Players 'can't really wait' to compete in 2023 NHL All-Star Game

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Connor Hellebuyck is gearing up for his third NHL All-Star Game. He wants to win. And the Winnipeg Jets goalie is serious about it.

"Absolutely," Hellebuyck said.
Hellebuyck and Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators are the two goalies for the Central Division in the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game at FLA Live Arena on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, CBC, SN, TVAS).
The Central Division plays the Pacific Division in the first of the two semifinals. The Atlantic Division and Metropolitan Division follow, and the winners will compete in the final for the $1 million prize that will be split up among the 11 players on the championship team.
Hellebuyck has not yet won even a semifinal game at the All-Star Game, losing in the semifinal to the Pacific Division in both the 2018 game at Amalie Arena in Tampa and in 2020 at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
"I had another guy ask me recently and I told him my first All-Star Game I was just going with the flow, just trying to be one with everyone else, and I regretted it because I saw former Nashville Predators goalie] Pekka Rinne go extremely hard and I really cherished watching that," Hellebuyck said. "So, my next All-Star Game I went hard, and I really enjoyed it. I had a good time.
"But I haven't made it past the first game, so now I want to see what the next thing is like because you know the pressure builds, guys get into it, and I think that's just another moment that I want to enjoy and be a part of."
***[RELATED: [2023 NHL All-Star Game coverage]*
The problem for Hellebuyck is the All-Star Game, especially since the NHL went to the 3-on-3 format in 2016, is not exactly tailor-made for goalies.
The event celebrates and promotes skill and scoring. There will be plenty of skill on display Saturday; it's up to players like Hellebuyck to determine how much scoring.
"I think that's why we're here, right," said Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, who was selected to a franchise-record 13th All-Star Game this season. "I think people want to see some good moves, skills. They don't want to see battling. It's all about the skills. It's all about good play, nice moves and try to win the game."

Ovechkin is one of four players here representing the Metropolitan Division that has appeared in at least one previous All-Star Game. He'll play in his eighth, Johnny Gaudreau (Columbus Blue Jackets) his seventh, Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) his fifth and Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils) his second.
But forward Brock Nelson and goalie Ilya Sorokin from the New York Islanders, forward Artemi Panarin, defenseman Adam Fox and goalie Igor Shesterkin from the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers forward Kevin Hayes and Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov are in their first NHL All-Star Game.
Also in their first All-Star Game are Boston Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark, Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson, Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey, Los Angeles Kings forward Kevin Fiala, Vegas Golden Knights forward Chandler Stephenson and goalie Logan Thompson, and Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner.
"It's going to be another exciting day," Svechnikov said. "I can't really wait for it."
Crosby, selected as an All-Star for the ninth time, talked about his appreciation for meeting all the first-time participants this weekend, gaining a better understanding of who they are and getting an up-close look at what they are capable of doing on the ice.
But then there is the idea of playing against them.
"Playing with these guys is great; playing against some of these guys is not so fun with the way they skate and their hands," Crosby said. "There's a lot of skill on display and you want guys to not feel out of place for trying something.
"You want guys to go hard and be competitive. That makes it even more fun. You can see as the game goes on it gets a little more intense, guys get more comfortable and it's fun to see that."

That typically has been the case since in the six All-Star Games since the NHL went to the 3-on-3 format starting in 2016 in Nashville.
Three of the six finals have been decided by one goal. The Pacific defeated the Atlantic 1-0 in 2016, the Metropolitan defeated the Pacific 4-3 in 2017 and the Pacific won 5-4 against the Atlantic in 2020.
The Metropolitan Division won 5-3 against the Central in Las Vegas last year. The Pacific also defeated the Atlantic 5-2 in 2018. The one aberration from the tight, close, low-scoring games was the Metropolitan Division's 10-5 win against the Central in 2019.
"I remember the final was pretty competitive last year," Montreal Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki said. "The first game is kind of a feeling out process, so someone will have to give us a good speech and get us fired up."
Hellebuyck might be that guy for the Central Division.