NHL All-Star Game 2012: Full Television Schedule for Skills Competition and Game

The NHL's All-Star weekend is an entertaining break in the season. The league's top stars all gather together for a weekend to celebrate their accomplishment. Throughout the weekend there will be a draft, a skills competition and the All-Star Game itself.

Where Can I Watch the Events?

The fantasy draft will take place on Thursday, January 26 at 8:00 p.m. EST. Both captains, Daniel Alfredsson and Zdeno Chara, will go back and forth and will select players to form squads. Assistant captains Henrik Lundqvist and Joffrey Lupul will assist the captains in making selections.

These squads will then participate in a skills competition of Saturday, January 28. The event will start at 7:00 p.m. EST. The events will include the following.

• Fastest Skater
• Breakaway Challenge
• Accuracy Shooting
• Hardest Shot
• Skills Challenge Relay
• Elimination Shootout

On Sunday at 4:00 p.m. EST, the All-Star Game will take place live from the Scotiabank Centre.

What Stations Will Carry Additional Coverage Like a Pre and Postgame?

The following stations will provide coverage related to All-Star weekend.

• CBC
• RDS
• NBC Sports Network
• NHL Network

Where Can I Find Additional Clips, Highlights and Online Coverage?

For highlights, behind-the-scenes clips and other online coverage, NHL.com will be your one-stop shop for online All-Star Game coverage.

I Don't Watch Hockey, so Why Should I Tune in to the Festivities?

If you're a casual sports fan with no interest in hockey, this weekend is a casual way to enjoy hockey. The fantasy draft rekindles the feelings of picking sides in gym class. Last year, Alex Ovechkin poked fun at Phil Kessel for getting picked last, but how things have changed in a few months.

The skills competition allows players to unwind and showcase their individual talents and specialties. You can see players set records in the hardest shot contest or make a mockery of the goalies in the breakaway challenge.

Lastly, the All-Star Game will display two star-studded teams competing. It should be pretty cool to see inter-conference and inter-divisional rivals team up in a game like this.

No matter how you slice it, the whole weekend should provide some enjoyment and entertainment.

Television Information

All-Star Fantasy Draft

Date: Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012

Time: 8:00 p.m. ET

Networks: CBC, RDS, NBC Sports Network

Molson Canadian All-Star Skills Competition

Date: Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012

Time: 7:00 p.m. ET

Networks: CBC, RDS, NBC Sports Network)

2012 Tim Hortons All-Star Game

Date: Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012

Time: 4:00 p.m. ET

Network: CBC, RDS, NBC Sports Network

Tom Urtz, Jr. is an NHL featured columnist. For NHL news, updates and alerts about players: