Yesterday, I recapped my experience at the 2023 NHL Skills Competition, and I was thrilled to report that, for once, the event didn’t let me down.
The league did so much to make that event entertaining, and it really paid off.
As for today and the actual All-Star game itself, my expectations were not quite as high. This thing has been a dud for as long as I can remember and with the format being almost the exact same as it was in years past, I wasn’t expecting to be blown away.
The event really was the same as all the others to begin. The start of the game between Team McDavid and Team MacKinnon was just flat-out painful to watch. For 15 minutes, they just floated around and then down by two goals late, Team McDavid decided to actually start trying, and they quickly potted two goals, with the Oilers Captain tying the game with just 5.4 seconds to go.
In a STUNNING turn of events, one of the teams began trying and this got interesting! McDavid ties it up with 5.4 seconds to go.
— Tyler Yaremchuk (@tyleryaremchuk) February 3, 2024
The opener went to a shootout where McDavid opened the scoring and David Pastrnak completed the comeback with a nasty shootout winner.
Team McDavid wins in a shootout!
It was 3-1 in favor of Team MacKinnon with a minute left but they pulled the goalie and got it tied!
It’s really hard to stop Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, David Pastrnak, and Sam Reinhart at the same time.
— Vinnie Parise (@VinnieParise) February 3, 2024
While I did rag on how boring the fantasy draft was on Thursday night, I do love that it gave us a chance to see some superstars that we’ve never seen play together team up. McDavid, Pastrnak and Draisaitl had some pretty good chemistry.
The other semi-final game was between Team Matthews and Team Hughes. It had similar drama and went to a shootout as well. Team Matthews got the victory and the crowd let their presence be known.
McDavid vs Matthews really was the perfect end to this event. The hometown boys trying to stop McDavid’s perfect weekend.
It was refreshing to see the effort level spike up in the final. I guess with $1 million on the line again, the players figure “We’re already out here, might as well try a little bit.” McDavid even got his speed up to just over 37 kph at one point!
Ultimately, it was Team Matthews that got the last laugh as they walked away with the victory despite a late push from Team McDavid.
The home crowd went home happy.
With the game all wrapped up, here’s a little bit more about what I loved, hated, and what I would change for this event next season.
"This is a dream."
Justin Bieber is just happy to be here at the @Rogers #NHLAllStar Game. pic.twitter.com/sp8CFJd7qN
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 3, 2024
LOLLLLL #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/lZsojTJU3R
— Rusty the Reckless Optimist (@PoppaRusty) February 3, 2024
This weekend is turning me into a big Michael Buble guy. He's been one of the most fun parts of the weekend.
— Baggedmilk, Oily Boy (@jsbmbaggedmilk) February 3, 2024
Listen, it’s never going to be perfect and this weekend is largely for sponsors and younger fans. I do still applaud the league for making some really solid changes to this year’s All-Star festivities.
I won’t give them an A+ or anything, but they definitely get a passing grade for putting together the best All-Star weekend that I’ve personally gotten to attend.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!