* The 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend gets underway tonight in Toronto, home of the first-ever “All-Star” game 90 years ago – a benefit contest for Ace Bailey – as well as the first official NHL All-Star Game in 1947. The annual event, expanded to three days this year, opens tonight with NHL All-Star Thursday which includes the return of the Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Player Draft, a tribute to the Stanley Cup-winning 1967 Maple Leafs and the Canadian Tire PWHL 3-on-3 Showcase.
* The Kings picked up two crucial points to maintain their position as the first Wild Card in the Western Conference heading into All-Star break while the Senators and Ducks were victorious in overtime Wednesday night.
RETURN OF PLAYER DRAFT HIGHLIGHTS NHL ALL-STAR THURSDAY Live from Scotiabank Arena, NHL All-Star Thursday will be headlined by the return of the Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Player Draft – the fourth time overall and first time in more than a decade a player draft has been part of All-Star Weekend.
* The Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Player Draft will see All-Star captains paired with celebrity captains to select their roster. Team Matthews (Auston Matthews & Justin Bieber), Team McDavid (Connor McDavid & Will Arnett), Team MacKinnon (Nathan MacKinnon & Tate McRae) and Team Hughes (Quinn Hughes, Jack Hughes & Michael Bublé) will also have an assistant captain helping with picks. * The No. 1 picks in the previous All-Star player drafts have been Cam Ward (2011), Pavel Datsyuk (2012) and Ryan Johansen (2015). The highest a defenseman has been selected is with the No. 2 pick (Erik Karlsson in 2012). The last pick in each All-Star player draft to date have been forwards: Phil Kessel (2011), Logan Couture (2012) and Filip Forsberg (2015). Forsberg is the only 2024 NHL All-Star who has been part of an All-Star player draft.
* Following the player draft will be a ceremony announcing the NHL Alumni Keith Magnuson Man of the Year, which will serve as a tribute to the Stanley Cup-winning 1966-67 Maple Leafs. The Keith Magnuson Man of the Year is presented annually to a former NHL Player who has applied the intangibles of perseverance, commitment and teamwork developed through the game into a successful post-career transition.
* Capping Thursday’s festivities will be the Canadian Tire PWHL 3-on-3 Showcase, which will be broadcast on Sportsnet, TVA Sports, ESPN+ and NHL on YouTube and see players from all six Professional Women’s Hockey League teams compete in a 20-minute game.
* PWHL special advisor Cassie Campbell-Pascall (Team King) and Devils director of player development Meghan Duggan (Team Kloss) will be behind the benches alongside celebrity coachesTessaVirtue (Team King) and JonquelJones (Team Kloss). The two teams have been named in honor of Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss – PWHL Advisory Board members and longtime advocates of equality for women in sports.
NHL ANNOUNCES PLAYER ASSIGNMENTS FOR 2024 NHL ALL-STAR SKILLS The NHL announced player assignments for the 2024 NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook, which takes place at Scotiabank Arena on Friday, Feb. 2 (7 p.m. ET on SN, TVAS, ESPN, ESPN+). The revamped format is set to feature 12 NHL All-Stars competing for points in eight events and the winner taking home a prize of $1 million (USD).
* Connor McDavid leads all participants in the Fastenal NHL Fastest Skater event with a top skating speed of 24.05 mph this season according to NHL EDGE, ahead of Mathew Barzal (23.53 mph), Cale Makar (22.97 mph), Quinn Hughes (22.40 mph) and William Nylander (22.35 mph).
* Elias Pettersson paces all participants in the Rogers NHL Hardest Shot event with a top shot speed of 97.67 mph this season according to NHL EDGE, ahead of Canucks teammate J.T. Miller (97.52 mph) as well as Makar (96.18 mph), David Pastrnak (95.87 mph) and Auston Matthews (91.43 mph).
MORE THAN $500,000 INVESTED IN YOUTH HOCKEY SPACES AS ALL-STAR LEGACY As a legacy to the 2024 NHL All-Star weekend, the Maple Leafs, MLSE Foundation and NHL will invest more than $500,000 to revitalize ball and ice hockey rinks at three parks across the City of Toronto: Alexandra Park, West Mall Rink, and Port Union Community Recreation Centre. The Legacy Project’s upgraded recreational spaces, new hockey programming and donated equipment will reach more than 23,000 youth each year to help reduce barriers to play. Click here to read more.
TKACHUK, VATRANO HELP CLUBS PICK UP WINS AHEAD OF ALL-STAR WEEKENDBrady Tkachuk (1-0—1) scored one of three Senators tallies to extend his goal streak to three games – one shy of his career high set last season – while Frank Vatrano (1-0—1) netted the overtime winner for the Ducks as both players helped their clubs skate to victory before setting off to Toronto for 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend.
* Tkachuk, who is set to become the first player in franchise history and first in the Tkachuk family to skate in four consecutive NHL All-Star Games, has amassed 1-7—8 across his previous outings, tied with Daniel Alfredsson (4-4—8) for the most points by a player representing the Senators (either 3-on-3 or 5-on-5). Overall, two other Senators players have made at least four appearances at the event at any point (Alfredsson: 6x & Erik Karlsson: 5x).
* Vatrano scored his team-leading 22nd goal of 2023-24 and is on pace for 36 this season, which would mark the third most by a Ducks player in the past decade. Anaheim earned its ninth third-period comeback win of the season and surpassed Calgary, Colorado, Detroit and Dallas for the most among all teams.
TURCOTTE COLLECTS FIRST NHL POINTS AS KINGS EARN CRUCIAL VICTORY Alex Turcotte (1-1—2), the No. 5 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, scored his first career goal in the second period and added his first assist on the eventual game-winning goal while Kevin Fiala (1-0—1) put the finishing touches on his former team to help Los Angeles (23-15-10, 56 points) fend off Nashville (26-23-2, 54 points) and maintain its position as the first Wild Card heading into All-Star break.
* Wednesday was the second of a three-game stretch the Kings are going head-to-head against an opponent within arm's reach in the Western Conference standings. Los Angeles salvaged a point against the Blues (26-21-2, 54 points) – who occupy the second Wild Card spot – on Jan. 28 and will head home after the All-Star break to clash with an Edmonton team looking for an NHL record-tying 17th straight win. The Oilers (29-15-1, 59 points) hold third place in the Pacific Division standings and own three games in hand on the Kings.
* Turcotte, who went to Los Angeles just four selections after New Jersey took Jack Hughes first overall, was one of seven players from the US National Team Development Program (NTDP) taken within the top 15 picks of the 2019 NHL Draft – the most ever from one team at that stage of the draft. * Fiala was selected by the Predators with the No. 11 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft and skated parts of his first five seasons with the franchise from 2014-15 to 2018-19 before being traded to the Wild and eventually the Kings. He has made an instant impact on the Los Angeles community since joining the team, including starting Fiala’s Friends last season.
Thanks to the NHL PR department for the information above.
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How bad are the bottom teams of the Western Conference?
If you use points below .500:
Bottom 4 teams Eastern Conference -15
Bottom 4 teams Western Conference -52
Bold move having only 7 teams represented in the skills events (VAN x3, EDM x2, TOR x2, COL x2, BOS, NYI, TBL)
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