The All-Star weekend is picking up speed. The NHL All-Star Skills Competition 2023 presented by DraftKings Sportsbook took place on Friday, in which the exceptional German striker Leon Draisaitl and the Swiss star player Kevin Fiala lined up. Both missed a title, but that didn’t dampen the mood.
Fiala was the fastest skater in the first round of the Upper Deck NHL Fastest Skater Challenge and advanced to the finals. There, however, the attacker of the Los Angeles Kings was defeated Andrei Svechnikov by the Carolina Hurricanes, who completed the lap in 13.699 seconds. In the preliminary round there was a moment of shock as a defender Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche) crashed. But everything went smoothly and Makar suffered no injuries.
Video: Fiala second at Fastest Skater
“That happens sometimes,” said Makar in a relaxed manner. “There’s not much you can do at the moment. I got stuck or slipped a bit, you can’t do anything… It’s hard when something like that happens, but you have to live with it and just keep having fun.”
Draisaitl failed to show off his otherwise exceptional shot. He finished the Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting in tenth place with a time of 36.956 seconds. His teammate Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers missed none of the four targets in both the first and second round, but took too long and therefore missed against Nazem Kadri (Calgary Flames) out. “What a surprise,” commented Alex Ovechkin McDavid’s marksmanship dry. In the final sat down Brock Nelson by the New York Islanders in 12.419 seconds.
Video: Draisaitl on his role as an All-Star and McDavid
“Everyone discussed what the best strategy would be before the competition,” Nelson said. “I shot bottom left, bottom right, top left and top right in a row. I just stuck with that. It was fun and cool to win. I didn’t know what to expect and just wanted to have fun. I’ll do that I certainly remember for a long time.”
Vancouver Canuck’s striker has the hardest shot in the league Elias Pettersson. The Swede fired the puck into the net at 165.1 km/h, beating Defender’s 163.7 km/h Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabers). Pettersson is only the fourth forward to win the competition.
“I think that was cheating,” Ovechkin joked, given Pettersson’s small stature. “If you look at him like that, I don’t think it was right… I’m kidding, I’m happy for him.”
Video: Pettersson wins Hardest Shot at 165.1 km/h
Goalies took center stage in the Discover NHL Tendy Tandem. In the new format, goaltenders from each division competed as a duo. One of the two had to shoot at a goal wall with a small hole, the other had to fend off attacks from the other division’s forwards. In the end they won Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets) and Hair in Saros (Nashville Predators) by 13 points against Logan Thompson (Vegas Golden Knights) and Stuart Skinner (Edmonton Oilers). Another highlight was the Canadian international Sarah Nurse as goalkeeper Igor Shesterkin worth seeing with a so-called “Forsberg”. “The Forsberg? That was strong,” Saros marveled.
Golf is a popular hobby among ice hockey professionals and also played a role in the skills competition. In Chipotle Pitch ‘n Puck, players had to complete a short golf course, but with their hockey stick. Nick Suzukithe Montreal Candiens captain left the competition in the dust by sinking the ball in just three shots.
It was summery at the Enterprise NHL Discover Splash Shot. Here, players competed in pairs and had to shoot down a row of five surfboards before hitting a final target and dropping one of their opponents into a pool of water. Makar showed impressive precision in the final and won together with his teammate Mikko Rantanen against Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers.
Video: Rantanen, Makar win new skills challenge
The highlight of the evening was once again the Great Clips NHL Breakaway Challenge. In the competition for the most creative penalty, the players came up with some new ideas, but nobody could stand the joint appearance of Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) and overcall Ovechkin. The two fierce rivals brought Ovechkin’s four-year-old son Sergei onto the ice and assisted in his goal against goalkeeping legend Roberto Luongo. The judges awarded the best score of 40 points to Ovechkin Junior.
“It was a special moment,” said Ovechkin proudly. “The fans loved it and we thought it was incredible. It was great for all of us, especially for Sergei.”
Video: Ovi Jr. at the center of the Breakaway Challenge
Great Clips NHL Breakaway Challenge
Sidney Crosby, PIT/Alex Ovechkin, WSH – 40
Upper Deck NHL Fastest Skater
Andrei Svechnikov, CAR – 13.699 seconds
Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting
Brock Nelson, NYI – 12.419 seconds
GEICO NHL Hardest Shot
Elias Pettersson, VAN – 103.2 mph
Discover NHL Tendy Tandem
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG/Juse Saros, NSH (Central Division) – 13 points
Chipotle NHL Pitch ‘n Puck
Nick Suzuki, MTL – 3
Enterprise NHL Discover Splash Shot
Cale Makar/Mikko Rantanen, COL – 18.7 seconds