* Friday of 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend will open with NHL All-Star Media Day and close with the 2022 NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook (7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT on ESPN, Sportsnet and TVA Sports).
* The Verizon NHL Fastest Skater competition will include two past winners: Oilers forward Connor McDavid and Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin.
* Two new events will show off the sights and sounds of Las Vegas from the world-famous Fountains of Bellagio and on Las Vegas Boulevard.
NHL STARS HIT THE ICE FRIDAY FOR 2022 NHL ALL-STAR SKILLS
The 2022 NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook returns Friday including two new events from the Las Vegas Strip as well as classic favorites like Verizon NHL Fastest Skater, EA SPORTS NHL Hardest Shot and Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting (7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT on ESPN, Sportsnet and TVA Sports).
FORMER WINNERS McDAVID, LARKIN AMONG FASTEST SKATER FIELD
The field for the Verizon NHL Fastest Skater will include a pair of players who have won the event: Connor McDavid, the only player to win the event three times (2017, 2018 & 2019), and Dylan Larkin, who holds the fastest time under the “lap around rink” format (12.894 seconds in 2016) and broke Mike Gartner’s record for one lap on the outside course (13.172 seconds).
* Also in the field is Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, who has recorded the highest speed of any player in the field (tied) during a 2021-22 regular-season game (24.1 mph). Scott Niedermayer (1998 & 2004) is the only defenseman to ever win the event.
THERE WILL BE A FIRST-TIME HARDEST SHOT CHAMPION
The four entrants for the EA SPORTS NHL Hardest Shot competition will all be looking to take the title for the first time: Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman, Sharks forward Timo Meier, Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech and Capitals forward Tom Wilson.
* The winner of the Hardest Shot has reached a top speed of over 100 miles per hour in each of the last 12 competitions – with Zdeno Chara posting the highest speed on record in 2012 (108.8 mph). Meier and Wilson will attempt to become the fourth forward to win the event – Alex Ovechkin (2018), Sergei Fedorov (2002) and Freddy Modin (2001) are the only who have done so in the previous 25 occurrences.
BREAKAWAY CHALLENGE RETURNS WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
The adidas NHL Breakaway Challenge returns for the first time since 2016 with Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat, Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov, Devils forward Jack Hughes, Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and a special guest – Ducks forward Trevor Zegras who has sent social media ablaze twice this season with an alley-oop pass to Sonny Milano and a lacrosse-style goal.
In addition to Zegras, other special guests for NHL All-Star Skills participating in various events will include women’s hockey pioneer Manon Rhéaume, three-time Olympic medalist Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and actor Wyatt Russell.
TWO NEW EVENTS SHOW OFF LAS VEGAS STRIP
Two new events that will show off the sights and sounds of Las Vegas will include the Discover NHL Fountain Face-Off from the world-famous Fountains of Bellagio and the Las Vegas NHL 21 in ’22 on Las Vegas Boulevard. Eight different players will participate in the Discover NHL Fountain Face-Off while Colorado’s Nazem Kadri, Toronto’s Auston Matthews, Dallas’ Joe Pavelski, Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos and Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk will try their hand at Las Vegas 21 in ’22.
ACCURACY SHOOTING, SAVE STREAK ALSO RETURN IN 2022
Nine skaters will participate in the Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting competition, a classic All-Star Skills event that will see players attempt to hit destructible styrofoam targets attached to the goal posts in the least amount of time. Additionally, all eight goaltenders will go head-to-head in the Dunkin’ NHL Save Streak.
QUICK CLICKS
* NHL statement on passing of trailblazing journalist Robin Herman
* Wyatt Russell ready for breakaway challenge
* Alex DeBrincat honored to be at All-Star
* Recalling landmark 1967 All-Star Game
* Pat Verbeek hired as Ducks general manager
* Danielle Goyette serves as assistant coach in ECHL
BLACK HOCKEY HISTORY HIGHLIGHT: FORT DUPONT CANNONS
For 45 years, Neal Henderson’s Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club, a ‘Hockey Is For Everyone’ program, has given hundreds of boys and girls the opportunity to play hockey and learn about teamwork, dedication, and perseverance. “The hockey puck doesn’t care who hits it. As long as they want to play hockey, they’ve come to the right place.”
* The Club is featured in a new doc, ‘The Cannons’. With help from the Capitals, fans can support the oldest minority hockey program by purchasing custom merch with proceeds helping the nonprofit continue to provide opportunities for children to play the game. 