NHL announces reimagining for 2024 All-Star Skills Competition

Instead of the usual setup where all players will participate and be dispersed among the several events, this year will see 12 players selected to participate in the events, earning points based on where they finish in the event, with the winner receiving $1 million.

“We wanted to do something that the players would have fun with and want to participate in,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Tuesday. “We’ll crown an All-Star as the Skills champion, and that should be a lot of fun.”

Eight players will be selected by the NHL, along with input from the NHL Players’ Association, from the four teams at the event, with the hosting Toronto Maple Leafs likely getting a nod in the process. Four additional players will be voted into the event by fans.

Each player will participate in four of the first six events: Fastest Skater, Hardest Shot, Stick Handling, One Timers, Passing Challenge and Cheetos NHL Accuracy Shooting. The player who finishes in first place will get five points, second place will get four, and so on. The top eight after that will advance to the seventh event: the Shoot Out.

“The seventh event is so cool,” said NHL chief content officer Steve Mayer on Tuesday. “Eight players will line up on one blue line, eight goalies will line up on the other, and the players — one by one, from eighth place to first place — will pick the goalie he wants to go up against.”

The top six from that event will then advance to the final event: the Obstacle Course. It will feature all of the skills in one big event and be worth double the points. The winner isn’t guaranteed victory though, as the winner will still be decided based on the standings from all eight events, but it will certainly give them a big boost.

This announcement joins several other changes announced for this year’s All Star Weekend in Toronto, with the biggest one being the re-introduction of All-Star Player Draft on Thursday, February 1st. The NHL will select four captains to draft their teams for the weekend from a pool of 40 players, with 12 selected by the fans via a vote. In addition, that day will also feature NHL All-Star Thursday, a new event that will include an NHL Alumni Man of the Year, honour the 1967 Maple Leafs, and a 3-on-3 showcase from the Professional Women’s Hockey League.