NHL All-Star Skills Competition 2017: Results, Winners, Highlights and Reaction
Since 1990, the league's best players have gotten together before the All-Star Game to put on an exhibition for teammates and fans alike in the NHL All-Star Skills Competition.
Saturday night brought the 2017 edition of the event at Staples Center in Los Angeles as players from all four divisions got together to take part in six different challenges.
The winners of each event were rewarded points for every triumph, and the Atlantic Division came away victorious:
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| Atlantic | 9 |
| Pacific | 7 |
| Metropolitan | 5 |
| Central | 3 |
Skills Challenge Relay
Seven skaters and one goalie represented each team in the Skills Challenge Relay, which consisted of two heats of divisional matchups from each conference.
Each team had to score three one-timers, convert passes over a barrier into small nets, have one skater slalom through a designed course and have another one handle a puck through tight obstacles.
NBCSN showed Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban weaving his way through one of the courses:
To top it off, the goalie had to score a goal while standing in his own crease. Montreal Canadiens netminder Carey Price scored on his first chance, helping the Metropolitan Division post the fastest time, as NHL on NBC shared:
Here are the results from the relay:
| One Timers | Duncan Keith (CHI), Ryan Suter (MIN), Vladimir Tarasenko (STL) | Joe Pavelski (SJS), Ryan Kesler (ANA), Jeff Carter (LAK) |
| Passing | Jonathan Toews (CHI) | Drew Doughty (LAK) |
| Puck Control | Tyler Seguin (DAL) | Cam Fowler (ANA) |
| Stick-Handling | Patrick Kane (CHI) | Johnny Gaudreau (CAL) |
| Goalie Goals | Devan Dubnyk (MIN) | Mike Smith (ARI) |
| One Timers | Erik Karlsson (OTT), Vincent Trocheck (FLA), Kyle Okposo (BUF) | Seth Jones (CBJ), Alex Ovechkin (WSH), Wayne Simmonds (PHI) |
| Passing | Frans Nielsen (DET) | John Tavares (NYI) |
| Puck Control | Brad Marchand (BOS) | Justin Faulk (CAR) |
| Stick-Handling | Auston Matthews (TOR) | Sidney Crosby (PIT) |
| Goalie Goals | Carey Price (MTL) | Braden Holtby (WSH) |
Four Line Challenge
A newcomer to the Skills Competition, the Four Line Challenge consisted of four All-Stars from each team shooting from four different locations on the ice.
The first spot was the near blue line, where shooters earned a point for scoring in the upper left or upper right corner.
The next group of shooters had to score in any of the four corners of the goal from center ice. Goals in the lower corners earned one point, while goals in the upper corners were worth three points.
Moving further away from the goal, the third group of shooters attempted to snipe the corners or go five-hole from the far blue line. Lower-corner and five-hole goals were worth one point, while successful shots in the top corners earned five points.
Finally, the fourth group of shooters went from the far goal line in an attempt to score from almost 200 feet away, which was worth 10 points. However, a goalie could be substituted, and if he scored, his team was awarded 20 points:
| Nikita Kucherov (TBL) | Blue Line | 0 | Ryan McDonagh (NYR) | Blue Line | 0 |
| Erik Karlsson (OTT) | Center Ice | 0 | Wayne Simmonds (PHI) | Center Ice | 1 |
| Brad Marchand (BOS) | Far Blue | 0 | Taylor Hall (NJD) | Far Blue | 0 |
| Shea Weber (MTL) | Far Goal | 0 | Seth Jones (CBJ) | Far Goal | 0 |
| Ryan Suter (MIN) | Blue Line | 1 | Joe Pavelski (SJS) | Blue Line | 0 |
| Tyler Seguin (DAL) | Center Ice | 0 | Brent Burns (SJS) | Center Ice | 3 |
| P.K. Subban (NSH) | Far Blue | 0 | Ryan Kesler (ANA) | Far Blue | 0 |
| Nathan MacKinnon (COL) | Far Goal | 0 | Mike Smith (ARI) | Far Goal | 20 |
Arizona Coyotes goalie Mike Smith delivered the point to the Pacific Division by hitting the five-hole from the opposite end of the ice, via NHL on NBC:
Even the Tampa Bay Lightning were impressed:
Accuracy Shooting
The sharpest shooters in the league took part in two head-to-head heats per conference.
Participants had to hit all four 15-inch-diameter targets placed in the four corners of the goal in the fastest time to win their respective matchups.
The winner of each head-to-head matchup received one point, while the player with the fastest time overall got a bonus point for his team.
If anyone were to break Daniel Sedin's record of 7.3 seconds, another point would be awarded to that player:
| Kyle Okposo (BUF): 15.97 | vs. | John Tavares (NYI): 26.810 | Atlantic (1) |
| Auston Matthews (TOR): 12.28 | vs. | Sidney Crosby (PIT): 10.73 | Metropolitan (2) |
| Patrik Laine (WIN): 21.82 | vs. | Connor McDavid (EDM): 15.64 | Pacific (1) |
| Patrick Kane (CHI): 18.95 | vs. | Jeff Carter (LAK): 17.66 | Pacific (1) |
The matchup of the night came in the form of Toronto Maple Leafs 2016 No. 1 overall pick Auston Matthews against Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.
While Matthews laid down a fast time of 12.28 seconds, Crosby came out and edged him with a time of 10.73 seconds, as Sportsnet shared:
Crosby's time not only won his matchup, but it was also the quickest time overall, giving the Metropolitan Division the bonus point.
It was also his way of telling the young guns like Matthews and Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid (20) that it isn't their time just yet.
Fastest Skater
Each division went head-to-head twice as the league looked to find its fastest skater in 2017.
The winner of each matchup earned a point, with the fastest skater overall receiving a bonus point. Another bonus point was up for grabs if anyone could beat Dylan Larkin's record one-lap time of 13.172 seconds:
| Nikita Kucherov (TBL): 13.16 | vs. | Cam Atkinson (CBJ): 13.33 | Atlantic (1) |
| Vincent Trocheck (FLA): 13.32 | vs. | Wayne Simmonds (PHI): 13.65 | Atlantic (1) |
| Patrik Laine (WIN): 13.42 | vs. | Bo Horvat (VAN): 13.43 | Central (1) |
| Nathan MacKinnon (COL): 13.62 | vs. | Connor McDavid (EDM): 13.02 | Pacific (2) |
McDavid easily handled Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche in his matchup, posting the best time of the night at 13.02 seconds, as NHL on NBC shared:
That earned him a chance to complete one lap around the ice in an attempt to break Larkin's record, but he fell just short, as his lap clocked in at 13.31 seconds.
Hardest Shot
As the headlining event of the night, the Hardest Shot competition brought out the most powerful shooters in the league.
Each shooter got two attempts from 30 feet away and unleashed their hardest slap shots:
| Victor Hedman (TBL): 94.2 mph | vs. | Seth Jones (CBJ): 98.1 mph | Metropolitan (1) |
| Shea Weber (MTL): 102.8 mph | vs. | Alex Ovechkin (WSH): 97.8 mph | Atlantic (2) |
| Patrik Laine (WIN): 101.7 mph | vs. | Brent Burns (SJS): 97.7 mph | Central (1) |
| Nathan MacKinnon (COL): 92.3 mph | vs. | Drew Doughty (LAK): 94.6 mph | Pacific (1) |
For the third straight year, Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber won the Hardest Shot competition at 102.8 mph, as NHL on NBC shared:
While he narrowly edged Winnipeg Jets rookie Patrik Laine, Weber's mark was almost six mph slower than the 108.1 mph he posted last year and the 108.5 mph mark he hit two years ago.
Shootout
The night ended in a free-for-all, as the Atlantic and Pacific Division teams, which recorded the most points in their respective conferences, sent out nine skaters and two goaltenders for a classic shootout.
For each goal scored, a point was awarded, while two points were given to the player who scored with a specially marked puck:
| Brad Marchand (BOS) | Scored | Drew Doughty (LAK) | Saved |
| Nikita Kucherov (TBL) | Saved | Joe Pavelski (SJS) | Saved |
| Victor Hedman (TBL) | Saved | Bo Horvat (VAN) | Saved |
| Shea Weber (MTL) | Scored | Cam Fowler (ANA) | Saved |
| Frans Nielsen (DET) | Saved | Ryker Kesler (ANA) | Scored |
| Erik Karlsson (OTT) | Saved | Connor McDavid (EDM) | Saved |
| Kyle Okposo (BUF) | Saved | Johnny Gaudreau (CGY) | Saved |
| Sidney Crosby (PIT) | Scored* | Patrick Kane (CHI) | Saved* |
| Vincent Trocheck (FLA) | Saved | Brent Burns (SJS) | Saved |
| Auston Matthews (TOR) | Saved | Jeff Carter (LAK) | Saved |
| Final Score | 4 | Final Score | 1 |
The Pacific Division didn't have much of a chance against Price in goal, as it beat him only once. But it wasn't an NHL star who was able to break through.
Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Kesler's son took his spot on the shootout roster and beat Price by going five-hole, via NHL on NBC:
As the winners of the NHL All-Star Skills Competition, the Atlantic Division chose to play the Metropolitan Division during Sunday's All-Star Game after the Pacific Division plays the Central Division.
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