NHL Morning Skate – Feb. 5, 2022

2022 NHL All-Star Skills Competition Winners

PIETRANGELO USES HOMETOWN ADVANTAGE TO WIN BREAKAWAY SHOOTOUT
Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo enlisted the help of Las Vegas favorite Carrot Top and the KNIGHTLINE drum line to win the adidas NHL Breakaway Challenge as the competition returned for the first time since 2016. He was put over the top by some creative judging from friend, actor and St. Louis native Jon Hamm – Pietrangelo captained the Blues to their first Stanley Cup in 2019 before joining Vegas in 2020-21.

Other highlights of the event saw Trevor Zegras channel his favorite movie, Dodgeball.

. . . and Jack Hughes uses a little Vegas magic!

KYROU BECOMES FIRST BLUES PLAYER TO WIN FASTEST SKATER
Blues forward Jordan Kyrou (13.550 seconds) skated the fastest lap in the Verizon NHL Fastest Skater to edge out Kings forward Adrian Kempe (13.585) and the rest of the field that included three-time winner Connor McDavid who finished fourth (13.690).

• Kyrou became the first Blues player to win the Fastest Skater event. A St. Louis player has claimed one of the individual events at All-Star Skills in three of the last four seasons festivities have been held (also Jordan Binnington: Save Streak in 2020; Alex Pietrangelo: Passing Challenge in 2018).
• Colorado’s Cale Makar (13.834) posted the fastest time by a defenseman in the full-lap format since Scott Niedermayer in 2004. Overall, it is a top-six time on record for a full-lap by a defenseman.

HEDMAN CLAIMS FIRST CAREER HARDEST SHOT TITLE
Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman, who topped triple digits on both attempts, claimed his first career EA SPORTS NHL Hardest Shot title with a top speed of 103.2 miles per hour. Hedman became the first Lightning defenseman to win the event – forward Freddy Modin also won Hardest Shot while representing Tampa Bay in 2001 (102.1 mph). Defensemen have claimed the Hardest Shot title in 23 of 26 competitions all-time.

AHO SECOND STRAIGHT HURRICANE TO WIN ACCURACY SHOOTING
Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho (10.937 seconds) required the least amount of time to break all four targets in Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting, marking the second consecutive time a Carolina skater has won the event after Jaccob Slavin (9.505 seconds) also did so in 2020.

WERENSKI, PAVELSKI WIN NEW VEGAS-THEMED COMPETITIONS
Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski and Stars forward Joe Pavelski won the two Las Vegas themed events. Werenski edged Predators blueliner Roman Josi in the final of the Discover NHL Fountain Face-Off at the Fountains of Bellagio, while Pavelski outlasted four others to be named Puck Shark and take the Las Vegas 21 in ’22 from Las Vegas Boulevard.

VASILEVSKY, CAMPBELL TEAM UP FOR SAVE STREAK VICTORY
Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell combined to stop nine consecutive shots to give the Atlantic Division the victory in the Dunkin’ NHL Save Streak.

500 STUDENTS GET EARLY VIP ACCESS TO FAN FAIR

The Las Vegas Convention Center became the site of a scavenger hunt — and a place of learning — at the 2022 NHL All-Star Future Goals Kids Day presented by SAP. Some 500 local students who have participated in the NHL/NHLPA Future Goals program were treated to the VIP experience at the 2022 Truly Hard Seltzer NHL Fan Fair, which is open to the public each of the next two days.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS, ESPN AND NHL TO BUILD BALL-HOCKEY RINK IN LAS VEGAS
The Vegas Golden Knights, ESPN, and the NHL announced a commitment to build a brand-new ball hockey rink in Las Vegas, Nev., as a legacy to the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend.

• Working in partnership with The Mayor’s Fund for Las Vegas LIFE and the City of Las Vegas Parks and Recreation Department, the Golden Knights, ESPN and NHL will build the rink in a community that currently has no ball hockey facility, increasing access to the game. The Mayor’s Fund is a vehicle for corporate and philanthropic partners to support programs that advance City priorities and improve quality of life.

2022 HONDA NHL ALL-STAR GAME TAKES CENTER STAGE ON SATURDAY

The brightest stars from around the League will hit the ice for the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Saturday which will see a return of the 3-on-3 tournament format, the same used in each of the past five All-Star Games. The Metropolitan Division will face the Pacific Division in the first match, followed by the Atlantic Division versus the Central Division, with the two winners meeting in the final.

• The Pacific Division has won the 3-on-3 tournament format in three of the five years of its existence including the most recent occurrence in 2020 (also 2016 & 2018), while the Metropolitan Division has claimed the other two (2017 & 2019).
• Twenty-one players are expected to make their All-Star debut in Vegas, including hometown stars Mark Stone and Jonathan Marchessault. Aside from the inaugural game in 1947, only three previous All-Star Games have had 21+ players make their debut: 1981 (25), 2011 (22) and 1980 (21).

2023 NHL All-Star City Announced

The Florida Panthers will host the 2023 Honda NHL® All-Star Weekend at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla.

The 2023 Honda NHL® All-Star Weekend will include the 2023 NHL All-Star Skills™ on Friday, Feb. 3 and the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Saturday, Feb. 4. The 2023 event will mark the second time the Panthers and South Florida host NHL All-Star activities, as the Panthers previously hosted the NHL All-Star Game in 2003.