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Bellagio Fountains, hockey blackjack highlight 2022 NHL All-Star Skills

nhl all-star skills 2022

Hockey’s version of the NBA Slam Dunk Competition will return and there will be two outdoor events during this Friday’s NHL All-Star Skills competition in Las Vegas.

First up, the NHL Breakaway Challenge will make its return to All-Star Weekend for the first time since 2016. Four players and two goalies will take part as the league’s best get as creative as possible to score. A panel of celebrity judges will rate them on a scale of 1-10.

The two goaltenders will not be NHL All-Stars, however. Instead, tending the nets will be Manon Rhéaume, the first woman to play in an NHL game, and actor Wyatt Russell, who you may remember from Goon: Last of the Enforcers. Also taking part will be Anaheim Ducks rookie Trevor Zegras, who was not voted in as Pacific Division captain or named to the roster, but has done enough this season as part of the league’s two biggest viral goals to be included.

Taking a boat to the Bellagio Fountains

The NHL Fountain Faceoff is one of the two new outdoor events this year. Eight players will participate and take a boat to a floating rink in to the middle of the Bellagio Fountains and shoot pucks at five targets in hopes of doing so in the least amount of time.

But it won’t be easy. The participants will have to deal with spray from the fountains along with any possible windy conditions out there.

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Hockey blackjack

It wouldn’t be Las Vegas without a little blackjack, right? The other new event will shutdown Las Vegas Boulevard and feature five players shooting pucks at oversized playing cards hoping to hit 21 without busting. According to the NHL, the winner after two rounds will be crowned “Puck Shark.” Something to bring up in contract negotiations in the future, for sure.

Three-time Olympic medalist Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, whose triple-deke move in 2018 helped the U.S. women earn gold, will take part in this event and Accuracy Shooting.

Each individual event winner will take home $30,000.

NHL All-Star Skills event list

• NHL Fountain Face-Off
• NHL 21 in ’22
• NHL Fastest Skater (Previous winner: Mathew Barzal)
• NHL Save Streak (Previous winner: Jordan Binnington)
• NHL Hardest Shot (Previous winner: Shea Weber)
• NHL Breakaway Challenge (Previous winner: P.K. Subban, 2016 )
• NHL Accuracy Shooting (Previous winner: Jaccob Slavin)

[MORE: Brunette, Bednar, Brind’Amour, DeBoer named NHL All-Star coaches]

2022 NHL All-Star Game rosters

Atlantic Division (All-Star Appearance)

F Auston Matthews, TOR (4th) - captain
F Steven Stamkos, TB (7th) - via “NHL Last Men In” vote
*F
Drake Batherson, OTT (1st) - will not attend due to injury
F Brady Tkachuk, OTT (2nd) - replacing Batherson
F Patrice Bergeron, BOS (3rd)
F Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA (2nd)
F Dylan Larkin, DET (2nd)
F Nick Suzuki, MTL (1st)
D Rasmus Dahlin, BUF (1st)
D Victor Hedman, TBL (3rd)
G Jack Campbell, TOR (1st)
G Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL (4th)

Central Division (All-Star Appearance)

*F Nathan MacKinnon, COL (4th) - will be attend due to injury
F Joe Pavelski, DAL (4th) - replacing MacKinnon as captain
F Nazem Kadri, COL (1st) - via “NHL Last Men In” vote
F Kyle Connor, WPG (1st)
F Alex DeBrincat, CHI (1st)
F Kirill Kaprizov, MIN (1st)
F Clayton Keller, ARI (2nd)
F Jordan Kyrou, STL (1st)
D Cale Makar, COL (1st)
D Roman Josi, NSH (5th) - replacing MacKinnon
G Juuse Saros, NSH (1st)
G Cam Talbot, MIN (1st)

Metropolitan Division (All-Star Appearance)

F Alex Ovechkin, WSH (8th) - captain
*F Mika Zibanejad, NYR (1st) - will not attend due to personal reasons
F Jake Guentzel, PIT (1st) - replacing Zibanejad via “Last Men in Vote”
F Sebastian Aho, CAR (2nd)
F Claude Giroux, PHI (7th)
F Jack Hughes, NJD (1st)
F Chris Kreider, NYR (2nd)
F Evgeny Kuznetsov WSH (2nd) - replacing Fox
*D Adam Fox, NYR (1st) - will not attend due to injury
D Adam Pelech, NYI (1st)
D Zach Werenski, CBJ (2nd)
G Frederik Andersen, CAR (2nd)
G Tristan Jarry, PIT (2nd)

Pacific Division (All-Star Appearance)

F Connor McDavid, EDM (5th) - captain
F Troy Terry, ANA (1st) - via “NHL Last Men In” vote
F Leon Draisaitl, EDM (3rd)
F Jordan Eberle, SEA (2nd)
F Johnny Gaudreau, CGY (6th)
F Adrian Kempe, LAK (1st)
F Timo Meier, SJS (1st)
F Mark Stone, VGK (1st)
D Alex Pietrangelo, VGK (3rd)
G Thatcher Demko, VAN (1st)
G John Gibson, ANA (3rd)

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.