ALL-STAR: McDavid dazzles during Skills to take home $1 million prize

TORONTO, ON – Among the League's elite, Connor McDavid proved that his skills are simply unmatched.

To his Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl, who sees this type of incredible skill and determination from his captain every day in Oil Country, what No. 97 showcased to the rest of the NHL during 2024 All-Star Skills on Friday night is just prototypical of the 'Best Player In The World'.

Everybody else is just catching up.

"Not even in the slightest," Draisaitl said of his surprise over McDavid's performance in the skills competition. The German didn't enjoy the same success in the competition as his other half of the Dynamic Duo, but frankly, nobody else was able to compete with McDavid's big night. "Obviously, he's the epitome of competitiveness on a daily basis, so I'm not surprised."

"I've seen him do it for a lot of years now, but it's the day-to-day business that's so impressive about him. We were very fortunate to get to see him do his work every day, and he's just so competitive and so dialled in every single aspect. He's just fun to be around."

The Oilers captain won four out of six events on Friday night, winning Fastest Skater, Accuracy Shooting, Stick Handling and the Obstacle Course to capture the $1 million prize at 2024 All-Star Skills in Toronto with 25 points and beat out runner-up in Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar.

McDavid became the first NHL player to win Fastest Skater four times when he reclaimed the title at the expense of New York Islanders' winger Mathew Barzal, who ended his run of three straight victories in the event during 2020 All-Star Weekend in St. Louis.

Soon after, McDavid exemplified his speed with the puck to again defeat his fellow 2015 first-round pick – this time in the Stick Handling event after his slaloming run up the ice set the unbeatable standard of 25.755 seconds.

When it came to picking corners in Accuracy Shooting, McDavid's perfect 4-for-4 run in a time of 9.158 seconds held off the likes of Toronto Maple Leafs' sniper Auston Matthews in the final heat to win him his third event of the night and secure his spot in the Final Eight.

After staying alive in the One-on-One challenge by scoring three times on Colorado netminder Alexandar Georgiev, McDavid anchored the Obstacle Course needing five points, and he made no mistake by beating out Makar with a time of 43.445 seconds – more than three seconds faster – to take home the $1 million prize.

"I would say the most challenging was the breakaway one," McDavid said. "Georgiev had my number. He was poke-checking and mixing things up. He made it tough for me. That's what he's there to do. It was a tough ask for the goalies, so credit to them for stepping in there and battling. I thought they were great and they put on a good show."

"The obstacle course I thought was cool. It kind of tied in all the different aspects of the game, and I thought it was good. I thought it was entertaining, and it's fun to be part of."

The skills competition featured a revamped format this year that was developed with the input of players like McDavid, helping create a more competitive setting for fans and players alike.

"I thought it was entertaining. I know from a competitive side, it definitely got competitive out there," he said. "I was huffing and puffing. Guys were working hard, trying to put on a good show and I feel like we did that. I think we can feel good about it. Ultimately, it's up to the fans and I hope they enjoyed."

McDavid is still mulling over the decision as to how he'll spend his winnings, but mentions that he'll have some inquiring parties when he rejoins his Oilers teammates in advance of attempting to win their 17th straight game in the first game back from All-Star Weekend on Feb. 6 at T-Mobile Arena against the Vegas Golden Knights.

"I haven't really put much thought into it," McDavid said. "I know I'm going to have some teammates back home that are going to be very interested in what I'm going to do with it, but I'm going to have to try to figure it out. Maybe donate some of it to the teammates. We'll see. A lot of good options."