NHL All-Star Skills Competition 2015: Date, TV Schedule, Format, Events, Players

The skills competition is often the most entertaining portion of the National Hockey League's All-Star Weekend. It's a chance for the greatest hockey players in the world to let loose, have some fun and showcase some of the talents that make them the best of the best.

Nick Foligno and Jonathan Toews are the captains for this year's event. Patrick Kane and Drew Doughty are the assistants for Team Foligno, while Ryan Getzlaf and Rick Nash fill that role for Team Toews. Those groups will select the rosters for the skills competition and All-Star Game on Friday night.

The sides will compete in six different contests. There are 19 points available in the first five. Then, every player is involved in the shootout, which should leave the door wide open for either side to win in a revamped finish that should increase the excitement level.

Let's check out all of the key details for the skills competition, followed by a list of players taking part and a closer look at the format.

Viewing Information

Where: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio

When: Saturday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. ET

Watch: NBC Sports Network

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra

Participants

2015 NHL All-Stars

Position	Player	Team
G	Corey Crawford	Chicago Blackhawks
G	Brian Elliott	St. Louis Blues
G	Marc-Andre Fleury	Pittsburgh Penguins
G	Roberto Luongo	Florida Panthers
G	Carey Price	Montreal Canadiens
G	Jaroslav Halak	New York Islanders
F	Zemgus Girgensons	Buffalo Sabres
F	Patrice Bergeron	Boston Bruins
F	Ryan Johansen	Columbus Blue Jackets
F	Tyler Seguin	Dallas Stars
F	Ryan Nugent-Hopkins	Edmonton Oilers
F	Anze Kopitar	Los Angeles Kings
F	Patrik Elias	New Jersey Devils
F	John Tavares	New York Islanders
F	Claude Giroux	Philadelphia Flyers
F	Filip Forsberg	Nashville Predators
F	Tyler Johnson	Tampa Bay Lightning
F	Steven Stamkos	Tampa Bay Lightning
F	Jonathan Toews	Chicago Blackhawks
F	Ryan Getzlaf	Anaheim Ducks
F	Alexander Ovechkin	Washington Capitals
F	Rick Nash	New York Rangers
F	Nick Foligno	Columbus Blue Jackets
F	Bobby Ryan	Ottawa Senators
F	Jakub Voracek	Philadelphia Flyers
F	Vladimir Tarasenko	St. Louis Blues
F	Phil Kessel	Toronto Maple Leafs
F	Radim Vrbata	Vancouver Canucks
F	Patrick Kane	Chicago Blackhawks
D	Duncan Keith	Chicago Blackhawks
D	Brent Seabrook	Chicago Blackhawks
D	Oliver Ekman-Larsson	Arizona Coyotes
D	Mark Giordano	Calgary Flames
D	Justin Faulk	Carolina Hurricanes
D	Ryan Suter	Minnesota Wild
D	Shea Weber	Nashville Predators
D	Brent Burns	San Jose Sharks
D	Kevin Shattenkirk	St. Louis Blues
D	Dustin Byfuglien	Winnipeg Jets
D	Drew Doughty	Los Angeles Kings

Added Rookies (Skills Competition Only)

Position	Player	Team
F	Johnny Gaudreau	Calgary Flames
F	Jiri Sekac	Montreal Canadiens
F	Filip Forsberg	Nashville Predators
F	Mike Hoffman	Ottawa Senators
F	Jonathan Drouin	Tampa Bay Lightning
D	Aaron Ekblad	Florida Panthers

Format

Fastest Skater (5 Points Available)

Pure speed. A trait often discussed, but it doesn't always translate into top-tier NHL success. While notable names like Sergei Fedorov and Peter Bondra have won, there have also been some lesser-known winners of this event, such as Andy McDonald, Andrew Cogliano and Carl Hagelin.

The New York Rangers winger won the competition the last time it was held, in 2012. He told the team's official site afterward that going against another serious contender who can help push the pace is a key to success:

"

I never have really done that exact circuit. It was a pretty tight turn. I thought it was just going to be a lap, but I went against a fast guy, which obviously helped. When you're going against a fast guy you usually skate a little bit faster.

"

There's a bit of strategy when it comes to picking the participants so as many people can get involved as possible while still trying to win. Phil Kessel is a good bet should he take part. As for a potential sleeper, don't look past rookie inclusion Jiri Sekac.

Breakaway Challenge (1 Point Available)

This contest would be the equivalent of the NBA's dunk contest. Players will be given three opportunities to put on the best display of creativity they can while trying to score on a penalty shot. There are no rules, and the winner is decided by fan vote.

The latter fact makes any Chicago Blackhawks player that participates a heavy favorite. Patrick Kane ended Alexander Ovechkin's three-year run as champion in 2012, and the Hawks made up five of the six fan-vote All-Star selections.

Zemgus Girgensons of the Buffalo Sabres was the only exception. While the Western New York fanbase is strong, it was the center's native Latvia that led the charge. This doesn't seem like his type of contest, however, so Kane is the favorite, if chosen again.

Accuracy Shooting (5 Points Available)

Any player looking to have success in this event should ask former NHL defenseman Ray Bourque for some tips. The longtime Boston Bruins star posted either the best score or finished in a tie for the top spot eight different times in the accuracy contest.

It involves one target in each corner of the net. Members from each team deliver passes into the slot, and the shooter must hit each one. There are two facets of the contest because not only does the least number of attempts matter, but the fastest overall time is also worth a point.

Steven Stamkos would probably enter as the favorite if he's selected. No dominant shooter has emerged since Bourque or Jeremy Roenick, who won it three times. Foligno could also choose himself for this one and have a good chance to contend. Mark Giordano could be a sleeper.

Skills Challenge Relay (3 Points Available)

This is a relatively new addition to the skills competition. Instead of simply doing a relay based on puck control, more elements and players were added to the equation. Passing, stick handling, one-timers and goalies trying to score are also now included.

The passing element is usually the toughest. In the past, it's involved trying to float the puck over a mini barrier and then into an extremely small goal. Add in the fact the pressure of being on the block, and teams have often got caught in that portion.

Goalies trying to score is probably the most entertaining. Mostly because you know goalies dream about having an empty net at the opposite end of the rink late in a game with a chance to score. None of this year's All-Star goalies have enjoyed that thrill. Not at the NHL level anyway.

Hardest Shot (5 Points Available)

The baton in this contest has been passed around among powerful defensemen. Al Iafrate, Al MacInnis and Zdeno Chara have all held the crown for a while. The Boston Bruins blueliner won the last five editions, but he isn't in this year's game.

As a result, it may be time to crown a new king. The most obvious choice is Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators. He fits the same mold as those previous champs, and Mike Morreale of NHL.com noted the speed of a rocket off his stick earlier this season:

Weber is 29. So he could claim the crown this weekend and hold it for the next handful of years just like Chara did. Ovechkin and Dustin Byfuglien are some of the players who may have a chance to knock him off.

Shootout—Point(s) For Every Goal

As mentioned, regardless of what happens in the earlier rounds, the skills competition title should still be hanging in the balance heading to the finale. All 48 players will be involved in a three-round shootout for the win.

Each round lasts two minutes with seven shooters and one goalie from each side. Chaos ensues as teams alternate shooters until the buzzer sounds. Each goal is worth a point, and there's a Discover Card puck, which is worth a bonus point.

So it's easy to see how one team can make up a lot of ground quickly with a combination of goals and timely goaltending. It should make for a terrific finish to a typically memorable part of All-Star Weekend before the focus shifts to the game itself.