If the painfully dull Skills Competition left you yearning for any bit of excitement out of Los Angeles this weekend, don't worry, the Metropolitan Division's 3-on-3 roster will save you.
Why, you ask? Mainly because the two greatest players of a generation will be playing alongside each other.
Yes that's right, fans will be treated to Sidney Crosby - one of the finest point producers we've ever seen - and Alex Ovechkin - the purest scorer the game has to offer - on the same team, at last, with extra ice at their disposal.
Pitted against each other as "rivals" in both the NHL and on the international scale, Sid the Kid and Ovi are looking forward to joining forces.
"Listen, I've seen him enough," Crosby said. "And I see the way he shoots the puck, so you've got to make sure you find him anywhere over the blue line and it's got a chance to go in. It's tough playing against him, but you try to take advantage of playing with him."
The duo has overwhelming potential to dominate the tournament, and hopefully head coach - and fellow NHL 100 member - Wayne Gretzky keeps the two side by side all day long.
After his broadcast spot with Hockey Night in Canada at the NHL All-Star Skills Competition, P.K. Subban's post-playing career in television was hot topic in online circles.
But based on the manner he commanded Drew Doughty's postgame scrum, perhaps his talents would be best served on a beat?
The NHL's top players were out in full force Saturday night, and while they did their best to power through a collection of skill-testing events, the fact is this year's edition was dry, dull, and provided few memorable moments.
That might have been the worst skills competition ever.
This year's installment should be used as a case study by the league, as some changes would make the event more exciting for players and fans alike. Here are three suggestions:
Lose the 4-line challenge
The four-line challenge made its first and hopefully last appearance Saturday.
The event saw players shoot pucks (no more than two) from the blue line, the red line, the far blue line, and the far goal line into various slots in a cutout in front of the goal to score points for their respective teams.
The biggest flaw with the event: it's nearly impossible. Even at the blue line, picking the top corner isn't exactly an acquired skill. So, in the subsequent rounds, players are more or less using the "shoot and pray" method.
Including goalies is great, but it's not any easier for them. Even Mike Smith - who miraculously completed the feat - saw his shot take a lucky bounce into the target.
It's a great intermission gig for fans hoping to win a car, free tuition, or a lifetime supply of pizza, but that's about it.
Stick to concrete rules
We could've witnessed history Saturday, but we'll never know.
The league's fastest skater competition had many believing Connor McDavid could set the all-time record set by Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin last season, and he had a chance.
After winning the event, he was given the chance to do a full lap to try to beat the record. The Oilers captain came up just short, but not without controversy.
Larkin set the record with a running start, while McDavid started while standing in place. It could be argued that McDavid - who finished just shy of the record - could have eclipsed the mark if he had the same luxury.
Would have been closer if mcdavid started @blue line like Larkin did..almost at full speed by the time you hit red line @Jeremy_Roenick
The night could have been much more special if we were celebrating a record. Instead, we're left thinking of what could have been.
Promote creativity, fun
The four-line challenge was even more disappointing because it came at the cost of the most creative and fun event: the breakaway challenge.
Last year in Nashville, P.K. Subban dressed up as Jaromir Jagr before taking a penalty shot on Pekka Rinne and celebrating with the iconic Jagr salute.
It was hilarious, and the type of stuff fans want to see at the skills competition. Even without the gimmicks - from Patrick Kane dressing as Superman to Jakub Voracek using Johnny Gaudreau as a prop - the event at least had players trying to score pretty goals.
The standard shootout challenge is based solely on goals, meaning creativity takes a backseat to pure strategy.
An improvement doesn't necessarily need to be re-introducing the breakaway challenge, but more events that do a better job of showing off the players' skills while keeping the evening light.
Fun is at the heart of the skills competition. Let's get back to that.
The NHL All-Star Skills Competition wasn't without controversy, as many felt speed demon Connor McDavid wasn't given a fair shake in his chance to break Dylan Larkin's fastest skater record.
McDavid, still catching his breath from his blazing head-to-head run versus Nathan MacKinnon, was forbidden to take the running start Larkin used to set his record lap around the rink last year.
From a dead stop, McDavid broke the threshold at 13.310 seconds - or 0.138 seconds behind Larkin.
The title holder addressed the controversy on social media, issuing a challenge to No. 97.
A lot of people making a big deal about the fastest skater! I understand the advantages of a running start and I'm very glad #97 didnt...
Carey Price and Tuukka Rask were virtually unbeatable in the shootout portion of the All-Star Skills Competition on Saturday night.
But 6-year-old Ryker Kesler had something for 'em. Or, more specifically, Price.
Despite Ryker's contribution, the Atlantic won the competition 4-1, and issued a challenge to the Metropolitan for Sunday's 3-on-3 tournament at the NHL All-Star Game.
That, however, was pretty insignificant to dad.
"He really wanted to do it, and it's really about family (at) this event, and memories created. I'll never forget that," Ryan Kesler told NHL.com's Dan Rosen.
Ryan added: "To hear the crowd's reaction was pretty special. As a father, it's probably one of the proudest moments I've had."
P.K. Subban and Shea Weber - the two players involved in perhaps the biggest trade in NHL history since Wayne Gretzky's transition to Hollywood - posed for a memorable photo at the NHL All-Star Skills Competition in Los Angeles.
Despite the win, the shot was Weber's lowest winning mark and the lowest speed to win the event since Zdeno Chara won in 2007 with a shot that hit 100.4 mph.
Division
Player
Shot Speed
Atlantic
Victor Hedman
94.2 mph
Atlantic
Shea Weber
102.8 mph
Metro
Seth Jones
98.1 mph
Metro
Alex Ovechkin
97.8 mph
Central
Patrik Laine
101.7 mph
Central
Nathan MacKinnon
92.3 mph
Pacific
Brent Burns
97.7 mph
Pacific
Drew Doughty
94.6
Weber secures two points for the Atlantic Division, winning his heat over Alex Ovechkin and with the top overall shot.
As expected, Connor McDavid won the fastest skater at the NHL All-Star Skills Competition in Los Angeles, winning his head-to-head matchup with Nathan MacKinnon with a time of 13.02.
McDavid was given the opportunity to break the record held by Dylan Larkin moments after his race, but came up just short.
Nevertheless, the Edmonton Oilers superstar bagged two points for the Pacific, which matched the two earned by the Atlantic with Nikita Kucherov and Vincent Trocheck defeating Cam Atkinson and Wayne Simmonds, respectively.
Patrik Laine earned one point for the Central in a photo finish with Bo Horvat.
It's a skills competition, and Sidney Crosby has them.
After helping the Metropolitan Division win the night's first event - the skills relay - Crosby went 4-for-5 in the accuracy shooting competition, breaking the quartet of targets in a winning time of 10.73 seconds.
