When you're in the All-Star Game, goals come from skill and not luck but unfortunately, the Pacific Division would eventually drop the game 6-4, which ended Eberle's Vegas weekend.
The loss did nothing to temper the fun and excitement of All-Star weekend for Eberle, who also took part in Friday's Skills Competition.
"I enjoyed the event, I think it was a great time," Eberle said. "My favorite part has just been spending it with my family, my little girl getting to see it and enjoy it. On top of that, just seeing some teammates like Connor [McDavid] and Leon [Draisaitl], guys that I've played with, Adam Pelech, guys I know throughout the league and get to see them and enjoy them and you take a little bit of a mental break from the season, unwind and where better to do it than in Vegas."
Friday night Eberle took part in a new and unique All-Star event when he participated in the Discover NHL Fountain Faceoff. Eberle was one of eight participants in the event, including USA women's star Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson.
The participants stood on a platform in the fountain at the Bellagio casino on the Vegas strip and fired pucks into five targets floating in the fountain. Eberle finished the qualifying round with a time of 27.934, which wasn't quite good enough to put him in the finals, but he and the players were all smiles afterward.
The competition has changed and was a far cry from the last time Eberle was in the All-Star Game back in 2012, representing the Edmonton Oilers. Ten years is a long time and this weekend's experience was quite different for Eberle.
"I think I was 21 when I played in that one, I'm 31 now," he said. "The format back then was 5-on-5, there was a draft, everything's different but I've enjoyed both of them. This one definitely means a lot more with my family here and being a dad now and get to share with them… best part for me, was definitely just having my little girl. Bringing her on the ice for the skills competition, I had her on the bench. She's not gonna remember, but I will, and we'll have pictures."
The NHL All-Star Game is technically a competition, but it really is a celebration of the sport. All-Star players show off their personalities, which were on display during the Skills Competition, and their overall ability during the 3-on-3 games Saturday.
Eberle relished the chance to see old teammates while having some fun. Beyond that, representing Seattle was an honor that was not lost on him.
"Being the first Kraken ever to come to the All-Star Game, I think that's a really cool thing," Eberle said. "Just being a part of this organization, I have really been proud of that. I mean, the amount of money and effort, and the fans and the city and just everything has been first class so far. My family and I've really enjoyed it and to represent and be selected to come here was really special for me. And honestly, I really wanted to get a goal for them. To be the first Kraken and to do that too, it's all been great so far."
