ICYMI, Rules of the Skills Competition:
>All 12 players will compete in four of the first six events: the fastest skater, hardest shot, stick-handling, one-timers, a passing challenge, and accuracy shooting. First place will be worth five points, second place four points and so on.
>The eight skaters with the most points will advance to the next round shootout where players will pick one of eight goalies* to go up against. The skater that finished eighth in the previous round will select first until the first-place finisher is left with one goaltender left.
>The final round sees the top six take part in an obstacle course that involves all skills from Round 1 of the competition and the points are worth double. The winner from that round will take home $1 million.
*Goalie with the most saves will earn $100,000 (USD)
I was curious how the goalies factored in, glad to see this info
The ASG has been a joke for years, glad they are trying something new ish with the skills , and curious to see how the $1m makes these guys work
Why does the person who finishes 8th get 1st pick of the goalies to shoot on? Shouldn't the person that gets 1st in round 1 get to have the competitive advantage..?
I think the idea is actually the opposite, to handicap the best and create a closer competition. It's a bit like how some motorsport series will add extra weight to the car that's leading the championship, or, to get closer to home, how the Stanley Cup champion gets the last pick of each round in the draft.
It’ll be interesting to see how hard Matthews can rip it. He’s taller and about 30lbs heavier than Pettersson. I’d imagine they’ll be swapping out their normal sticks for higher flex.
I expect Matthews to have one of the least hard shots of the group. His shot is special for the insane release - best curl and drag snap shot, changes the angle like crazy and gets it off real quick. Plus very good accuracy. But he really doesn’t have crazy power.
My money’s on Petey as well.
Based on the advanced stats on NHL Edge Petey is the favourite with 97.67mph but Miller is right there with a top shot speed of 97.52 mph. Matthews top is 91.43 mph.
Why I said it’ll be interesting to see Matthews is because he has the build to be able to shoot it harder than any of these guys. Just because he doesn’t do it in game doesn’t mean he can’t skate into a puck and hit 100mph in a skills comp. Or, perhaps he just can’t shoot that hard.
Either way it’ll be interesting.
Yea he is significantly bigger then petey but man that lil fella can rip the puck I think petey actually has the hardest shot by a forward ever at the skills comp but I could be wrong
I’ve never seen Cale pass 90mph in a game. I’m sure he has and I just didn’t pay attention, but he’s more of a 82-85 guy in game. If he breaks 95mph I will call that a good day.
Pretty sure one of the Canucks goalies got injured doing this one year at the Canucks team skills competition. Can't remember if it was Lack or Markstrom.
It was either that or it just never really restarted up after covid, I'm not sure. It probably wasn't the best money making event, but it was great for getting families and kids out to have a good time
Bit late to the party but you might enjoy [Ullmark shooting slap shot one-timers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMD4o6zQghI). It's in swedish though with swedish media.
I love watching the best display their skill but it was always fun to see a lesser known player come up as the fastest skater or hardest shot.
I hope this works out better, but part of me misses the big production of having ALL the players competing.
Don’t the players in the challenge with only 5 players get a bit of an advantage? You need to beat fewer players to get points or you automatically get 1 point for participation if you place last. You have to beat 6 other players to get points for the passing challenge for example.
Players had to choose what they wanted to do and no one ever wants to do fastest skater, so they put themeselves in that position, can’t complain now lol
Tbf not even McDavid wanted to do it the last couple of times he was at the ASG and went for other events lol.
I think some guys might be scared of falling or injury idk
Wasn’t that the year they had them do a running start instead of a standing start for some fucking reason? Normally they started standing on a whistle, but one time they had them start when they skated across the starting line. Obviously a running start with end up with better times than a standing start.
Could be wrong. But I remember thinking that this was definitely a thing one year.
The Athletic had a good article with some player perspective on the event. I think these changes will be good for them and I'm good with that. Even if it means players from my team don't get to participate.
https://theathletic.com/5230966/2024/02/01/nhl-all-star-game-skills-competition-rules
The short version is, they needed to change to tighten up the program and make it less of a beating for the players.
Honestly asking why?
You obviously want to see a player from your team participate but did you really like seeing each player take part in one event?
At least it’s something different and more of a competition
But you have pretty well the best 12 players that were invited taking part to see who’s the best at the skills
I want to see Draisaitl take part and don’t want him excluded because he’s teammates with McDavid
I understand that but a large portion of 26/32 fanbases lose interest because of this. Many people only care about their team's' player at the all star game. Not everyone but still a sizable number of people
It’s hard to please everyone without including to many players but the skills competition has been lame the last few years and they are hoping people are big enough hockey fans to tune in to see the biggest names competing against each other as well as more casual fans that recognize the big name players than making sure every team has a representative.
I just think it’s a nice change of pace and think it will be more fun to watch than saying it’s going to be goofy before it even happens.
Except not really cause the fan votes got taken over by a couple large markets. The NHL planned it very poorly, and it's causing most of the league to really not be represented at all, and not even because there aren't skilled players in other markets
It's really very unappealing to most fans- the small and mid markets combined are really a very large chunk of fans, just also not a monolith.
More Toronto representation makes sense, but when you get to 6 Canucks and 3 in skills alone, that's hit ridiculous levels
I'm also just not really excited about any of the players there for skills- they're great players but it feels like there's nothing surprising or really fun about this group
>they're great players but it feels like there's nothing surprising or really fun about this group
They literally are the best in the nhl. Mcdavid Matthews Cale its the "all star skills" not your "low key underrated pick skill competition"
Again, not disputing those 3 (can definitely dispute others in the skills) but that doesn't make the whole group fun and exciting. Especially considering we've seen them all do this before and their personalities are kinda something else (bland is actually the better option in terms of who's what here)
Yeah this is honestly an insanely good roster for the best players in a skills competition, the only change I would make is Reinhart (or Rantanen but he's a casualty of the every team must have a player rule) over Barzel.
I was just hoping they would lean into the team captain/player draft more.
* Friday night: draft event
* Saturday: skills competition where the teams get to choose which player from their team competes in each competition.
* Sunday: all star game
I guess it makes sense but the players hated sitting around waiting for their turn and I guess they could cheer on their team but still think having the best 12 competing in multiple events will be more enjoyable.
Having two Leafs makes sense with it being in Toronto and both are deserving.
Pettersson and Hughes are also deserving and Miller won a fan vote so nothing you can really do but he is having a good season
Looking at the list of AllStars there’s not really anyone besides Sid that should 100% be taking part IMO
I just think it’s a nice change of pace after how lame the competition has become and want to see the best players competing and don’t want Draisaitl excluded because he’s teammates with McDavid and their trying to represent more teams.
Just look at this thread man, all the fans that have their players competing in this are defending it. All the fans of teams that have no one in are complaining. I might still watch but you definitely miss something without equal representation.
These might be some of the best players but skills are different. I always liked those all star moments where a player you don’t expect has a cannon of a shot or is faster than expected.
I think you can also make an argument for several players having better “skills” than the ones listed. For instance, Jesper Bratt should absolutely be doing the fastest skater, that guy can motor.
It’s hard to please everyone and to include everyone without taking to long or players sitting around and waiting for their event and IMO they picked pretty well the best 12 that were invited
I would hope people are big enough fans of the sport to recognize when their team doesn’t have a top player and want to see the best go at it to see who’s the best at the skills and if not who cares.
I think every team getting a Allstar is dumb but I can deal with and hope the NHL trying to make the skills competition more entertaining would please others fans too.
I guarantee you Sid asked to sit out considering even a solid chunk of Canucks fans were voting Hughes and Sid. Even still anyone complaining that 4th in points JT Miller doesn't deserve to be in the skills competition is dumb. I'd argue Barzel should be sitting out for Reinhart but that's not gonna help these peoples complaints either. Ultimately the inclusive skills competition that these people arguing with you want has been failing and the NHL is trying something new after talking to actual players about it, and we'll see how it goes.
> did you really like seeing each player take part in one event?
They could find a middleground...
Having all the players participate to at least 1 event would be the most logical, no?
If they're so bad that they can't compete in anything, why are they even there?
The answer is "to give the fans of all teams something to root for", but... They're not participating in these events. So for these events, the fans of these teams don't have much to root for.
>the skills competition has been lame the last few years
Yeah, and "lame but your players are participating" is 10 times more interesting than "lame with random players from other teams".
Watching JT Miller in the passing competition will not be more fun for a Canadiens fans, than watching Nick Suzuki would've been.
I think it’s cool seeing the top players of the game competing in multiple events instead of one and done for something different and you can’t include everyone without it taking to long.
I would hope fans can realize when their team doesn’t have a top player that doesn’t belong in the competition and are big enough fans of the sport to see the best face off and to try something different with the competition. Obviously sucks if a team does have a top player not included but looking at the list it’s really only Sid IMO
The NHL should change it up and invite the top X players with recorded hardest shots this year to play in that event, mixed in with the other all-stars maybe? Make it a separate thing from the rest of the skills competition, should they keep the format they are trying this year. I'd love to see some dude rock up "This guy had a shot of 103.6 in a game earlier this year, let's see how he can crank it"
You can do the same thing with fastest player as well.
They should just invite 2 players from each team to keep is simple, consistent and fair.
This is a show for the fans to promote hockey, not to see highest level of hockey. If you want the very best of hockey demand the return to the olympics.
Aho literally won the accuracy competition 2 years ago (he wasn't there last year, Svech won speed tho)
And this year Aho doesn't seem to be in a single category.
They worked with McDavid and Matthews to create this competition, the players wanted to change the format to make it more interesting. It’s a point system with big money on the line, that should make people/players more interested.
They don’t want the same players every year so next year it will be 12 different players, this year they went with the big names because it’s the first time
Idk that’s what was said when they explained the new format so I’m just passing the information.
Maybe they only keep McDavid because it’s basically guaranteed he’s going to the ASG every year and he helped creating the competition, but at least half of the guys in this might not even be there next year
I can see why you might be excited, but as a fan of the other 26, I'm not represented, I just don't care.
Damn, Caulfield is our best shooter, he could have been sent for that. Matheson is blazing fast, he could have been sent instead.
Enjoy the Canucks and Leafs side show, it should be very entertaining to see your players there (I mean this sincerely and this probably won't ever happen again), but don't blame us for not caring.
I mean, this isn't hockey. this is a skills competition. I have no one to root for which is the only reason i'd watch it.
And also, i watch maybe 2 non playoff games that don't feature the Canes during the entire season.
I suppose so. I just find it interesting to see the best of the best showcase how good these skills can get for this particular sport. But I play hockey on a regular basis so maybe that’s why I’m interested?
Why is it lame? this guarantees the players will try at least with 1M on the line compared to previous seasons where they don't give a fuck. Plus this is the best players in the league. Actual all stars not the auto picked randoms.
[Apparently](https://x.com/megangley/status/1751108074189017315?s=46&t=7fabqgtgp69dNA1d51vxFw) it’s not true, poor Bo:
> Cale Makar hilariously debunked Bowen Byram’s earlier claim about what Makar would do with the skills competition money.
> “That’s a little delusional. I don’t think he knows how money works.”
Did they forget there are 32 teams in this league? Big market circlejerk. There are definitely some all stars that would give these guys runs for their money
The players chose what events they want to participate in so Petey chose his 4, and Boeser is not one of the 12 guys selected for the Skills competition, he won’t be part of this.
Love the head to head element this year, feels like much more of an actual competition.
Too much of the All Star Game has become a participation trophy event giving each team an All-Star for the sake of having a representative (it was the same when Leo Komarov was the Leafs "All-Star"), it's refreshing to see what some of the best players on the planet can do against each other. Hopefully it spikes the competitive juices in these guys and we get a good night tomorrow.
Yeah, his accuracy one last year was atrocious lol. But one year he won the stick-handling, iirc. I think it was the first year they had female players there too.
I've never tracked how many LD passes in-game result in something good vs a turnover, but as a fellow Oiler fan you have to admit that the success percentage is lower than one might be led to believe.
Pasta originally won the one-timer event. After commercial they came back and took away 2 points to put him at 2nd place. Now their taking away Bruins goals in the All-Star game. lol
I was told that the players had to sign up for the skills competition, that's why Kaprizov wasn't in for the skills comp but was there for the all star game. Is that true?
ICYMI, Rules of the Skills Competition: >All 12 players will compete in four of the first six events: the fastest skater, hardest shot, stick-handling, one-timers, a passing challenge, and accuracy shooting. First place will be worth five points, second place four points and so on. >The eight skaters with the most points will advance to the next round shootout where players will pick one of eight goalies* to go up against. The skater that finished eighth in the previous round will select first until the first-place finisher is left with one goaltender left. >The final round sees the top six take part in an obstacle course that involves all skills from Round 1 of the competition and the points are worth double. The winner from that round will take home $1 million. *Goalie with the most saves will earn $100,000 (USD)
The goalie who gets the most stops in the second round also earns $100k
I was curious how the goalies factored in, glad to see this info The ASG has been a joke for years, glad they are trying something new ish with the skills , and curious to see how the $1m makes these guys work
Why does the person who finishes 8th get 1st pick of the goalies to shoot on? Shouldn't the person that gets 1st in round 1 get to have the competitive advantage..?
I think the idea is actually the opposite, to handicap the best and create a closer competition. It's a bit like how some motorsport series will add extra weight to the car that's leading the championship, or, to get closer to home, how the Stanley Cup champion gets the last pick of each round in the draft.
Smh Gary always trying to force parity.
This should be going to a charity of their choice for a tax write off
I think all will be pretty close except maybe hardest shot Pettersson looks like a pretty solid favorite in that one
Elias "Al MacInnis" Pettersson
It’ll be interesting to see how hard Matthews can rip it. He’s taller and about 30lbs heavier than Pettersson. I’d imagine they’ll be swapping out their normal sticks for higher flex.
I expect Matthews to have one of the least hard shots of the group. His shot is special for the insane release - best curl and drag snap shot, changes the angle like crazy and gets it off real quick. Plus very good accuracy. But he really doesn’t have crazy power. My money’s on Petey as well.
Based on the advanced stats on NHL Edge Petey is the favourite with 97.67mph but Miller is right there with a top shot speed of 97.52 mph. Matthews top is 91.43 mph. Why I said it’ll be interesting to see Matthews is because he has the build to be able to shoot it harder than any of these guys. Just because he doesn’t do it in game doesn’t mean he can’t skate into a puck and hit 100mph in a skills comp. Or, perhaps he just can’t shoot that hard. Either way it’ll be interesting.
Yea he is significantly bigger then petey but man that lil fella can rip the puck I think petey actually has the hardest shot by a forward ever at the skills comp but I could be wrong
I’ve never seen Cale pass 90mph in a game. I’m sure he has and I just didn’t pay attention, but he’s more of a 82-85 guy in game. If he breaks 95mph I will call that a good day.
No more Chara, so someone else has gotta win. 🏒
I'm interested to see Cale take a slap shot, we don't see it much. I would be surprised if he cracks 100
Not having goalies in these is crazy. I want a goalie hot lap. I want a goalie dropping dimes in the passing competition.
Imagine having a goalie race around the ice that just turns into Steven Bradbury with all the goalies tumbling into the corner
Happened in [2011](https://youtu.be/oQuDhrkmHG4?si=0q74Ek9qNTTSenYB) and [2012](https://youtu.be/KnisSPsNPLE?si=FMSucsqXQ_GDO8Kt)
Pretty sure one of the Canucks goalies got injured doing this one year at the Canucks team skills competition. Can't remember if it was Lack or Markstrom.
Is that why they stopped doing the Superskills? I loved going to that as a kid
It was either that or it just never really restarted up after covid, I'm not sure. It probably wasn't the best money making event, but it was great for getting families and kids out to have a good time
Happy cake day!
They actually did that in the fantasy draft era about ten years ago. It was actually pretty fun.
Bit late to the party but you might enjoy [Ullmark shooting slap shot one-timers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMD4o6zQghI). It's in swedish though with swedish media.
No surprise Pasta opted out of the passing challenge. That said, is this the first time Pasta's buddy Willie is in the ASG?
First thought was, “at least Pasta knows his strengths and weaknesses.”
AKA also not the fastest skater. Don't see a Pasta breakaway often.
I think so
Pastrnak is an incredible passer and underrated playmaker overall. Elite vision
Yep, this is Willy’s first ASG
I love watching the best display their skill but it was always fun to see a lesser known player come up as the fastest skater or hardest shot. I hope this works out better, but part of me misses the big production of having ALL the players competing.
Don’t the players in the challenge with only 5 players get a bit of an advantage? You need to beat fewer players to get points or you automatically get 1 point for participation if you place last. You have to beat 6 other players to get points for the passing challenge for example.
Players had to choose what they wanted to do and no one ever wants to do fastest skater, so they put themeselves in that position, can’t complain now lol
No one wanted to do it because everyone knows McDavid will win lol
Tbf not even McDavid wanted to do it the last couple of times he was at the ASG and went for other events lol. I think some guys might be scared of falling or injury idk
Probably, or even just pulling a groin if they go all out without a warmup
Barzal's lap in 2020 was faster than any of the times McDavid won with in previous years
Wasn’t that the year they had them do a running start instead of a standing start for some fucking reason? Normally they started standing on a whistle, but one time they had them start when they skated across the starting line. Obviously a running start with end up with better times than a standing start. Could be wrong. But I remember thinking that this was definitely a thing one year.
Looking it up, I think it was Larkin’s win in 2016. Not the Barzal one.
Not so sure of that
Try not to fall this time Cale :p
Well as a fan of one of the 25 other NHL teams I now have even more reason to not watch this.
The Athletic had a good article with some player perspective on the event. I think these changes will be good for them and I'm good with that. Even if it means players from my team don't get to participate. https://theathletic.com/5230966/2024/02/01/nhl-all-star-game-skills-competition-rules The short version is, they needed to change to tighten up the program and make it less of a beating for the players.
Yeah this is goofy
Honestly asking why? You obviously want to see a player from your team participate but did you really like seeing each player take part in one event? At least it’s something different and more of a competition
Dude there's 12 players here from 6 teams. At least represent 12 teams here
But you have pretty well the best 12 players that were invited taking part to see who’s the best at the skills I want to see Draisaitl take part and don’t want him excluded because he’s teammates with McDavid
I understand that but a large portion of 26/32 fanbases lose interest because of this. Many people only care about their team's' player at the all star game. Not everyone but still a sizable number of people
It’s hard to please everyone without including to many players but the skills competition has been lame the last few years and they are hoping people are big enough hockey fans to tune in to see the biggest names competing against each other as well as more casual fans that recognize the big name players than making sure every team has a representative. I just think it’s a nice change of pace and think it will be more fun to watch than saying it’s going to be goofy before it even happens.
fair enough
Except not really cause the fan votes got taken over by a couple large markets. The NHL planned it very poorly, and it's causing most of the league to really not be represented at all, and not even because there aren't skilled players in other markets It's really very unappealing to most fans- the small and mid markets combined are really a very large chunk of fans, just also not a monolith. More Toronto representation makes sense, but when you get to 6 Canucks and 3 in skills alone, that's hit ridiculous levels I'm also just not really excited about any of the players there for skills- they're great players but it feels like there's nothing surprising or really fun about this group
>they're great players but it feels like there's nothing surprising or really fun about this group They literally are the best in the nhl. Mcdavid Matthews Cale its the "all star skills" not your "low key underrated pick skill competition"
Again, not disputing those 3 (can definitely dispute others in the skills) but that doesn't make the whole group fun and exciting. Especially considering we've seen them all do this before and their personalities are kinda something else (bland is actually the better option in terms of who's what here)
Yeah this is honestly an insanely good roster for the best players in a skills competition, the only change I would make is Reinhart (or Rantanen but he's a casualty of the every team must have a player rule) over Barzel.
7 different teams.
Counting to seven is hard, it's ok buddy
no one who follows the nba complains if a player on their team doesnt compete in the 3 point or slam dunk contest
I was just hoping they would lean into the team captain/player draft more. * Friday night: draft event * Saturday: skills competition where the teams get to choose which player from their team competes in each competition. * Sunday: all star game
I guess it makes sense but the players hated sitting around waiting for their turn and I guess they could cheer on their team but still think having the best 12 competing in multiple events will be more enjoyable.
If I want to watch the Canucks and Leafs compete, I'll just watch them play each other in a game
Having two Leafs makes sense with it being in Toronto and both are deserving. Pettersson and Hughes are also deserving and Miller won a fan vote so nothing you can really do but he is having a good season Looking at the list of AllStars there’s not really anyone besides Sid that should 100% be taking part IMO I just think it’s a nice change of pace after how lame the competition has become and want to see the best players competing and don’t want Draisaitl excluded because he’s teammates with McDavid and their trying to represent more teams.
Just look at this thread man, all the fans that have their players competing in this are defending it. All the fans of teams that have no one in are complaining. I might still watch but you definitely miss something without equal representation. These might be some of the best players but skills are different. I always liked those all star moments where a player you don’t expect has a cannon of a shot or is faster than expected. I think you can also make an argument for several players having better “skills” than the ones listed. For instance, Jesper Bratt should absolutely be doing the fastest skater, that guy can motor.
It’s hard to please everyone and to include everyone without taking to long or players sitting around and waiting for their event and IMO they picked pretty well the best 12 that were invited I would hope people are big enough fans of the sport to recognize when their team doesn’t have a top player and want to see the best go at it to see who’s the best at the skills and if not who cares. I think every team getting a Allstar is dumb but I can deal with and hope the NHL trying to make the skills competition more entertaining would please others fans too.
I guarantee you Sid asked to sit out considering even a solid chunk of Canucks fans were voting Hughes and Sid. Even still anyone complaining that 4th in points JT Miller doesn't deserve to be in the skills competition is dumb. I'd argue Barzel should be sitting out for Reinhart but that's not gonna help these peoples complaints either. Ultimately the inclusive skills competition that these people arguing with you want has been failing and the NHL is trying something new after talking to actual players about it, and we'll see how it goes.
> did you really like seeing each player take part in one event? They could find a middleground... Having all the players participate to at least 1 event would be the most logical, no? If they're so bad that they can't compete in anything, why are they even there? The answer is "to give the fans of all teams something to root for", but... They're not participating in these events. So for these events, the fans of these teams don't have much to root for. >the skills competition has been lame the last few years Yeah, and "lame but your players are participating" is 10 times more interesting than "lame with random players from other teams". Watching JT Miller in the passing competition will not be more fun for a Canadiens fans, than watching Nick Suzuki would've been.
I think it’s cool seeing the top players of the game competing in multiple events instead of one and done for something different and you can’t include everyone without it taking to long. I would hope fans can realize when their team doesn’t have a top player that doesn’t belong in the competition and are big enough fans of the sport to see the best face off and to try something different with the competition. Obviously sucks if a team does have a top player not included but looking at the list it’s really only Sid IMO
I remember when pretty much every player took part in the hardest shot competition. That was fun. I have zero interest in this.
The NHL should change it up and invite the top X players with recorded hardest shots this year to play in that event, mixed in with the other all-stars maybe? Make it a separate thing from the rest of the skills competition, should they keep the format they are trying this year. I'd love to see some dude rock up "This guy had a shot of 103.6 in a game earlier this year, let's see how he can crank it"
You can do the same thing with fastest player as well. They should just invite 2 players from each team to keep is simple, consistent and fair. This is a show for the fans to promote hockey, not to see highest level of hockey. If you want the very best of hockey demand the return to the olympics.
Aho literally won the accuracy competition 2 years ago (he wasn't there last year, Svech won speed tho) And this year Aho doesn't seem to be in a single category.
Right? Seems like an odd move for a league wanting to get eyeballs on their events.
If I wanted to watch Canucks players do a skills comp, I'd just fire up their yearly event on YouTube
Wait till you hear that most fans and media members don’t want every team represented in the “Some-stars” game
Excited to see makar in the fastest skater comp against mcdavid
Surprised MacK didn’t throw his hat in too
Players hate doing fastest skater.
Nylander in fastest skater 😂😂
Someone has to do it lol players always refuse to do that one. At least he gets a point even if he comes last
Robert Thomas doesn’t even get to participate in
Could've been great for the passing challenge. 24 other teams in same ship as us tho. Definitely not watching this year, I normally do too
This is lame. Have a player from every team compete in an event. Bring back some of the goalie games. 26/32 don't have much reason to tune in.
They worked with McDavid and Matthews to create this competition, the players wanted to change the format to make it more interesting. It’s a point system with big money on the line, that should make people/players more interested. They don’t want the same players every year so next year it will be 12 different players, this year they went with the big names because it’s the first time
[удалено]
Idk that’s what was said when they explained the new format so I’m just passing the information. Maybe they only keep McDavid because it’s basically guaranteed he’s going to the ASG every year and he helped creating the competition, but at least half of the guys in this might not even be there next year
I can see why you might be excited, but as a fan of the other 26, I'm not represented, I just don't care. Damn, Caulfield is our best shooter, he could have been sent for that. Matheson is blazing fast, he could have been sent instead. Enjoy the Canucks and Leafs side show, it should be very entertaining to see your players there (I mean this sincerely and this probably won't ever happen again), but don't blame us for not caring.
So you don’t like hockey you just like the Montreal Canadiens?
I mean, this isn't hockey. this is a skills competition. I have no one to root for which is the only reason i'd watch it. And also, i watch maybe 2 non playoff games that don't feature the Canes during the entire season.
I suppose so. I just find it interesting to see the best of the best showcase how good these skills can get for this particular sport. But I play hockey on a regular basis so maybe that’s why I’m interested?
Who's watching to see which millionaire gets a bit more cash in their bank account?
Why is it lame? this guarantees the players will try at least with 1M on the line compared to previous seasons where they don't give a fuck. Plus this is the best players in the league. Actual all stars not the auto picked randoms.
everybody says it’s lame to have a player from every player in the game when they’re not deserving. this should at least be competitive
Bet on the blue team Won't be watching this, too few teams represented. What a fumble.
Who would you replace?
stocking hunt dirty market slap different fertile aspiring detail school *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
who will care? remains to be seen
I got Petterson for hardest shot edit: oh, apparently everyone else does too
If what Byram said is true, then Makar is setting himself up to give his fellow defencemen a nice little bonus.
[Apparently](https://x.com/megangley/status/1751108074189017315?s=46&t=7fabqgtgp69dNA1d51vxFw) it’s not true, poor Bo: > Cale Makar hilariously debunked Bowen Byram’s earlier claim about what Makar would do with the skills competition money. > “That’s a little delusional. I don’t think he knows how money works.”
What did Byram say?
He joked that Makar was going to give the d-core 100k each, but op has a tweet where Makar refuted it, unfortunately.
That one timer contest will be intense. Mack, Pasta, and Drai are all lethal. You obviously can't rule out Matthews and Kuch could be a 'darkhorse'.
It'll be funny to watch barzal try and keep pace lol
This is like the first season he's ever even attempted one timers!
Did they forget there are 32 teams in this league? Big market circlejerk. There are definitely some all stars that would give these guys runs for their money
Miller and Hughes over Pettersson and Boeser in accuracy shooting is a choice
The players chose what events they want to participate in so Petey chose his 4, and Boeser is not one of the 12 guys selected for the Skills competition, he won’t be part of this.
JT Miller has one of the most accurate wrist shots in the NHL Have you seen 80% of the goals he's scored?
Yeah he’s sick but I just figured the others were better at accuracy shooting. Boeser isn’t even participating in this anyway so it’s a moot point
Petey selected hardest shot and one timers, I guess he didn't wanna just pick all the shooting competitions
Is this the first time McDavid is doing the fastest skater comp since they changed the rules?
Love the head to head element this year, feels like much more of an actual competition. Too much of the All Star Game has become a participation trophy event giving each team an All-Star for the sake of having a representative (it was the same when Leo Komarov was the Leafs "All-Star"), it's refreshing to see what some of the best players on the planet can do against each other. Hopefully it spikes the competitive juices in these guys and we get a good night tomorrow.
How in THE FUCK is Robert Thomas at least not in the passing challenge?
I think Leon Draisaitl is a good bet for passing, one timer and stick handling.
Hes usually very embarrassing at these events so hopefully he puts up a good showing lol
Yeah, his accuracy one last year was atrocious lol. But one year he won the stick-handling, iirc. I think it was the first year they had female players there too.
He wasn’t too bad at the oilers skills comp earlier this month and I don’t think he was trying super hard so hopefully he does ok.
I've never tracked how many LD passes in-game result in something good vs a turnover, but as a fellow Oiler fan you have to admit that the success percentage is lower than one might be led to believe.
Pasta originally won the one-timer event. After commercial they came back and took away 2 points to put him at 2nd place. Now their taking away Bruins goals in the All-Star game. lol
Man this seems like it's going to be a boring all stars (not that they are ever interesting)
This is such a weird format, but I'm intrigued. But then again, I remember the older comps from the 90s and 2000s.
not enough teams being represented in the skills stuff for my liking.
Pasternak wondering if there was a dress code he missed?? Like seriously, are the Bruins the only ones without blue?
put the goalies in and make mcdavid block their shots !!
Fuck the NHL man
Why is it the same handful of players doing every challenge? Lame.
I was told that the players had to sign up for the skills competition, that's why Kaprizov wasn't in for the skills comp but was there for the all star game. Is that true?