The NHL’s stars have descended upon Las Vegas for the 2022 All-Star Weekend. The festivities begin with the Skills Competition on Friday night, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Then on Saturday, the four divisional squads square off in a tournament to determine bragging rights… and a $1,000,000 payday split between the winning players. Those games begin at 3 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN+.
The weekend is also a chance for the NHL to let its proverbial hair down, and is usually a time for some colossal weirdness (in a good way); this year, there will be two new Vegas-themed events — the Fountain Face-Off and 21 in ’22 — that will take place outside on the Vegas Strip.
Before it all gets kicked off, our panel is here to answer some of the most burning questions, like who will win those vaunted skill contests on Friday, and much more.
Who will win the fastest skater competition?
Victoria Matiash, NHL analyst: Unless he blows a tire, Connor McDavid. And he won’t. The Oilers’ captain isn’t wired to fail in such fashion. But I like Detroit’s Dylan Larkin to earn the silver medal. Remember when he blew us away in the 2016 event as a teenager? He continues to be one to watch.
Arda Ocal, NHL host: This is McDavid’s event to lose. The second he envisions the puck on his stick and four to five defenders in front of him in the defensive zone (preferably wearing Rangers uniforms), he’s gone. Distant memory. Cloud of dust. He’s the Roadrunner doing laps around the anvil Wile E. Coyote tried to drop on his head. Congratulations to Connor McDavid, fastest skater in the universe.
Kristen Shilton, NHL reporter/writer: Can you bet against McDavid here? Well, sure. Should you bet against Connor McDavid here? Vegas would advise not. The Oilers’ captain can change speeds so quickly, it’ll make your head spin (just ask his opponents). And while this particular event is more about straight-line speed as opposed to zigging and zagging, there’s really no reason to think McDavid won’t apply the same pressure to the rest of this field that he did winning the fastest skater mantle three times already.
Greg Wyshynski, NHL reporter/writer: Cale Makar in an upset, preventing McDavid from becoming the first four-time winner of the event. Fun fact: Makar and McDavid both had a top skating speed of 24.1 MPH, according to the NHL. It’s said the Colorado Avalanche star skates like McDavid, if Connor were a defenseman. In Vegas, he’ll skate faster than McDavid, adding another highlight to a 2021-22 reel that’s slightly longer than the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy at this point.
Best guess on hardest shot and who you think will have it?
Matiash: Victor Hedman. The Tampa defender finished fourth in the event two years ago and the leading three aren’t participating this year. (Are we completely sure Zdeno Chara can’t be convinced to make a last-minute appearance? Because that would be fun.)
Ocal: I was going to go with Alex Ovechkin, but since he won’t be there anymore due to entering the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol, give me a complete surprise: Zdeno Chara is a surprise entrant and wins the whole thing…but then in an even bigger twist, hardest shot legends Al Iafrate and Al MacInnis show up unannounced and challenge Chara to a three-way hardest shot dance, sudden death. Give me all the hoopla, NHL!
Shilton: It’s Adam Pelech vs. Tom Wilson for me. Both first-timers at All-Star weekend. Both big-bodied players used to putting some serious weight behind a shot. If nothing else, I’m curious to see what the gun picks up on their shots. And I could see Pelech being the last man standing here.
Wyshynski: Bummer about Ovechkin. His entering the NHL COVID-19 protocol deprived us of watching the 2018 hardest shot champ compete — as well as everything that is Alex Ovechkin in Las Vegas. As usual, the NHL had some trouble finding players that wanted to participate in this event and that had the requisite shot speed.
The last time Ovechkin missed an All-Star Game, Capitals teammate John Carlson replaced him and won this event. I think history repeats here, as Tom Wilson replaces Ovi on the Metro roster and wins hardest shot, to the overwhelming joy of 31 other fan bases.
Matiash: It’s Vegas, baby; it’s supposed to be flashy and fun. Goodness knows we could all use a break after the past couple years, and kudos to the NHL — occasionally charged with taking itself a touch too seriously — for indulging in a little bit of necessary silliness. I’m only disappointed they’re not doing more. Nothing roulette-wheel themed, really? And the mini Eiffel Tower is right there. I’ll help workshop some ideas for next time.
Ocal: Let me be very clear: I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM. I want this to be a yearly thing: Think outside the box for at least one event each year and make it local. Brilliant. Creative. Fun. Everything I want hockey to be.
Shilton: The NHL takes a lot of heat for not being “fun” or “innovative.” Credit where it’s due here; shutting down Las Vegas Blvd. and fully embracing not just the Sin City vibes but gambling in general is certainly staying current with the times. And honestly, why not? Pre-COVID, All-Star Weekend was feeling a little stale, too run-of-the-mill, with many seen-it-before gimmicks. I love these concepts from the NHL. Are they non-traditional? Absolutely. Will they totally work? Who knows! But the beauty here is in the attempt.
Wyshynski: Whether these new events are good or not — and I have more hope for the “blackjack” one, although the Bellagio fountains one will be aesthetically awesome — isn’t the point. Rare is the occasion when the NHL tries something audacious and new. Sometimes it works, like making the All-Star Game a 3-on-3 tournament; sometimes it doesn’t, like that event where the NHL players had to carry the puck through holes in vertical stanchions, which I believe took seven hours to complete.
The point is: Keep trying. Especially at the All-Star Game, the improv class of sporting events. Much more in my column this week about All-Star innovations I’d like to see.
Which player will we all be talking about after Friday night?
Matiash: Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson after she blows everyone else out of the water at the Fountain Face-Off event.
Ocal: My pick is one of the non-NHL players: someone like Pavel Barber, Zac Bell, Manon Rheaume, Wyatt Russell or Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson. They will do something to wow us and steal the entire skills competition. And I’m here for it.
(Unless Trevor Zegras does a lacrosse goal mid-backflip, which is entirely possible.)
Shilton: Nazem Kadri. It’s his first All-Star appearance, and the guy has been thriving offensively this season. Does anyone think Kadri’s not going to lean heavily into the Vegas spotlight and pull out every stop to impress? Plus, Kadri is so relentlessly competitive, he won’t want anyone upstaging him. He will somehow hit 21 three times in a competition with only two rounds. Grab your popcorn.
Wyshynski: Jack Hughes is a showman. Witness the way he creates on the ice. Witness that “toss the stick into the stands” celebration after scoring an overtime winner for the Devils. Unfortunately, Hughes won’t have the Olympics nor the Stanley Cup Playoffs as a platform for his talents this season, barring a miraculous run from New Jersey in the second half. (Given their goaltending, we’re talking about a miracle of biblical proportions.)
So the All-Star Game is Jack’s moment in the spotlight. Best of all: He’s in the Breakaway Challenge against his good friend Zegras, which should provide him with ample motivation.