In response to this hockey custom, it seemed like a good idea to, rather than ask the Columbus Blue Jackets set to take part in this weekend's All-Star festivities about their games, to pose questions to Cam Atkinson and Seth Jones about their fellow CBJ star.

As a rule, hockey players almost always hate talking about themselves. On the other hand, they enjoy dishing out superlatives to their teammates as much as they like dishing out assists.

Seth Jones on Cam Atkinson

"I think his consistency and goal-scoring consistency (are most impressive). I think he does more than score goals for us. He's one of our top penalty killers, his quickness out there, and then when he starts getting physical out there it's fun to watch as well. He's a smart hockey player. He does a lot of things for us and leads us by example, and you see that in his play.

"He's a brave guy. He's going to go into those hard areas. With Luc (Pierre-Luc Dubois) and Bread (Artemi Panarin), they are a finesse line, they like to score goals, but they get dirty and they actually score a lot of goals around the net. They all have that tenacity -- especially Cam. He has that tenacity and that knack to score goals, find open areas and just make plays.

"I didn't know him when he was younger here. I know he's been here a while. I got here when he was really hitting his stride in the prime of his career. The way he's handled himself, obviously he's grown not only as a player but for sure as a person. He's become a role model on this team, a leader, and that's what we're going to need. We're going to need him to continue to grow for us and be a better player."

Cam Atkinson on Seth Jones

"I just think how consistent he is as a player (is most impressive). He does everything so well -- he puts up points, but just how good he is defensively and how good he is on the offensive side and how long his stick is and reading plays and anticipating plays. I might be biased, but I think he's the best defenseman in the league. I get to see him on a regular basis. I know every guy on every team will be biased, but he's the real deal.

"You don't realize how big he is. I see him every day and I stand next to him and he makes me look like a child. It's amazing what he does with his frame and how athletic he is. It's a gift.

"He's definitely come a long way with his leadership position and just how he goes about his business every day, just the professional way he handles things. Not that he didn't before, but he's definitely matured as a person and as a player."

The NHL All-Star skills competition will be held Friday night, with the All-Star Game on Saturday from the SAP Center in San Jose. Atkinson and Jones will represent the Metropolitan Division, as they did in 2017 when the division won the whole thing in Los Angeles.