NHL unveils details of All-Star Skills Competition

NEW YORK -- The National Hockey League (NHL) today announced the details of the 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition and the format of the six events that will showcase hockey's top talent on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. ET at AMALIE Arena in Tampa, Fla., home of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition will be televised on NBCSN in the U.S. and on CBC, Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada. All six events of the 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition will be individual competitions, with the winner of each event earning $25,000.

Details and rules for all six events of the 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition are listed below.
-- Enterprise NHL Fastest Skater
-- Dunkin' Donuts NHL Passing Challenge
-- GEICO NHL Save Streak
-- Gatorade NHL Puck Control Relay
-- PPG NHL Hardest Shot
-- Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting

Enterprise NHL Fastest Skater

Eight skaters will compete in the Enterprise NHL Fastest Skater Each skater will be timed for one full lap around the rink. The skater may choose the direction of their lap and can be positioned a maximum of three feet behind the start line located on the penalty box side of the center red line. The skater must start on the referee's whistle and the timing clock will start when the skater crosses the start line. In the event of a clock malfunction, the official time will be recorded by the referee's stopwatch. The skater with the fastest time is the winner of the Enterprise NHL Fastest Skater, and if there is a tie for the fastest time, the tied players will skate another lap to determine the winner.

Dunkin' Donuts NHL Passing Challenge

Eight players will compete in the Dunkin' Donuts NHL Passing Challenge, which consists of three skills over one round, including (1) Target Passing, where each player must complete four successful passes to targets that light up in a random sequence; (2) Give and Go, where each player must successfully complete the four required passes through a course set up in the neutral zone; and (3) Mini Nets, where each player must complete one pass over a barricade and into each of four mini nets, as well as an additional pass into the game net. Each skill must be completed before a player moves on to the next. The referee's whistle signals completion of each skill. The player to complete all three skills in the fastest time is deemed the winner of the Dunkin' Donuts NHL Passing Challenge, and if there is a tie for the fastest time, the tied players will compete again to determine the winner.

GEICO NHL Save Streak

Five goalies and all 36 skaters will participate in the GEICO NHL Save Streak, a shootout grouped by division where goalies compete to make the most consecutive saves. Each goalie will face one opposing division and a minimum of nine scoring attempts. Each scoring attempt is officiated in accordance with NHL shootout rules and begins on the referee's whistle. Players from each division will shoot in numerical order, lowest to highest, with the divisional captain shooting ninth. A goalie's round at the GEICO NHL Save Streak cannot end with a save - if the divisional captain's shot is saved, the goalie will continue to face shooters until a goal is scored. If the goalie makes a save on the divisional captain's shot, the order of shooters to follow is the same as at the original order. The goalie with the longest consecutive save streak during his time in net is the winner of the GEICO NHL Save Streak. If there is a tie for longest consecutive save streak, the goalie with the highest total saves made during his round will be crowned the winner.

Gatorade NHL Puck Control Relay

Eight players will compete in the Gatorade NHL Puck Control Relay, a timed single-round event that includes three skills: (1) Stickhandling, where a skater controls a puck through a series of eight pucks in a straight line; (2) Cone Control, where a skater controls a puck through a series of eight cones in a zig-zag formation; and (3) Gates, where a skater approaches a gate and is required to shoot or otherwise guide the puck through the lighted rung of a gate. Each skill must be completed before moving on to the next skill. The referee's whistles will signal completion of each skill and the player to complete the three skills in the fastest time is deemed the winner of the Gatorade NHL Puck Control Relay. If there is a tie for the fastest time, the tied players will compete again to determine the winner.

PPG NHL Hardest Shot

Six players will compete in the PPG NHL Hardest Shot. Over two rounds, each player will attempt two shots measured in miles per hour (mph), with the highest speed of their two shots recorded. After each player's first attempt, the order of shots for second attempts will be based on the speed recorded in the first round, slowest to fastest. For each attempt, a single puck is positioned on the ice 30 feet from the center of the goal. Starting no further than the nearest blue line, the shooter may skate towards the puck and shoot it from its positioned spot into the goal. Shots must be on goal to be calculated and all shots are recorded by radar in miles per hour. If a puck enters the goal uncalculated due to a malfunction of the radar equipment, the shooter will be allowed an additional attempt. If player breaks his stick he will be given another attempt. The player who records the fastest speed is the winner of the PPG NHL Hardest Shot. If there is a tie for the fastest speed, the tied players will shoot again to determine the winner.

Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting

Eight players will compete in the Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting, a timed event where a shooter is positioned 25 feet from the goal line and shoots pucks at five LED targets located in the net. On the referee's whistle, one of the five LED targets will randomly light up for three seconds and the player will attempt to hit the lighted target. Hit targets will be taken out of the random sequencing and if the target is not hit within three seconds, the next target will be lighted. The clock stops when the player has successfully hit all five targets, the player that hits all five targets in the fastest time will be crowned the winner of the Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting. If there is a tie for the fastest time, the tied players will compete again to determine the winner.

Notes for all 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition Events:

Prior to the competition, the NHL Department of Player Safety will determine the players participating in each event and the order of participation. Number of players in each event is subject to change. The referee shall make all necessary rulings regarding the skills competition events.
The Tampa Bay Lightning, who are celebrating their 25th season, and the city of Tampa will host the 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend. The League's midseason showcase will take place at AMALIE Arena and will include the 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition on Saturday, Jan. 27 (7 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS) and 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Sunday, Jan. 28 (3:30 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS).
For the third straight season, the 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game will feature a three-game tournament, played in a 3-on-3 format, showcasing teams from each NHL division competing for a $1 million winner-take-all prize pool.
Visit
NHL.com/fans/all-star
for more information