Commissioner Gary Bettman says the inclusion and incredible performance of Kendall Coyne Schofield during Friday's Skills Competition highlights what the league stands for.

"Whether it's women or whatever your background or orientation is, this game is about inclusion," Bettman told Sportsnet's Ron MacLean during intermission of the All-Star Game on Saturday. "We take pride in our diversity and we think being inclusive and diverse makes the game stronger. And, as importantly, we think we can use the game to teach life lessons."

Coyne Schofield became the first woman to ever participate in the NHL's Skills Competition, and she was joined by fellow female stars Brianna Decker, Rebecca Johnston, and Renata Fast in San Jose. During the game Saturday, the NHL announced it will make $25,000 donations in each of their names to the charities or hockey programs of their choice.

"Having women as part of the weekend really elevates the game for everybody," Bettman said.

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Another year of All-Star festivities is in the books.

From the awe-inspiring talent on the ice, to the light-hearted hijinx off of it, Saturday's All-Star Game provided fans with a great mix of what makes the NHL and its players so special.

Here are some of the best images from an incredible weekend.

Hometown heroes

Snow angels down south

Legends of the game

Gritty gets into the action

Stamkos gets sneaky for beautiful goal

Grand larceny

When rivals become teammates

Flying through All-Star weekend

Friendly and familiar faces

Million-dollar team

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The Metropolitan Division won the 2019 All-Star Game on Saturday night with a 10-5 victory over the Central.

Sidney Crosby led the way with a five-point performance in the final, helping himself and his teammates to the $1-million prize. He frequently teamed up with Mathew Barzal, who had five points of his own in the tournament-clinching victory.

After ousting the Atlantic in the first game, the Metro jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in the final and cruised to its second title since the NHL adopted the three-on-three format in 2016.

The NHL's second-leading scorer, Mikko Rantanen, led the way for the Central in the final with two goals and one assist in the losing cause.

Next year's All-Star festivities will take place in St. Louis.

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If hockey fans learned anything during Saturday night's NHL All-Star Game, it's that Sidney Crosby is nowhere near finished.

The Pittsburgh Penguins superstar picked up his first All-Star Game MVP award Saturday, tallying eight points over two games en route to leading the Metropolitan Division to victory in the four-team tournament.

Despite his league-wide dominance over the last 14 seasons, Crosby has been selected to just eight All-Star teams - mostly due to bad luck. Concussion issues plagued the star early in his career, while the NHL lockout in 2013 and the Winter Olympic Games in both 2010 and 2014 marked years with no All-Star Game at all.

With another piece of hardware under his belt, the 31-year-old has added to a laundry list of accomplishments that is unmatched by most.

From the moment he hit the ice on Friday night, Crosby was showered with boos from the San Jose crowd. In 2016, he lifted his second of three Stanley Cups at the SAP Center after defeating the Sharks in six games.

Crosby will be taking home more than just the hardware. The All-Star Game MVP is also rewarded with a new Honda vehicle.

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The Metropolitan Division booked its ticket to the final of the 2019 NHL All-Star Game, defeating the Atlantic Division, 7-4.

Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby opened the scoring just 15 seconds in with his first of two goals in the game. Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones also added a pair of goals, and Penguins' Kris Letang potted the eventual game-winner with just under four minutes to play.

Toronto Maple Leafs' John Tavares led the way for the Atlantic with a goal and an assist, while Steven Stamkos and Jeff Skinner put forth their respective bids for goal of the night.

The result offers a complete reversal from one year ago, as the Atlantic Division topped the Metropolitan by the same score, 7-4, at the 2018 All-Star Game.

The stage has been set, as the Metropolitan Division is slated to meet the Central in the championship game.

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The Central Division started the NHL All-Star Game with a bang, dominating the Pacific en route to a 10-4 victory to advance to the finals.

In the game's first half, the Central lit up Anaheim Ducks netminder John Gibson with seven goals on nine shots, much to the chagrin of the home crowd, who were cheering on their San Jose Shark representatives to advance.

The Central was led by Ryan O'Reilly and Gabriel Landeskog, who each posted four points, while Patrick Kane and Mikko Rantanen posted three of their own.

The Pacific got two points apiece from Joe Pavelski, Erik Karlsson, and Brent Burns.

With the first game in the books, the Central awaits the winner of the Atlantic-Metropolitan clash to determine their opponent for the grand prize.

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Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl won the Premier Passing event at Friday's All-Star Skills Competition in San Jose, but he didn't have the fastest time.

That belonged to Brianna Decker, a U.S. Olympic gold medalist and member of the Calgary Inferno of the CWHL. She demonstrated the event for the NHL participants in front of a sold-out crowd and completed the challenge in 1:06, three seconds faster than Draisaitl.

Draisaitl, like all Friday's event winners, earned a $25,000 bonus, which sparked some outrage among the hockey world.

Enter hockey manufacturing brand CCM, who announced Saturday that it will be providing Decker with her rightful earnings.

In addition, it appears the NHL has something planned for all the women that participated, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.

Decker wasn't the only woman to make headlines at the event, as American teammate Kendall Coyne Schofield wowed in the Fastest Skater event and became the first woman to participate in the NHL Skills Competition.

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Johnny Gaudreau's All-Star squad had some added insight at its disposal Saturday.

The star forward's father, Guy, joinsx the Pacific Division team on the bench for the three-on-three tournament after being invited to do so by head coach Bill Peters, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Peters also coaches the younger Gaudreau's Calgary Flames.

Guy Gaudreau starred at Norwich University in the late '70s, and spent 11 years as the head boys' coach at Gloucester Catholic High School in New Jersey. He was inducted into the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.

His son made his fifth All-Star appearance and is tied with Connor McDavid for third in the NHL with 73 points, albeit in two more games played.

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