When SB Nation offered to apply for a credential for the all-star game this year, I didn't know what to expect from the league.

Would they turn down a blogger given this is one of the NHL's biggest media events of the year? Or would there be some sort of auxiliary press box, deep beneath the seats, where the "lesser" media could still cover the game?

As it turns out, the Bell Centre's well-equipped to deal with issues like this. There are more than 300 seats in the massive press box encircling the rink, and few offer a worse view than my No. 162:

Near darkness, no television monitor to watch the action, a scoreboard obstructed by lights and players the size of ants. Not to mention the fact a large portion of the ice surface wasn't visible from my little black stool at the far end of the rink.

Not that I'm complaining — far from it. Given I was there for (a) the access to players and (b) the experience, this spot suited me just fine. It is worth noting, however, that the experience of "blogging" from the press box is quite a bit different than covering an event as a reporter from The Globe and Mail.

All sections of the press box are not created equal, and at the all-star game, it was the 100 to 175 spots that seemed to be the worst. Prior to that, there were padded chairs, televisions for almost every writer and, most notably, a much better view.

Now, I haven't had the pleasure of working an all-star game for the newspaper, but in covering other big games involving the Leafs, Blue Jays, Argos or whoever, there has always been one of the best seats in the box. Given my perch on the weekend, even if I hadn't run into the issues with my laptop, live blogging the all-star festivities would have been difficult. During Sunday's game, I often couldn't see the score, and without the benefit of replays most of the time, I ended up missing quite a few goals.

The good news is that, down seven floors and next to the teams' dressing rooms, the arena had a massive media work centre set up, and from there you could watch the CBC feed of the game and cover it as if sitting at home (with Larry Brooks beside you). About 10 minutes after the final horn, the nearby rooms are opened to the press, and players are available to everyone — media and bloggers alike.

On the whole, it was a great experience, and you've got to give the NHL credit for credentialing as many "new media" members as they did. I saw Hockey Buzz had two seats in the press box, Inside Hockey had four, Kukla's Korner was represented and everyone was treated well, regardless of their spot in the box.

Because the game was in Montreal and the fact the all-star festivities attract writers and broadcasters from all over the world, it's possible that there was more media at this event than any other in league history. I was far from the only blogger in the press box, and in 2009, that's the way it should be.

Even if it's hard for us to see.