What we liked and didn’t like from the revamped NHL All-Star skills competition

In the first year of the 12-man, six-event competition, Connor McDavid again confirmed he is in a league of his own.

Updated Feb. 3, 2024, 11:00 a.m. ET

Published Feb. 3, 2024, 9:00 a.m. ET

TORONTO — The NHL’s All-Stars took to the ice at Scotiabank Arena for the 2024 All-Star skills competition.

But unlike years past, this edition only had 12 guys compete in a revamped event lineup with the top points-getter taking home a prize of $1 million. And, of course, that top guy was none other than Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers.

The reigning Hart Trophy winner, who actually helped the NHL retool the competition, won four of eight events and finished with 25 points. Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche finished second with 20.

“I thought it was entertaining,” said McDavid who isn’t sure what he’ll do with the prize money just yet. “I know from a competitive side it definitely got competitive out there. I was huffing and puffing and guys were working hard trying to put on a good show and I feel like we did that. I think we can feel good about it. Ultimately, it’s up to the fans and I hope they enjoyed it.”

So with that, here are some things we enjoyed and some we didn’t.

Gimme me more of ...

Sidney Crosby wasn’t competing in the competition and Connor Bedard was injured but that didn’t stop the Pittsburgh Penguins captain and Chicago Blackhawks rookie phenom from joining in the fun. Each came out to a loud cheer and dished out passes for the one-timer event.

The one-timer event was also a solid newcomer to the lineup. It showcased some high-end skill as guys not only had to one-time the puck, but if they wanted to get points, they had aim for certain spots — with top shelf being the most valuable. “I like the one-timer addition,” said David Pastrňák who finished one point behind Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon. “It was kind of cool. You didn’t see it back in the past All-Stars.”

Speaking of Pastrňák, he had a fun night overall thanks to the hometown Maple Leafs fans who booed him consistently. At one point, the in-arena asked the fans to let him hear it and they booed even louder. “I didn’t mind it, I like it,” the Boston Bruins star said with a smile. “We created a rivalry with Toronto. It was fun.” During the stickhandling competition, players were required to score at the end and he missed the net, meaning he had to track down the puck to finalize his time — without skipping a beat, the fans cheered.

Auston Matthews was on the outside looking in as the field was being whittled down from 12 to eight. All that was standing between the Toronto Maple Leafs star and the final round were four orange targets in the four corners of the net. Not only was he facing the pressure of hitting the quads in a short window, but he was doing it in front of the hometown faithful. But of course, the American who has 40 goals in 46 games, nailed the four targets in 9.341 seconds to move on. “I was a little nervous after that poor start by me,” Matthews said. “I just wanted to make it to the second round and see what happened and was able to sneak in there. Yeah, it was a lot of fun.”

The league did some things right by keeping the mainstays — stickhandling, accuracy, and hardest shot. Nothing beats the days of watching guys race up and down the ice trying to keep the puck on their stick or Al Iafrate and Al MacInnis stepping into the puck and firing off shots over 100 mph. Matthews had one of the best reactions of the night when 6-foot, 187-pound Makar ripped a 102.5 mph howitzer.

Let’s move on from ...

The days of the actual top players in the league in each event competing — whether they were named to the All-Star game — are long gone, unfortunately. Back in the day, each team would hold their own skills night and the top guys in the league would head to the host city and compete. If the NHL wants to showcase the true best for skills, they need to bring this back — and the Flyers would be there. Owen Tippett was clocked with the fastest speed in the NHL at 24.21 mph and Travis Sanheim registered the seventh hardest shot at 101.49.

Only Matt Barzal understood the assignment. The New York Islanders forward chose his team’s No. 1 rival, New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin in the one-on-one breakaway event.

Guys not trying. It was pretty evident that Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov was hockey’s version of Marshawn Lynch. He was just here so he doesn’t get fined. Booed throughout the night, he went through the motions in several events. He did lose the puck during the stickhandling competition and was cheered. But he only finished with .5 points through four events and was sent home super quick. “It wasn’t my day today but I enjoyed it,” he said.