No one quite captures the spirit of All-Star events like the NHL does with its annual Skills Competitions. This year is no different as the NHL added two brand new events to spice up the evening in St. Louis. The top stars of the NHL and some from the best of women’s hockey in North America will be on full display in this must-see night.
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NHL All-Star Skills Competition
- When: Saturday, January 24
- Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
- TV: NBCSN
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
In total, there will be six events, with it all kicking off with the Fastest Skater competition. In this event, eight players compete individually by taking one full lap around the rink. Simply, the fastest time wins. If one or more skaters end tied for the best time, they will go for another lap to determine the winner. Last year, Conor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers won for a third straight year with a time of 13.378 seconds.
Second in the lineup of events comes the Save Streak competition, which is only in its third year of existence. Here, goalies take turns facing a group of nine shooters from opposing divisions in penalty shot attempts. The winner is whoever makes the most saves. If the final shooter of the group of nine (which will be the captain) is saved, the group resets until the goalie is beaten. Henrik Lundqvist won the event last year with 12 consecutive saves.
If you’ve ever seen an NHL skills competition, you know it, you love it. Eight sharpshooters take aim at four different targets with the fastest to hit all four taking the title. The Bruins’ David Pastrnak won last year, hitting all four bullseyes in 11.309 seconds. Henrik Sedin holds the all-time record at 7.3 seconds.
One of two new events to the competition will pit a team of 10 of the best American female players against 10 of Canada’s best. Three lines of three with one goaltender will compete in a game of two 10 minute periods with a running clock. One fun added rule for this event is any penalty committed will result in a penalty shot.
Another legacy event that’s been around for what seems like forever: Hardest Shot. Step up and blast the puck as hard as you possibly can. Top speed wins. John Carlson of the Capitals took home the title last year with a top speed of 102.8 mph. Zdeno Chara set the all-time mark very high at 108.8 mph in 2012.
The final event of the evening is a brand new and daring idea that is sure to draw plenty of opinions. Players will be elevated 30 feet in the air by a platform located behind one goal. The object is to shoot at different targets with different values around the ice to gain points. Each player will get seven shots to earn as many points for their respective teams as possible. It should be quite interesting to see how this new event plays out and if it’ll capture the imagination like the others have.
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