Rafaël Harvey-Pinard has impressed since his recall and he has certainly won the hearts of new fans by spectacularly winning the marksmanship event this morning in front of a Bell Center packed with young amateurs during the competition.
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It took Harvey-Pinard just four shots to hit all four targets in just 9.311 seconds, beating Connor McDavid at the last NHL All-Star Weekend. Earlier this month, the Edmonton Oilers star drove a four-for-four in Florida in 9.497 seconds.
“I did not expect that [battre McDavid] and I was even a little stressed because if you miss a few in a row you look a bit bad. But in the end it went really well, I’m very happy,” Harvey-Pinard told reporters with a smile.
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Justin Barron also did well with a perfect performance of 9.603 seconds.
Belzile surprised
Harvey-Pinard wasn’t the only Quebecer to shine, to the delight of the fans who attended the public practice session. The event was back after a two-year absence due to the pandemic.
If Cole Caufield wasn’t injured, many fans would have bet he would have won the fastest skating event. But in his absence, it was Alex Belzile who surprised everyone.
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The American League veteran lapped the ice in 13.744 seconds, narrowly beating defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic (13.908s).
“I ate two bacon eggs this morning! Belzile started in the middle of the rink to explain. I don’t really have a technique, I just pushed and it worked.”
Matheson’s strength
Then Mike Matheson had the hardest shot with a 100.9 mph hit. Honorable mention to Michael Pezzetta and Kovacevic who broke the 100 mile mark twice.
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The young fans learned a bit more about Kovacevic, who excelled with his speed and reaching the final of the continuous shootout event. A new option for Martin St-Louis in the shootout…
After all, it was Chris Wideman who prevailed against substitute goalkeepers in this competition. Samuel Montembeault and Jake Allen only participated in skate practice to avoid injury. Allen also did well on precision shots and breakaways.