By Dave Z.,
Since this NHL season started in 2014 players have given their best to exceed each other, The NHL is the moment when the players can prove themselves in front of the world. The NHL All-Star Game Skills Competition will take place this weekend in Columbus and will feature an assortment of exciting competitions. These include events that will test the skills of some of the world's best hockey players.
Here's a look at the games that will be played at this special event. These are games that will pit players from teams captained by Chicago's Jonathan Toews and Columbus' Nick Foligno against one another.
NHL Hardest Shot
The NHL Hardest Shot contest is used to determine who holds the fastest shot. A series of players will be tasked with the job of shooting the puck down the ice as quickly as possible. In 2012, Zdeno Chara shot a puck at a speed of 108.8 miles per hour.
Elimination Shootout
The Elimination Shootout occurs in that a grouping of players will be tasked to shoot the puck against a goalie in a breakout situation. The game usually ends in that the last person left standing will win provided that he scores on his breakaway attempt but it will be made with a different format this year.
In 2015, the NHL will be doing two new things. First, it will have individual players from each All-Star side compete with each other to see which side can get the most goals. Every third puck will be the Discover Card puck in honor of the event's sponsor. This puck will be worth two points.
Fastest Skater
The Fastest Skater competition entails two skaters from opposing sides racing each other around the outside border of the ice for an entire lap. The fastest skater will be the winner in the competition. In 2012, Carl Hagelin completed a full lap around the ice in 13.218 seconds.
Breakaway Challenge
The Breakaway Challenge is the NHL's answer to the NBA's Slam Dunk Contest. This is where a player will have to complete a breakaway shot against a goalie while using a unique style with plenty of creativity and skill in mind. Calgary's Johnny Gaudreau, Columbus' Ryan Johansen and Philadelphia's Claude Giroux will compete in this year's edition of the event. It is an event that Alex Ovechkin has won three times in the past.
Skills Challenge Relay
The Skills Challenge Relay is a game that entails five small challenges. Fourteen skaters and one goalie on each side will compete in puck control and stick handling drills, passing exercises and one-timer attempts. There is even a goalie goal section where the goalie will have to try and shoot the puck from his net into the other.
The passing exercises are especially challenging as tiny miniature nets are used on the ice. The pucks must go through these nets in this challenge.
Accuracy Shooting
The Accuracy Shooting event is the last one to see. A player will have to hit all four targets on the corners of the goal in the shortest amount of time possible to win the event. In 2011, Daniel Sedin was able to hit all four targets in 8.9 seconds.
This event used to work in that a player would have to hit all the targets in as few shots as possible, a feat that Ray Bourque completed twice in the 1990s. However, it has entailed the fastest possible time in the last few years.
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