhibition tournament. Best case scenario? The NHL accidentally stumbles upon the John Scott situation again. And with arguably an even more unlikely hero.

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It’s usually not a good idea to pump athletes up as heroes. They’re human like everyone else. But Boyle’s one of the few guys worth looking up to in professional sports. He’s been an inspiration to many and his story deserves to be told. The All-Star Game provides a very unique and special platform for his incredible story to be heard.