The NHL all star weekend is in the books, and they event included celebrity captains, new events in the skills competition, and more. Before the 2nd half of the season starts Monday, here is a look back on some of the top moments from this past all star game weekend.
New Skills
While some of the contests remained the same such as the fastest skater, accuracy shooting, and the hardest shot, the NHL added new events like the one-on-one (Each player got to shoot one-on-one with the goalie of their choosing).
The next event was the one-timers event (Players earned as many points as they could in one minute by shooting one-timers).
McDavid takes home $1M at Skills Competition
NHL Superstar Connor McDavid did Connor McDavid things. McDavid won the fastest skater, accuracy shooting, stickhandling, and the obstacle course to take home the $1M.
NHL all-star player draft
This was the 1st time since 2015 that the NHL all star game has had a player draft. Will Arnett, Tate McRae, Justin Bieber, and Michael Buble were the celebrity captains for their respective teams.
Justin Bieber skates in warmups
Justin Bieber got to live his childhood dream as he partook in the warmups at the NHL all star game. He took pictures with various players before the puck dropped and was behind the bench for Team Matthews.
Connor Bedard makes “all-star debut.”
Despite not actually playing in the all-star game due to a broken jaw, Connor Bedard made his all-star debut in the skills competition. The number one overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft was the guest passer in the Tim Horton’s NHL one-timers event. Bedard leads rookies in point scoring with 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) of the year.
Cale Makar wins hardest shot competition
Another participant shined in the hardest shot event as Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar won in the skills competition Friday. There was no Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos, or P.K. Subban, and Makar managed to get 102.56 in the event.
Semi-finals in all star games went to shootouts
Both semi-finals went to a shootout. Team McDavid and Team Matthews faced each other in the finals with shootout wins over Team Hughes and Team MacKinnon.
Team McDavid vs Team MacKinnon: 4-3 in SO
Team Matthews vs Team Hughes: 6-5 in SO
PWHL 3-on-3 showcase
The growth of hockey was on full display with the PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League) 3-on-3 showcase. It was Team King against Team Kloss. Savannah Harmon netted a hat trick in the game to lead Team King to a 5-3 win.
Obstacle Course
The obstacle course was a new skill to see. Players started from the center red line, then skated around and “sauced” three pucks into the small nets. Afterwards, they skated around pepsi soda cans and fired the puck into the regular-sized net. It was a little bit hard for players like Mathew Barzal (who couldn’t get the puck into the small nets) and William Nylander (who hit the post when firing the puck on the normal net). However, McDavid managed to put on a show and won the event.
Team Matthews win championship game
Team Matthews capped off the all-star weekend with a 7-4 win against Team McDavid in the finals round. Auston Matthews was named MVP. He put up four points (two goals and two assists) in two games. Team Matthews won the semi-final round in a 6-5 SO win over Team Hughes.
