The NHL rolled out a revamped Skills Competition at this year’s All Star weekend with events shaped with the assistance of Connor McDavid and feedback from others around the league.
In a clear-cut case of knowing the answers ahead of time, McDavid cruised to victory in the event, taking home the $1 million prize as Skills Competition champion.
McDavid’s win probably happens if he wasn’t the one helping creating the guidelines for the night, but his involvement adds a bit of comedy to it all. But it wasn’t McDavid’s win that was the headline, it was an energetic showing from the players chosen to participate in the reimagined event. With five events joining a trio of mainstays, the players (with one notable exception) were engaged in each event and were giving noticeable efforts at times. It was a breath of fresh air into an event that had leaned way too much into hokey events and strayed from showcasing the true talents of the players on the ice.
The league deserves credit for taking on the challenge of reshaping the event and looking at it with new eyes. The result was an entertaining product that ought to hold its excitement for some time, especially considering there won’t be another All Star Game for two years while the league re-engages with international competition. With that in mind, here are some grades on the Skills Competition events and some notes on where continued improvements can be made.
Fastest Skater – A
It’s one of the most exciting contests year after year in this event, probably because it’s hard to cheat. You either go all out or your time suffers. McDavid turned on the afterburners to take this home and while he’s been shortchanged by Dylan Larkin’s running start in 2016, maintaining the traditional format is one of the best choices the league has made.
Hardest Shot – B+
This is the one event that was really hampered by the limited field. Last year’s winner, Elias Pettersson, didn’t hit for a big number and without big guns or specialist types, this event will suffer more than others. That shouldn’t affect its status as a mainstay, but under the current format, the promise for a showdown between two big guns is diminished.
Stick Handling – A-
This event could’ve used a touch more fire from the players, but given the setting, there’s only so much you can dog them for when it comes to going at top speed. The one thing the Skills Competition has lacked in recent years are events that can really show just how difficult certain aspects of the game are and how easy the world’s best can make them look. Therefore, bringing this event back into the fold was welcome. Not only is there a pang of nostalgia for the puck control relays of the 90s and 2000s, but this is an event that can showcase the insane skills the league’s best players possess. This can only get better if they find a way to amp up the speed and intensity.
One Timers – B
Even the best intentions for making an event that will be a challenge can get laid bare by the skill of these players. I think in theory, the narrow, four-point section of the net for the one timers was the right way to build the scoring. But in practice, the players are so good at finding the top shelf that it looked like many were just out for an easy skate as they cashed top shelf shots left and right.
The event itself is a good one. It’s functional within the bounds of the game as opposed to being an obvious gimmick and doesn’t lend itself to sleepwalking through the event. It might just need a tweak or two to come across as slightly more challenging and, therefore, a better showcase for the players. Maybe a window in the top corner of each net worth five points which, in turn, shrinks the four point window. That might be all that’s needed to ramp this one up a bit more.
Passing Challenge – B-
This was my least favorite event of the night and I think the one contest best suited for further tweaks. The time allotment was such that the players didn’t need to give much of an effort to complete the circuit and much like the One Timers, I’m not sure the targets properly illustrated just how good these guys can be. As we saw, the mini nets can be deadly (more on that later), so those may not be the best choice, but a different shape or format for the targets might be a good addition. I’d also contend that rearranging the course so that the players are forced to make saucer passes and passes from behind the net or dealing with obstacles could up the ante a bit. And if the time limit was lowered, the players would be forced to get on their horse a bit more than we saw on Friday.
Accuracy Shooting – A+
Blowing up foam targets on four consecutive shots from the slot. No notes. Even if we hadn’t been treated to a four-for-four ace from Connor McDavid, Accuracy Shooting is always better when it’s an analog event and it should stay that way forever.
One on One – A
The best of the new events for this year’s contest. Not only because the goalies stole the show, but the players had to work at this one. Every player had to be on their horse by the end as they tried to score with the two-point pucks and each of them were gassed at the end of their round. I feel like there could be a few tweaks made to the layout that would not only favor the shooters and open things up a bit more, but this event was a winner from the get go.
Obstacle Course – A-
This event is something I’ve been hoping the NHL would take on for quite some time. An event that can showcase the player’s ability to stickhandle at speed should always be a mainstay of this night. I think the league overdid it with the light up gates that were placed at random. I would’ve cut down on the total number and used a set layout that covered more ice in an effort to encourage the players to not only hit it at speed but carry as much speed as they could through that section. The version we got was a little too cluttered and didn’t do a good enough job of illustrating each player’s skill as a result. If there were fewer gates spread over a larger area, you could really see the skating and stick-handling skill shine through.
The rest of the layout was great. Weaving through cones is a Skill Competition staple that I was happy to see return and the mini nets were an evil bit of trickery. I’d be curious to see if there is a viable alternative to the mini net saucer passes since they do kind of kill the flow a bit, but the required precision is a nice addition to this event. This could be a winner with an adjustment to the light up gates.
Two in the Box 
