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2016 NHL Skills Competition: Time, TV schedule, events and how to watch online

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