2016 NHL Skills Competition: Time, TV schedule, events and how to watch online
7 p.m. EST on NBCSN in the U.S. / CBC, Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada.
The Skills Competition will kick off the on-ice portion of All Star Weekend tonight in Nashville at 7:00 PM EST (6:00 CST), and can be found on NBCSN in the U.S. / CBC, Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada. I will say that I enjoyed the Skills Competition in Columbus last year more than the game itself, because it just felt like the players were treating it much more competitively than the game itself.
The events this year will be as follows:
Each of the fan-elected captains (Jaromir Jagr, John Tavares, Patrick Kane, and John Scott) have selected which players will participate in the six events. Each of the 44 All-Stars will compete in at least one of the six events:
- Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater
- Honda NHL Breakaway Challenge
- DraftKings NHL Accuracy Shooting
- Gatorade NHL Skills Challenge Relay
- AMP Energy NHL Hardest Shot
- Discover NHL Shootout/
Sadly, Alex Ovechkin and Jonathan Toews--two mainstays of last year's fun--will miss this weekend with injuries. Evgeny Kuznetsov and James Neal have been named as replacement respectively. John Tavares assumes Ovi's spot as Captain of the Metro squad, which features Blue Jacket forward Brandon Saad.
Not surprisingly, Saad was picked by Tavares to compete in the Fastest Skater competition. In addition to that, Saad will be on the East's team for the Breakaway Challenge, as well as the Shootout Relay for the Metro.
For information about streaming online, go to the NHL's online All Star Game hub here.
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Here is how the full All-Stars Skills Competition rosters shake out:
Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater
Event description: Four players from each team will test their speed, facing off against an opponent in a two-skater race. The race track for the head-to-head match-ups is the border of the rink split in half lengthways. Timing devices will record each skater to determine the winner of each match. If a race ends in a tie, each of the teams will be awarded one point. The skater with the fastest time in the head-to-head match-ups will skate a full lap of the outside border of the rink, in the direction of their choosing, in an attempt to break Mike Gartner’s record (13.386). Points Available: 6 – The winner of each match-up scores one point; the team with the fastest skater scores a bonus point; if the fastest skater is successful in breaking Mike Gartner’s record an additional bonus point will be awarded.
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference |
| Dylan Larkin, DET | Roman Josi, NSH |
| Brandon Saad, CBJ | Matt Duchene, COL |
| Erik Karlsson, OTT | Taylor Hall, EDM |
| Kris Letang, PIT | Dustin Byfuglien, WPG |
Honda NHL Breakaway Challenge
Event description: A test of creativity a player can insert into a breakaway, three shooters and one goaltender from each team will participate. Columbus' Brandon Saad was selected by fans to participate in this event in an online vote. Each skater will attempt two shots. NHL penalty shot rules do not apply. Fans in-arena and watching on television will be able to vote for their favorite player on Twitter by casting their vote using the hashtag that corresponds to the player of their choice. Points Available: 1 – The shooter with the highest fan vote will score one point for his team.
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference | |
| Brandon Saad, CBJ | James Neal, NSH | |
| Evgeny Kuznetsov, WSH | Matt Duchene, COL | |
| P.K. Subban, MTL | Brent Burns, SJS | |
| Cory Schneider, NJD | Goalie | Jonathan Quick, LAK |
DraftKings NHL Accuracy Shooting
Event description: Four players from each team will compete, with two additional players serving as passers. This event will consist of four head-to-head match-ups, one shooter from each team per round. The goal is to hit four 15-inch diameter targets located in each corner of the net. The teams will be situated at opposite ends of the rink, and will alternate shot attempts. The first shooter to hit all four targets wins. Points Available: 5 –The winner of each match-up scores one point; the player who hits all four targets in the fastest time scores the bonus point.
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference | |
| John Tavares, NYI | shooter | Patrick Kane, CHI |
| Patrice Bergeron, BOS | shooter | Joe Pavelski, SJS |
| Claude Giroux, PHI | shooter | Corey Perry, ANA |
| Evgeni Malkin, PIT | shooter | Jamie Benn, DAL |
| Nicklas Backstrom, WSH | passer | Drew Doughty, LAK |
| Jaromir Jagr, FLA | passer | Vladimir Tarasenko, STL |
Gatorade NHL Skills Challenge Relay
Event description: This timed relay event – involving 14 skaters and one goalie from each team – will consist of five challenges: One-Timers, with three shooters and one passer per team; Passing, with one passer per team; Puck Control, with one skater per team; Stick-Handling, with one skater per team; and Goalie Goals, with one goalie per team. Each skill must be completed before moving on to the next challenge with the exception of one timers, passing and goalie goals, in which a maximum of forty-five seconds will be allocated. The goal is to finish all five challenges faster than the opponent. Points Available: 3 - The team with the fastest time in each heat scores one point; the team with the fastest overall time scores one bonus point.
| Eastern Conference | Relay 1 | Western Conference |
| Aaron Ekblad, FLA | one-timer RH | Shea Weber, NSH |
| Erik Karlsson, OTT | one-timer RH | Drew Doughty, LAK |
| Steven Stamkos, TBL | one-timer RH | Corey Perry, ANA |
| Patrice Bergeron, BOS | one-time passer | Taylor Hall, EDM |
| Nicklas Backstrom, WSH | mini net passer | Daniel Sedin, VAN |
| Justin Faulk, CAR | puck control | Johnny Gaudreau, CGY |
| Claude Giroux, PHI | stick handling | Patrick Kane, CHI |
| Braden Holtby, WSH | goalie | Pekka Rinne, NSH |
| Eastern Conference | Relay 2 | Western Conference |
| Ryan McDonagh, NYR | one-timer LH | Mark Giordano, CGY |
| Leo Komarov, TOR | one-timer LH | James Neal, NSH |
| Ryan O'Reilly, BUF | one-timer LH | Vladimir Tarasenko, STL |
| Jaromir Jagr, FLA | one-time passer | Matt Duchene, COL |
| Evgeny Kuznetsov, WSH | mini net passer | Jamie Benn, DAL |
| Kris Letang, PIT | puck control | Roman Josi, NSH |
| Dylan Larkin, DET | stick handling | Tyler Seguin, DAL |
| Ben Bishop, TBL | goalie | Devan Dubnyk, MIN |
AMP NHL Hardest Shot
Event description: Four shooters from each team will test their slap shot skill in a head-to-head match-up. Each player will attempt two shots, with teams alternating after each player. One puck will be placed 30 feet from the center of the net. Each shot will be calculated in miles per hour (mph), with the highest speed of their two shots recorded. Five team points are available. The winner of each match-up scores one point; the team with the player who has the fastest speed scores one bonus point.
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference |
| Aaron Ekblad, FLA | Dustin Byfuglien, WPG |
| Evgeni Malkin, PIT | Tyler Seguin, DAL |
| Steven Stamkos, TBL | John Scott, ARI |
| P.K. Subban, MTL | Shea Weber, NSH |
Discover NHL Shootout Relay
| Eastern Conference | Round 1 | Western Conference |
| Evgeni Malkin, PIT | Patrick Kane, CHI | |
| Jaromir Jagr, FLA | Matt Duchene, COL | |
| P.K. Subban, MTL | Brent Burns, SJS | |
| Ryan O'Reilly, BUF | Mark Giordano, CGY | |
| Leo Komarov, TOR | Vladimir Tarasenko, STL | |
| Aaron Ekblad, FLA | Daniel Sedin, VAN | |
| Roberto Luongo, FLA | G | Devan Dubnyk, MIN |
| Eastern Conference | Round 2 | Western Conference |
| Patrice Bergeron, BOS | Joe Pavelski, SJS | |
| Nicklas Backstrom, WSH | Taylor Hall, EDM | |
| Steven Stamkos, TBL | Jamie Benn, DAL | |
| Evgeny Kuznetsov, WSH | James Neal, NSH | |
| Ryan McDonagh, NYR | Johnny Gaudreau, CGY | |
| Justin Faulk, CAR | Dustin Byfuglien, WPG | |
| Braden Holtby, WSH | G | John Gibson, ANA |
| Eastern Conference | Round 3 | Western Conference |
| Claude Giroux, PHI | John Scott, ARI | |
| Dylan Larkin, DET | Shea Weber, NSH | |
| John Tavares, NYI | Tyler Seguin, DAL | |
| Kris Letang, PIT | Corey Perry, ANA | |
| Erik Karlsson, OTT | Drew Doughty, LAK | |
| Brandon Saad, CBJ | Roman Josi, NSH | |
| Cory Schneider, NJD | G | Pekka Rinne, NSH |