SUNRISE | There is a desire to reinvent yourself with new challenges on the beach and on a golf course. But there is also a risk of losing the essence of a skill contest. The NHL did not win their bet on their formula for the Skills component of the All-Star Game at the FLA Live Arena.
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To tell the truth, it was dead boring. Panthers fans, who in normal times don’t have a reputation for setting the building on fire, watched the sad spectacle without making too much noise. We will forgive them as they had no reason to jump out of their seats.
Sergei Ovechkin, Alexander’s four-year-old boy, entertained the brave believers in the stands with some skating and shooting between competitions.
Svechnikov, the fastest
In a more traditional and more interesting event, Andreï Svechnikov won the title of fastest skater. The Carolina Hurricanes winger completed an ice round in 13,699. In the final, Svechnikov defeated the Los Angeles Kings’ Kevin Fiala.
Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, considered a very good contender for the crown, fell during his round.
Shea Weber and Zdeno Chara hung up their skates. A new winner was identified in the test of the strongest shot. Elias Pettersson, a 6-foot-2, 176-pound center, showed that weight wasn’t the only factor in landing a hard shot.
The Vancouver Canucks center won by 103.2 mph. The Buffalo Sabers’ Rasmus Dahlin is the only other player to break the 100-mile mark (102.3).
Alex Ovechkin finished fifth with a shot at 95.1 mph. The Capitals captain hit the post on his first down.
In the Raymond Bourque
Connor McDavid lived up to his reputation. Despite not competing in the fastest skater event, the Oilers phenom hit a perfect four-on-four shooting accuracy in the opening round. He paid tribute to Raymond Bourque, who was then the king of this event.
However, in the final of that competition, Brock Nelson defeated Nazem Kadri, who had eliminated McDavid in the semifinals.
As an aside, Nick Suzuki, the sole representative of CH, won the crazy competition on a golf course that mixed hockey and golf.