Former longtime Florida Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo will appear at the 2023 NHL All-Star skills competition, hosted by the Panthers at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Feb. 3.
Luongo, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022, will participate as the “celebrity goaltender” in the Great Clips NHL Breakaway Challenge, per an announcement from the team.
An alumnus of 11 seasons with the Panthers, Luongo is the only player whose jersey number is retired by the team. He holds Panthers franchise records for most wins, shutouts and games played in both a single season and a career.
While Luongo will feature in one event at the competition, five elite women’s hockey players will make appearances throughout the evening. Team USA forwards Alex Carpenter and Hilary Knight will be joined in Sunrise by Canadian stars Sarah Nurse, Rebecca Johnston and Emily Clark.
There are seven events slated to take place at the 2023 NHL All-Star skills competition, with the following three being new this year:
Enterprise NHL Splash Shot: Set on the beach at Fort Lauderdale, this event features eight players divided into four teams of two. Players are required to hit all the targets before attempting to dunk their opponents, the winner being the one to dunk his or her opponents first.
Chipotle NHL Pitch ‘n Puck: Players combine their hockey and golf skills on a par-4 golf hole featuring an island green. Six players will participate, the winner being the one who successfully sinks the puck/ball in the hole with the fewest shots using a combination of hockey and golf shots. If there’s a tie, the longest drive determines the winner.
Discover NHL Tendy Tandem: Eight goalies will work in tandems, one shooting and the other in net (Central vs. Pacific and Atlantic vs. Metro divisions). The shooting goalie from a division will take a shot from a designated mark and will be awarded three points if the shot goes in the hole, two if it hits the in-net target and zero if it misses the net. Play continues until all pucks have been shot and is repeated for the second goalie pairing, and the goalie tandem with the most points wins.
Rounding out the slate of events are the Upper Deck NHL Fastest Skater, GEICO NHL Hardest Shot, Great Clips NHL Breakaway Challenge and Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting — all returning from previous skills competitions. The winner of each event will receive $30,000.
The 2023 NHL All-Star Weekend will conclude with the three-on-three tournament, featuring teams from each of the league's four divisions, on Feb. 4.
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