NFL
By: Jesse Rosales
The NHL All-Star game is slated for February 3rd as part of All-Star weekend which will have events from the 1st-3rd, including the fan favorite Skill Competition, which will be held on February 2nd. The event will be held in Toronto this year. A stark difference from the sunny ocean side beaches of Florida where it was held last year.
The NHL has announced the first 32 players for the NHL All-Star game. Fans will decide who the final 12 players are that make the cut. Voting goes through January 11th, and you can vote here: NHL.com/vote. I will take you through my top 3 takeaways from each conference’s selections but first, lets discuss the changes to the All-Star game itself.
2024 NHL All-Star Game Format
Lets start with the Skills Competition. This year, 12 NHL All-Star players will compete for points in 8 different events. The All-Star player who earns the most points will win a tasty cash prize of $1 Million…. USD not Canadian ;). Each player will compete in 4 of the 6 available events. Those events are listed below.
Fastenal NHL Fastest Skater; Rogers NHL Hardest Shot; Upper Deck NHL Stick Handling; NHL One Timers; NHL Passing Challenge; Cheetos NHL Accuracy Shooting.
The NHL All-Star game will also have a different spin on it. The format will remain 3 on 3, which I think is a great move, but instead of dividing the teams up by respective divisions of the teams they represent, they will bring back a player draft format. This means players from different divisions, and conferences, will be able to play together, which again to me is a great move for the fans.
Celebrities will be paired with captains, who will pick the four teams of 11 players (9 skaters and 2 goaltenders). It will be different for sure, but I like this format better and feel like more closely resembles what happens in the NBA, who I feel have a great All-Star weekend product.
2024 NHL All-Star Roster – Eastern Conference
David Pastrnak, Bruins
Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres
Sebastian Aho, Hurricanes
Boone Jenner, Blue Jackets
Alex DeBrincat, Red Wings
Sam Reinhart, Panthers
Nick Suzuki, Canadians
Jack Huges, Devils
Mathew Barzal, Islanders
Igor Shesterkin, Rangers
Brady Tkachuk, Senators
Travis Konecny, Flyers
Sidney Crosby, Penguins
Nikita Kucherov, Lightning
Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs
Tom Wilson, Capitals
#1 Take Away: Sid the Kid is in his 6th All-Star game which is pretty incredible. Perhaps the GOAT of his generation, Crosby is having a fantastic season with 22 goals and 41 points. Very deserving of this selection.
#2 Take Away: Only 1 goalie to make the list from the Eastern Conference so far…. for Shesterkin’s sake, I hope the fans vote in at least a couple more goalies otherwise he is going to be a busy boy during the NHL All-Star weekend.
#3 Take-Away: There were only 2 1st timers in the list. Blue Jackets’ Boone Jenner and Florida Panthers’ Sam Reinhart.
2024 NHL All-Star Roster – Western Conference
Frank Vatrano, Ducks
Clayton Keller, Coyotes
Elias Lindholm, Flames
Connor Bedard, Blackhawks
Nathan Mackinnon, Avalanche
Jake Oettinger, Stars
Connor McDavid, Oilers
Cam Talbot, Kings
Kirill Kaprizov, Wild
Filip Forsberg, Predators
Robert Thomas, Blues
Tomas Hertl, Sharks
Oliver Bjorkstrand, Kraken
Quinn Hughes, Canucks
Jack Eichel, Golden Knights
Connor Hellebuyck, Jets
#1 Take-Away: It is no surprise that Connor Bedard made the list. See my previous article about somehow this kid is playing BETTER than the already high expectations we all had for him coming into the season. To add to his list of accomplishments already, we can now add the youngest player to ever play in an NHL All-Star game.
#2 Take-Away: The other Connor… Connor McDavid is playing in his SEVENTH All-Star game which is the most of any player to make the cut this year. Bedard may be the future, but McDavid is still very much the present.
#3 Take-Away: The Western Conference will feature 6 1st time NHL All-Star players. Lots of good young talent in the West and it will be showcased front and center during the NHL All-Star weekend.
For more NHL news and updates, be sure to follow me on Twitter @5280Jesse and TEAM NBS Media
