NHL All-Star Game 2017: Winners, losers from weekend
Who emerged from the 2017 NHL All-Star Game weekend as the biggest winners and losers?
The 2017 NHL All-Star Game weekend was supposed to be a great event. It was planned to be a celebration of the game of hockey with its greatest stars present. While it wasn’t as exciting or as fun as past events, it was still a success.
For a variety of reasons, the All-Star Game weekend was unforgettable. While the priceless moments weren’t as plentiful in the past, there were still numerous winners and losers from it. Here are the biggest winners and losers from the 2017 NHL All-Star Game weekend.
Mandatory Credit: Harry How/Getty Images
Winners: Ryker and Ryan Kesler
Due to the inclusion of the Four Line Challenge, an event had to be removed from the Skills Competition. The NHL got rid of the Breakaway Challenge, which was the source of many priceless moments over the past few All-Star Games. With its exclusion, the Skills Competition was a lot less fun. While there was a Shootout Challenge at the end to determine the winner, this event was more based on scoring and less based on players trying to creatively win over the crowd.
Ryan Kesler and his son Ryker, however, had other ideas. During the shootout, it became painfully obvious the Atlantic Division would win. So the elder Kesler sent his son in his place. Carey Price, ever the classy sportsman, obliged.
Ryker Kesler scored on arguably the best goalie in the world. See ya in in 12 years, kid. #NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/PnI4U95JMJ
— NHL (@NHL) January 29, 2017
The Skills Competition missed things like Brent Burns dressing up like Chewbacca, P.K. Subban dressing like his hero Jaromir Jagr, and Jakub Voracek using Johnny Gaudreau as a prop. Thanks to the Keslers, there was a hint of creativity and joy at the Skills Competition. Hopefully it serves as a lesson to the NHL to bring back to Breakaway Challenge.
Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Loser: Nathan MacKinnon
Nathan MacKinnon was the lone NHL All-Star Game representative from the Colorado Avalanche. As the last place team in the NHL, Colorado hasn’t had much to cheer about this season. MacKinnon didn’t give them too much to cheer about after a very rough Skills Competition.
To be fair, the young star was dealt a terrible hand. First, he had to race against Connor McDavid in the Fastest Skater competition. MacKinnon is lightning fast, but the Edmonton Oilers captain is a whole new level of fast. McDavid smoked him, making the Avalanche star’s very respectable time of 13.62 look worse.
Next, MacKinnon was a last minute replacement for P.K. Subban in the Hardest Shot competition. Colorado’s forward is not well suited for the event and it showed. He barely even hit 90 miles per hour. That’s a heck of a lot better than most people could do, but his shots were the least hard of anyone in the competition.
While MacKinnon’s weekend didn’t go well, this doesn’t change how good he is. He’s one of the NHL’s brightest young stars and he’ll be going to more All-Star Games in the future. But MacKinnon will have to improve upon his performance in the Skills Competition.
Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Winner: Mike Smith
The NHL should be very grateful Mike Smith of the Arizona Coyotes was an All-Star. Because the Coyotes are near last place, they needed a representative. Many thought Cam Talbot should have been the other goalie selected from the Pacific Division, but Smith got the nod instead. This caused a lot of debate. Much like John Scott in 2016, Smith became an unlikely hero during the Skills Competition.
The Four Line Challenge was quite boring, unlike the event it replaced (the Breakaway Challenge). Smith, however, provided one of the very few moments of excitement during it. He nailed a shot just through the five hole from the other end of the ice.
Mike Smith nails it pic.twitter.com/xFC36A1T6q
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) January 29, 2017
Goalie goals are the best. They rarely get to have the opportunity to shoot the puck on net, so when they actually get a goal, it’s special. Smith’s goal was the highlight of the Skills Competition, though that isn’t saying much. Maybe there should be a goalie goals competition next year at the All-Star Game. This was Smith’s first All-Star appearance and he made sure to make it an unforgettable one. He also did well during the three-on-three tournament.
Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Loser: Central Division
The Central Division didn’t play well at all during the three-on-three tournament. One could say they played like a Bruce Boudreau coached team in the playoffs. Captain P.K. Subban scored a goal but blew a number of coverages. Corey Crawford had no chance in the first half. Devan Dubnyk had to make some incredible saves in the second half.
Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Patrick Kane, and Crawford played so badly, it’s like they thought it was an outdoor game. Patrik Laine was a disappointment, as the electrifying Finnish forward was anything but electric. Tyler Seguin and Vladimir Tarasenko were anything but the dynamic forwards people are used to seeing.
To be fair, they had to play against a ridiculous Pacific Division team. Johnny Gaudreau, Brent Burns, and Connor McDavid are perfect fits for three-on-three hockey. But the Pacific defensemen significantly outplayed the Central’s. The entire team outplayed them.
It’s certainly not the end of the world. The three-on-three tournament is a glorified exhibition tournament. But no team at the 2017 NHL All-Star Game tournament looked more out of sorts than the Central. On the bright side, at least nobody got hurt, which is what really matters. But this was a very forgettable weekend for the Central.
Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Winner: Wayne Simmonds
Not many people know this, but Wayne Simmonds used to play for the Los Angeles Kings. He came to the Philadelphia Flyers in the infamous Mike Richards trade. Simmonds had a very nice return to his roots at the 2017 NHL All-Star Game weekend. After a strong performance at the Skills Competition, the Flyers forward won the 2017 All-Star Game MVP after scoring three goals in two games, including the game winner.
For most of his career, Simmonds has been underrated. He draws more attention for his physicality than his consistent production. Simmonds is a shout out to the old school Broad Street Bullies who would not only score on opponents, but beat them up as well. He got his first All-Star appearance this weekend and he made the best of it.
Simmonds is a remarkably good fit for three-on-three hockey. His unique blend of athleticism, skill, and speed makes him a valuable asset on the ice. Simmonds drives to the net and isn’t afraid to get a little dirty to score goals. This makes him a popular target of hate among opposing fans, but everyone was rooting for him by the end of the weekend.
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