This is what we love about this game. Fans even put aside their allegiances and hatred for this player or that player to celebrate what the game is all about...having fun and scoring goals.
We love watching players like Jordan Eberle and Jamie Benn chat during the skills. We love seeing Jonathan Quick get the recognition he deserves.
We love witnessing the rookies come out of their shells a little and take some of the limelight.
This is why we love this weekend and think that it's a great thing for NHLers and fans to experience.
Here are a few of the things that we loved/noticed about the Super Skills competition:
- The inclusion of baby pictures in the player introductions...yes!
There's probably nothing we like more than baby pictures of NHL players (besides them with animals, duh) so this was awesome.
- We've never really liked the fastest skater only because it's a quick and often boring event but the way that these boys compete is amazing, they want to win and it's funny to see them so determined.
Carl Hagelin was a quick dude. No one picked him to win it but he showed everyone up.
- Obviously the highlight of the Breakaway Challenge was Patrick Kane.
He broke out a cape, glasses and a breakaway puck.
And Corey Perry with his almost-Ned Braden strip tease (we wish, how cool would that be?) and pulling out the mini-stick and dekeing around Quick to score.
And Carey Price.
He was pulling a Fleury, just messing with the shooters and we approve.
But we were also impressed with John Tavares.
He was all about the slick moves and lacrosse-style goals.
- One of the best parts of this year's skills was listening to Jeremy Roenick predict everything wrong. When he would say that one player would own this challenge, that player would fail terribly.
It made us laugh like the horrible people that we are.
- Then we go to the Accuracy Shooting.
Jamie Benn stole the show. Not only is he easy on the eyes but he's also humble and obviously a sharp-shooter.
That's hot.
- Do you also think that some of the talents of players were ignored? We think that Chara did a weak job of picking who would participate in what. But that's our opinion.
Alfredsson did okay. But it seemed like most of the Western guys were underused and as fans of most of those players/teams it was kind of sad.
But there's always that one dude that makes you go, 'Wait, he was there?' Like Jordan Eberle. And Gabriel Landeskog. And Ryan Suter.
- The Skills Relay was an event that is never explained correctly. And it always looks like a mish-mash of things happening but we think it's one of the best events.
We love seeing the different relay legs and seeing the players really shine on certain things.
Like Craig Smith and his skating. Those turns. The edge-work. We were impressed.
And Jamie Benn with the one-timers down low. Perfect. Like everything else he does.
And Henrik Sedin putting everyone else to shame on the passing accuracy. Seriously, if we were after him in the same leg we would have waved the white flag.
And John Tavares's hair.
It was lovely to see so many players strengths shine (while others failed, hello Patrick Kane) in this part of the Skills.
- Hardest Shot.
No surprise there. 108.8. Beast.
The Senators involved, Alfredsson and Spezza also were impressive. Both getting above 100 mph.
Nice.
But what impressed us the most was Shea Weber.
He had a 104.9 and then a 106. Are you effing kidding us? Seriosuly? The power behind those shots is amazing.
No one else even came close. Not even close.
He is five inches shorter and gives up almost thirty pounds on Chara. And he was only two mph behind him. Whatever.
That's a beast.
- An event that we would have put in this year was HAIRDRESSER.
Because all we wanted to do was fix all of their hair.
Jamie Benn. You are a good-looking kid but WHAT IS UP WITH YOUR HAIR?! We want to wash out the gel, run a comb through it and then part it on the side.
In our head, damn that looks a lot better.
Then Steven Stamkos. Cut it all off. ALL.
Get that flow gone. We may start up a charity and then convince Guy Boucher to help us with this. You know he hates it.
And we would hide all the gel. HIDE ALL THE GEL from NHL players.
- Then the Elimination Shootout.
By this time we were yawning and just waiting for the event to be over. Although seeing the moves that these kids (and old folks) were putting on the goaltenders was awesome.
Team Chara lost awfully just because of his terrible picks in the Elimination Shootout. We wanted to just get into our television set and move around the magnetic picks.
Although, Quick and Lundqvist made some saves that made us stop whatever we were eating and stare. Those were some moves, boys.
Steven Stamkos just whipped everyone and Team Chara had no chance past the second round.
- All in all, we totally enjoyed this season's skills competition probably more than previous years.
Maybe it was because we got to see guys that we don't normally see in All Star Games and we got to see different personalities mesh.
Maybe it was because the changes that have been made to the way that the actual Skills Competition is played.
We do know that it was a combination of a lot of things but we had a lot of fun watching it and can't wait for the game tomorrow.
- What did you think about the Skills this year?
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