* Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk put on a show in front of his home fans by posting seven points to help the Atlantic Division claim its first 3-on-3 title and earn All-Star MVP honors.
* Mitchell Marner and JustinBieber each shared their excitement for the announcement that Toronto will host the 2024 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend.
* The NHL Morning Skate won’t miss a beat, returning Monday to preview the six-game slate that will include 12 teams returning from both the All-Star break and their bye week. Notes for those games are already available in the Feb. 6 edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates.
OH BROTHER, WHAT A DAY IN SUNRISE!
Panthers leading scorer Matthew Tkachuk (4-3—7) teamed up with his brother, Senators forward Brady Tkachuk (1-4—5), to collect a combined 12 points and help Team Atlantic become the first host division to win a title under the 3-on-3 format.
* The Atlantic Division claimed its first-ever 3-on-3 title and became the first host division to win the tournament since it was introduced in 2016. The Central remains the only division without a 3-on-3 title.
* The Tkachuks both factored on the same goal five times Saturday, including each of the first two tallies to give the Atlantic Division a 2-0 lead in the second semifinal. They became the fourth set of brothers to each factor on the same goal in an NHL All-Star Game, following Daniel and HenrikSedin (2x in 2012), Pavel and ValeriBure (2x in 2000) and Maurice and Henri Richard (1x in both 1957 & 1958).
* Brady and Matthew became the first brothers since 2012 to play on the same team during an NHL All-Star Game and the 11th set overall to skate with the same team at the showcase (the previous 10 All-Star sibling teammates are listed here).
* The brothers, who skated against each other in the 2020 All-Star final in St. Louis, added to a growing list of All-Star memories for the Tkachuk family that date back to when they attended the event to watch their father play.
MATTHEW TKACHUK BECOMES 10TH PLAYER TO WIN ALL-STAR MVP AT HOME
Matthew Tkachuk’s seven-point day equaled the second-highest total in one year under the 3-on-3 All-Star format and helped him become the 10th player to claim All-Star MVP honors in his home venue.
* Tkachuk became the second Panthers player to win All-Star MVP, following Pavel Bure at the 2000 event in Toronto. Like Tkachuk this year, Bure also was playing alongside his brother, Valeri Bure, when he received the honor.
* Tkachuk became the fourth U.S.-born player to claim All-Star MVP, following Brock Boeser (2018), Bill Guerin (2001) and Mike Richter (1994). Richter also did so in front of his home fans while representing the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
NHL LEAVES A LEGACY IN FLORIDA, ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR 2024 ALL-STAR IN TORONTO
* As a legacy to the 2023 NHL All-Star Weekend in South Florida, the Panthers and NHL announced they will contribute a joint donation to refurbish and revitalize an outdoor hockey rink at Holiday Park. Florida All-Star forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov, Team Canada teammates Rebecca Johnston and Sarah Nurse, NHL alumni Andrew Ference and Shawn Thornton, and mascot Stanley C. Panther celebrated the donation with kids from the Boys & Girls Club of Broward County at a ball hockey event Saturday morning. Click here to learn more about the Legacy initiative.
* Mitchell Marner and Brendan Shanahan helped announce the League’s midseason showcase will return to Toronto for the first time since 2000, ninth time overall and third time in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68). While Toronto’s famed Maple Leaf Gardens was home to the first official NHL All-Star Game in 1947, the city’s All-Star roots run deeper as it had previously hosted the first exhibition contest in which a squad of NHL All-Stars had ever been assembled. On Valentine’s Day 1934, a combined total of 22 future Hockey Hall of Fame members participated in a benefit fundraiser for Toronto forward Irvine “Ace” Bailey, who had suffered a career-ending injury during the 1933-34 season. The city also was home to the first ever All-Star MVP presentation, to Toronto’s very own Eddie Shack in 1962.
MARNER HAS SIX ASSISTS AFTER ANNOUNCEMENT OF 2024 ALL-STAR GAME IN TORONTO
After helping make the 2024 All-Star announcement before the game, Maple Leafs forward MitchellMarner proceeded to set a new benchmark for most assists in one year under the 3-on-3 format by tallying 0-6—6 for the Atlantic Division. Entering 2023, the mark stood at five – set in 2019 by Ryan O'Reilly and Roman Josi and equaled in 2020 by Quinn Hughes.
* Marner, who debuted skates that feature his dog “Zeus,” wasn’t the only member of Leafs Nation that was part of the 2024 All-Star announcement as Justin Bieber shared his excitement for the event – saying that there will be “a lot of surprises in store.”
MORE MEMORIES FROM THE 2023 HONDA NHL ALL-STAR GAME
Fall Out Boy wasn’t the only one to “Light ‘Em Up” at FLA Live Arena on Saturday as All-Stars like DylanLarkin, SethJones, Sidney Crosby and Johnny Gaudreau made their mark in #NHLStats: Live Updates.
* Larkin (5-1—6) scored five goals across the two contests, tying Tomas Hertl (5 in 2020) for the most in one year under the 3-on-3 format.
* Jones finished the first semifinal with 1-2—3, boosting his career All-Star totals to 6-7—13 (6 GP) to surpass Roman Josi (3-9—12 in 6 GP) for the most 3-on-3 All-Star points by a defenseman.
* Gaudreau (8-7—15 in 10 GP), who notched a hat trick in the semifinals, and Crosby (8-7—15 in 7 GP) each recorded three points to boost their all-time totals in the 3-on-3 format to 15 points, surpassing Connor McDavid (3-11—14 in 10 GP) for the most under the current format.
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
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