Two of the National Hockey League's (NHL) most prominent stars, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews, crossed swords in Tuesday's game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers, but their next meeting will be fast approaching and a whole new experience offer different problem.
If McDavid and his Alberta teammates had the upper hand over the Leafs, 4-2, there's no guarantee Matthews will still be in a loser's shoes when he sees No. 97 again. This reunion will take place during the annual NHL skill competition event as part of All-Star Game weekend. And the event scheduled for February 2 on the TVA Sports channel will take place at the Scotiabank Arena in front of the fans of the Ontario team forward.
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Additionally, the two men and ten other contestants will compete to claim the winner's prize money, which is $1 million. Other players set to try their luck include Leon Draisaitl (Oilers), William Nylander (Leafs), Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche) and Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks).
Although this type of competition will not impact the NHL standings, participants are eager to showcase their skills at the highest level, with McDavid leading the way.
“I’m preparing for that. I think after the last presentation last year everyone agreed that changes are needed. “I think the idea of just crowning one champion with some money should make it a little more entertaining and hopefully more competitive,” McDavid told NHL.com. They will have 12 of the best players in the world. I think they will be very good at whatever they do.”
discontent
In fact, the NHL has noted high levels of dissatisfaction with the 2023 competition; Additionally, as Sportsnet network journalist Elliotte Friedman reported in November, she sought McDavid's thoughtful ear to find possible solutions. It must be said that the relevance of certain events, especially the combination of golf and hockey, raised doubts. Few seemed interested in watching some of them, including winner Nick Suzuki, who tees off on the putting green with a hockey stick and a white puck.
“In my opinion it's good. Certainly it's different and I think the previous stuff was a bit dated. “It’s never a bad thing to change,” Matthews said.
Following the skills competition, the All-Star Game will take place on February 3rd, also on TVA Sports.