The best on-ice part of All-Star Weekend happens tonight around 7 p.m. when the Skills Competition goes off at Scotiabank Place in some far flung suburb of Ottawa.
It’s the same basic format as one year ago. Here’s a list of events: Fastest Skater, Breakaway Challenge, Accuracy Shooting, Skills Challenge Relay, Hardest Shot, and the Elimination Shootout. Check in with SBNation.com for full details on every event, including the full rosters for each event.
Each of the three Flyers All-Stars, plus the two rookies, will take part in the Skills Competition in some fashion. Rookies Matt Read and Sean Couturier join Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell on Team Alfredsson, while Kimmo Timonen is forced to fraternize with Zdeno Chara and his pals on Team Chara.
Let’s look at the events in which we can spot some orange and black.
Fastest Skater: No Flyers participants.
Breakaway Challenge: Sean Couturier will lead off for Team Alfredsson. No pressure, kid. This is the event where you have to come up with the most clever breakaway attempt, and the fans both in the building and at home vote for the winner via text message. All-Star’s version of the slam dunk contest, I guess.
Accuracy Shooting: Matt Read will lead off for Team Alfie here as the first shooter, and Alex Edler from the Canucks will be his passer. Claude Giroux will be a passer for Steven Stamkos on Team Alfredsson’s third attempt.
Skills Challenge Relay: All I remember from this event last year is those cross-ice passes into really, really tiny nets to test passing accuracy. Kimmo Timonen will be a participant in that portion this year during Team Chara’s second heat. Scott Hartnell and Claude Giroux will both be a part of Team Alfredsson’s second heat, with Hartsy shooting a one-timer and Giroux showing some cones who’s boss in the stick-handling portion.
Hardest Shot: No Flyers participants. Pour one out for Chris Pronger.
Elimination Shootout: Claude Giroux will be going up against Tim Thomas here, while Kimmo Timonen will shoot against Jonathan Quick.
Sorry, Kimmo. Team Chara sucks.
