Zdeno Chara looks to light it up again at the skills competition during All-Star weekend
Whether or not you are a die-hard hockey fan, tonight the National Hockey League has everyone’s attention. Tonight, the great sport of hockey rules supreme in the sports world, as the city of Ottawa welcomes NHL All-Stars for the annual Skills Competition.
Once again, hockey players from all across the globe are granted the opportunity to display their incredible talents, for this two-day showcase. Following success of last year, the NHL elected Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara and Ottawa-son, Daniel Alfredsson as the captains, with the responsibility of drafting the teams.
Captains Chara and Alfredsson followed past drafting success by nabbing all their teammates, whether current, or countrymen. Many so called “experts” believe these teams are evenly matched. The All-Star game itself will end in a close outcome, but in tonight’s NHL Skill’s Competition I do not expect the same.
Since many follow what the vast majority of experts say, lets look deeper into the stats. Team Chara representatives have played in more than double the amount of All-Star games combined(38), than Team Alfredsson(18). Adding to that, the All-Stars of Team Chara also have combined for nearly 1,300 more points(7,394) than Alfredsson’s mostly-Swedish team(6,164). Add in the likes of Pavel Datsyuk, Evgeni Malkin, and Marian Gaborik to Team Chara, and you might start to understand where I am going with this.
Nonetheless, All-Star festivities are finally here, as NHL fans eagerly wait tonight’s, NHL’s Skills Competition. The All-Star game, as a whole, is not of the competitive spirit but at the Skills Competition, do not expect the same. For those who love drama, there are several storylines to follow tonight:
1. Will anyone, namely Shea Weber, top the Hardest Shot record of 105.9, by Chara, last season?
2. Can hometown-hero, Jason Spezza, knock off evil-twin, Daniel Sedin in the Accuracy Shooting event?
3. Is this the year of the rookies in the Fastest Skater event?
4. How can the personnel of Team Alfredsson match the amazing skill sets of Team Chara in the Elimination Shootout event and the Skills Challenge Relay event?
5. In his first action since his Obama-jab, what type of game will goaltender, Tim Thomas, boast?
Predictions for each Individual Event:
Fastest Skater:
Winner: Carl Hagelin(NYR) *Rookie
Runner-Up: Erik Karlsson(OTT)
Sleeper: Colin Greening(OTT) *Rookie
Breakaway Challenge:
Winner: Corey Perry(ANH)
Runner-Up: Patrick Kane(CHI)
Sleeper: Logan Couture(SJ)
Accuracy Shooting:
Winner: Jason Spezza(OTT)
Runner-Up: Daniel Sedin(VAN)
Sleeper: Tyler Seguin(BOS)
Team Skills Challenge Relay:
Winner: Team Chara
Hardest Shot:
Winner: Zdeno Chara(BOS)
Runner-Up: Shea Weber(NSH)
Sleeper: Jason Spezza(OTT)
Elimination Shootout:
Winner: Evgeni Malkin(PIT)
Runner-Up: Steven Stamkos(TB)
Sleeper: Pavel Datsyuk(DET)
Goaltenders
Winner: Jimmy Howard(DET)
Runner-Up: Henrik Lundqvist(NYR)
Sleeper: Jonathan Quick(LA)