The NHL’s All-Star weekend in Los Angeles is here, and the festivities all begin on Friday night with the unveiling of the top-100 players in NHL history.
On Saturday, the NHL’s current All-Stars hit the ice to show off their talents in the Coors Light NHL All-Star Skills Competition as the teams from the four divisions go head-to-head.
This year’s competition includes many of the events you’re familiar with from previous years, as well as one new event.
Looking at the roster of participants the must-see events would seem to be the hardest shot competition that will feature an Alex Ovechkin vs. Shea Weber matchup (P.K. Subban is also in that event), as well as a fastest skater heat that will see Nathan MacKinnon go up against Connor McDavid.
Below is the complete roster for all of the skills competition events, as well as a brief description of each event.
Gatorade NHL Skills Challenge Relay
Event: Seven skaters and a goalie from each team compete in five challenges that include one-timers, passing puck control, stick-handling and a goalie goals. Each skill must be completed by the player responsible for it before the next player can attempt theirs. The team with fasted time in each heat wins one point, while the team with the fastest overall time gets a bonus point.
The participants
Central Division
One timers: Duncan Keith, Ryan Suter, Vladimir Tarasenko
Passer: Nathan MacKinnon
Passing: Jonathan Toews
Puck Control: Tyler Seguin
Stick-handling: Patrick Kane
Goalie Goals: Devan Dubnyk
Pacific Division
One timers: Joe Pavelski, Ryan Kesler, Jeff Carter
Passer: Bo Horvat
Passing: Drew Doughty
Puck Contro: Cam Fowler
Stick-handling: Johnny Gaudreau
Goalie Goals: Mike Smith
Atlantic Division
One timers: Erik Karlson, Vincent Trocheck, Kyle Okposo
Passer: Victor Hedman
Passing: Frans Nielsen
Puck Control: Brad Marchand
Stick-handling: Auston Matthews
Goalie goalis: Carey Price
Metropolitan Division
One timers: Seth Jones, Alex Ovechkin, Wayne Simmonds
Passer: Ryan McDonagh
Passing: John Tavares
Puck Control: Justin Faulk
Stick-handling: Sidney Crosby
Goalie goals: Braden Holtby
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Honda NHL Four Line Challenge
Event: This is a new event at the 2017 skills competition. Here is the official description from the NHL:
The team with the most points at the end earns a point for their team.
The participants
Atlantic Division: Central Division: Ryan Suter, Tyler Seguin, P.K. Subban, Nathan MacKinnon
Pacific Division: Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns, Ryan Kesler, Bo Horvat
Atlantic Division: Nikita Kucherov, Erik Karlsson, Vincent Trocheck, Shea Weber
Metropolitan Division: Ryan McDonagh, Wayne Simmonds, Taylor Hall, Seth Jones
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DraftKings NHL Accuracy Shooting
The Event: Two players from each team will attempt to hit four 15-inch diameter targets located in each corner of the net. The shooter to hit all four targets in the shortest time period wins. The winner from each match up earns a point for their team, while the player that wins with the fastest overall time gets a bonus point. If anybody beats Daniel Sedin’s record of hitting all four targets in 7.3 records they also earn their team an additional bonus point.
The participants
Atlantic Division vs. Metropolitan Division
Kyle Okposo vs. John Tavares
Auston Matthews vs. Sidney Crosby
Central Division vs. Pacific Division
Patrik Laine vs. Connor McDavid
Patrick Kane vs. Jeff Carter
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Bridgestone NHL Faster Skater
The event: The track for the head-to-head races is the rink split in half lengthways. The skater with the fastest time in the head-to-head races will skate a full lap of the outside of the rink in an attempt to break Dylan Larkin’s record of 13.172 seconds. The winner of each match scores one point, the team with the fastest skater scores a bonus, and if anybody breaks Dylan Larkin’s record their team will be awarded a bonus point.
The participants
Atlantic Division vs. Metropolitan Division
Brad Marchand vs. Cam Atkinson
Nikita Kucherov vs. Taylor Hall
Central Division vs. Pacific Division
Vladimir Tarasenko vs. Bo Horvat
Nathan MacKinnon vs. Connor McDavid
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Oscar Mayer NHL Hardest Shot
The Event: Pretty self explanatory. Who can shoot the puck the hardest?
The participants
Atlantic Division vs. Metropolitan Division
Victor Hedman vs. Seth Jones
Shea Weber vs. Alex Ovechkin
Central Division vs. Pacific Division
Patrik Laine vs. Brent Burns
P.K. Subban vs. Drew Doughty
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Discover NHL Shootout
The event: The nine skaters and two goaltenders from the top scoring team in each conference will participate, with the captains of each team picking an additional player from the losing team, designated as “discover puck players,” in each conference to participate. Each goal scored will count for one point, while goals scored by “discover puck players” will count as two points.