During the Great Clips NHL Breakaway Challenge at the 2023 NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook, Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk executed a beach-themed shot for the competition.
Dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, sunglasses and a bucket hat, with a beach towel around his neck, Tkachuk asked for a lifeguard to help him with the shot, and out came Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, dressed the part.
Tkachuk then asked for a legendary goaltender, and 2022 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Roberto Luongo made his way out on the ice. Finally, Tkachuk asked for football player Christian Wilkins of the Miami Dolphins to help out with the shot, and out he joined in as well.
All the while, Tkachuk's brother, Brady -- captain of the Ottawa Senators -- was out on the ice in a beach chair, dressed in beach gear.
In preparation for the shot, Tkachuk put on a pair of goggles and Wilkins gave Luongo a pool noodle to replace his goalie stick.
Barkov, dressed as a lifeguard, blew a whistle to kick things off. Tkachuk made his way towards the net from center ice, bouncing the puck on his stick the whole way.
As he approached the net, Tkachuk threw the puck up in the air and caught it in his hat. He then put the hat on the ice, with the puck inside, and scored on a slap shot past Luongo.
Three of the four judges gave Tkachuk a high score for the shot. Actor Dylan Playfair [of Hulu's "Letterkenny"] gave Tkachuk a score of 11. Former World No. 1 tennis player Victoria Azarenka and the WWE tag team of Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins each gave Tkachuk a score of 10.
The outlier - Adam DiMarco [of HBO's "The White Lotus"] gave Tkachuk a two, much to the dismay of the Panthers home crowd.
During an interview with ESPN's Kevin Weekes after the event, Tkachuk said DiMarco must be a Tampa Bay Lightning fan.
Tkachuk finished with a score of 33. Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and Washington Capitals captains Alex Ovechkin - with a little help from Ovechkin's four-year-old son Sergei - won the Breakaway Challenge with a perfect score of 40.
