Possibly the best part of the entire weekend will be held tonight at Nationwide Arena, though it may be hard to top Alex Ovechkin’s antics last night. The 2015 Skills Competition starts at 7 p.m. EST, and Filip Forsberg and Shea Weber have their assignments.
To the surprise of no one, Weber will be competing the the AMP Hardest Shot event. He and Team Toews teammates Brent Seabrook, Aaron Ekblad and Justin Faulk will face off against Team Foligno’s Ovechkin, Brent Burns, Steven Stamkos and Dustin Byfuglien. The octed will take turns unleashing their strength on a poor, defenseless puck, until one of them has proved they have the most pee-inducing slapper in the league. Weber is the odd’s favorite to win, but he is still being pretty humble on the whole thing.
Here is the official format from the press release:
Four shooters from each team will test their slap shot
skill in a head-to-head match-up. Each player will attempt two shots, with
teams alternating after each player. One puck will be placed 30 feet from
the center of the net. Each shot will be calculated in miles per hour
(mph), with the highest speed of their two shots recorded. Five team points
are available. The winner of each match-up scores one point; the team with
the player who has the fastest speed scores one bonus point.
Meanwhile, Forsberg will have a roll in the second part of the Gatorade NHL Skills Challenge Relay against fellow Swede, Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Each relay will have seven events, and Forsberg will be showing off his stick handling prowess we’ve seen all season.
This timed relay event – involving 14 skaters and one
goalie from each team – will consist of five challenges: One-Timers, with
three shooters and one passer per team; Passing, with one passer per team;
Puck Control, with one skater per team; Stick-Handling, with one skater per
team; and Goalie Goals, with one goalie per team. Each challenge must be
completed before moving on to the next one. The goal is to finish all five
challenges faster than the opponent. Three team points are available. The
team with the fastest time in each heat scores one point; the team with the
fastest overall time scores one bonus point.
So you’ll definitely want to pay attention to those two events, but the entire night should be one to tune in for. There will be six events total, with the Fastest Skater, Breakaway Challenge, Accuracy Shooting, and every player participating in a Shootout. Stick with us right here as we have all the highlights and updates for you tonight.
Skills Challenge will be at 6 p.m. CST on NBCSN.
All the info on the skaters and the events from the official NHL press release:
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The National Hockey League
announced today the All-Star and rookie assignments for tonight’s 2015
Honda NHL All-Star Skills CompetitionTM at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. A
fan favorite that has showcased hockey’s top talent at NHL All-Star Weekend
since 1990, the event will be broadcast live on NBCSN in the U.S. and on
CBC and TVA Sports in Canada at 7 p.m., ET.
Team Foligno, captained by forward Nick Foligno of the All-Star host
Columbus Blue Jackets, will compete against Team Toews, led by Chicago
Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, throughout the night for points in the
overall team vs. team competition. Individual champions also will be
crowned. The NHL All-Stars and rookies will participate in six events:
* Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater™
* Honda NHL Breakaway Challenge™
* DraftKings NHL Accuracy Shooting™
* Gatorade NHL Skills Challenge Relay™
* AMP NHL Hardest Shot™
* Discover NHL Shootout™
Earlier today, Foligno and his assistant captains Drew Doughty of the
Los Angeles Kings and Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks, plus Toews
and his assistants Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim Ducks and Rick Nash of the
New York Rangers, selected the skills participants from the teams they
picked last night at the 2015 NHL All-Star Fantasy Draft™ presented by
DraftKings. The order of participation will be determined by the captains
just before the start of each event.
Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater™
Team Foligno Team Toews
Phil Kessel, TOR Tyler Seguin, DAL
Jonathan Drouin, TB Mike Hoffman, OTT
Jiri Sekac, MTL Aaron Ekblad, FLA
Zemgus Girgensons, BUF Vladimir Tarasenko, STL
Event description: Four players from each team will test their speed,
facing off against an opponent in a two-skater race. The race track is the
entire outside border of the ice. Timing devices will record each skater to
determine who is the fastest. If a race ends in a tie, each of the teams
will be awarded one point. If, at the completion of the event, the skaters
who tied have the fastest overall time, the skaters will race again to
determine which team receives the bonus point. Five team points are
available. The winner of each match-up scores one point; the team with the
fastest skater scores one bonus point.
Honda NHL Breakaway Challenge™
Team Foligno Team Toews
Alex Ovechkin, WSH Vladimir Tarasenko, STL
Claude Giroux, PHI Jakub Voracek, PHI
Ryan Johansen, CBJ Johnny Gaudreau, CGY
Brian Elliott, STL (goaltender) Corey Crawford, CHI (goaltender)
Event description: A test of creativity a player can insert into a
breakaway, three shooters and one goaltender from each team will
participate. Columbus’ Ryan Johansen was selected by fans to participate in
this event in an online vote. Each skater will attempt three shots. NHL
penalty shot rules do not apply. Fans in-arena and watching on television
will be able to vote for their favorite player on Twitter by casting their
vote using the hashtag that corresponds to the player of their choice. The
shooter with the highest fan vote will score one point for his team.
DraftKings NHL Accuracy Shooting™
Team Foligno Team Toews
Bobby Ryan, OTT Ryan Getzlaf, ANA
Nick Foligno, CBJ Patrice Bergeron, BOS
Radim Vrbata, VAN John Tavares, NYI
Patrick Kane, CHI Jonathan Toews, CHI
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM (passer) Rick Nash, NYR (passer)
Anze Kopitar, LAK (passer) Patrik Elias, NJ (passer)
Event description: Four players from each team will compete, with two
additional players serving as passers. This event will consist of four
head-to-head match-ups, one shooter from each team per round. The goal is
to hit four 15-inch diameter targets located in each corner of the net. The
teams will be situated at opposite ends of the rink, and will alternate
shot attempts. The first shooter to hit all four targets wins. Five team
points are available. The winner of each match-up scores one point; the
player who hits all four targets in the fastest time scores the bonus
point.
Gatorade NHL Skills Challenge Relay™
Team Foligno Team Toews
Relay 1 Relay 1
Drew Doughty, LAK (one-timer RH) Shea Weber, NSH (one-timer RH)
Ryan Johansen, CBJ (one-timer RH) Justin Faulk, CAR (one-timer RH)
Steven Stamkos, TBL (one-timer RH) Tyler Seguin, DAL (one-timer RH)
Brent Burns, SJS (one-time passer) Ryan Getzlaf, ANA (one-time passer)
Anze Kopitar, LAK (mini net passer) John Tavares, NYI (mini net passer)
Kevin Shattenkirk, STL (puck control) Johnny Gaudreau, CGY (puck
control)
Patrick Kane, CHI (stick handling) Mike Hoffman, OTT (stick handling)
Carey Price, MTL (goalie goals) Jaroslav Halak, NYI (goalie goals)
Relay 2 Relay 2
Zemgus Girgensons, BUF (one-timer LH) Mark Giordano, CGY (one-timer LH)
Duncan Keith, CHI (one-timer LH) Ryan Suter, MIN (one-timer LH)
Nick Foligno, CBJ (one-timer LH) Jakub Voracek, PHI (one-timer LH)
Jiri Sekac, MTL (one-time passer) Patrice Bergeron, BOS (one-time passer)
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM (mini net passer) Tyler Johnson, TBL (mini
net passer)
Drew Doughty, LAK (puck control) Vladimir Tarasenko, STL (puck control)
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI (stick handling) Filip Forsberg, NSH (stick
handling)
Marc-Andre Fleury, PIT (goalie goals) Roberto Luongo, FLA (goalie
goals)
Event description: This timed relay event – involving 14 skaters and one
goalie from each team – will consist of five challenges: One-Timers, with
three shooters and one passer per team; Passing, with one passer per team;
Puck Control, with one skater per team; Stick-Handling, with one skater per
team; and Goalie Goals, with one goalie per team. Each challenge must be
completed before moving on to the next one. The goal is to finish all five
challenges faster than the opponent. Three team points are available. The
team with the fastest time in each heat scores one point; the team with the
fastest overall time scores one bonus point.
AMP NHL Hardest Shot™
Team Foligno Team Toews
Alex Ovechkin, WSH Brent Seabrook, CHI
Brent Burns, SJS Aaron Ekblad, FLA
Steven Stamkos, TBL Justin Faulk, CAR
Dustin Byfuglien, WPG Shea Weber, NSH
Event description: Four shooters from each team will test their slap shot
skill in a head-to-head match-up. Each player will attempt two shots, with
teams alternating after each player. One puck will be placed 30 feet from
the center of the net. Each shot will be calculated in miles per hour
(mph), with the highest speed of their two shots recorded. Five team points
are available. The winner of each match-up scores one point; the team with
the player who has the fastest speed scores one bonus point.
Discover NHL Shootout™
Team Foligno Team Toews
Round 1 Round 1
Alex Ovechkin, WSH Patrice Bergeron, BOS
Kevin Shattenkirk, STL Mike Hoffman, OTT
Patrick Kane, CHI Tyler Seguin, DAL
Dustin Byfuglien, WPG Aaron Ekblad, FLA
Zemgus Girgensons, BUF Shea Weber, NSH
Nick Foligno, CBJ Vladimir Tarasenko, STL
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM Ryan Suter, MIN
Brian Elliott, STL (goaltender) Jaroslav Halak, NYI (goaltender)
Round 2 Round 2
Jonathan Drouin, TB Justin Faulk, CAR
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI Johnny Gaudreau, CGY
Brent Burns, SJS John Tavares, NYI
Jiri Sekac, MTL Brent Seabrook, CHI
Duncan Keith, CHI Patrik Elias, NJD
Anze Kopitar, LAK Rick Nash, NYR
Radim Vrbata, VAN Mark Giordano, CGY
Marc-Andre Fleury, PIT (goaltender) Roberto Luongo, FLA (goaltender)
Round 3 Round 3
Bobby Ryan, OTT Ryan Getzlaf, ANA
Phil Kessel, TOR John Tavares, NYI
Ryan Johansen, CBJ Jonathan Toews, CHI
Drew Doughty, LAK Filip Forsberg, NSH
Steven Stamkos, TBL Tyler Seguin, DAL
Claude Giroux, PHI Jakub Voracek, PHI
Nick Foligno, CBJ Rick Nash, NYR
Carey Price, MTL (goaltender) Corey Crawford, CHI (goaltender)
Event description: All players will participate in this three-round
shootout. During each two-minute round, seven skaters and one goalie from
each team will take the ice. The goalies will take their place in net, and
the skaters will line up in the offensive zone, facing their opposing
goalie. Each player is given 10 seconds to take a shot. Teams will
alternate after each shot until the two-minute clock runs down. Every third
puck will be a Discover card puck, which is worth more points. Each scoring
attempt is officiated following NHL shootout rules. Points available: one
point for every goal scored; two points for every goal scored with a
Discover card puck.