NHL All-Star Skills Events Hit Video-Game Mode

It's a great weekend to be in Tampa, and not just for the NHL All-Star Game.

This is the city's annual Gasparilla festival, in honor of the 18th century pirate who called this his home port.

Partying in winter works around here, starting with none other than the Gasparilla Bowl to keep the city's branding consistent.

So why not get into the swing of things?

 

Fellow Swedes Erik Karlsson and Victor Hedman did.

 

What's more, they were easily recognized amongst the throngs. Tampa's become a hockey hotbed, striking another one up for Gary Bettman's Southern strategy.

It doesn't hurt that the Lightning have the NHL's best record, are faster than rum shots, and have bona fidé hockey household names, not the least of whom is Steven Stamkos.

 

So the league couldn't have picked a better time or place to stage its mid-season break.

Plus, as All-Star antics go, the league continues to stand out for its creative skills contests.

This year, it added a cool new feature and enhanced it all by lighting it all up:

 

Those events are tough, even for the game's best.

Just ask the Los Angeles Kings' Drew Doughty, who's actually an accomplished puck shifter:

 

Full marks, then, to all the winners. That goes double for rookie Brock Boeser; dude's now become a Vancouver Canuck who's actually won something.

 

For the record, here's the list of skills winners:

Fastest Skater ...	Connor McDavid	EDM	13.454 secs
Passing Challenge ...	Alex Pietrangelo	STL	46.610 secs
Save Streak ...	Marc-André Fleury	VGK	14 saves
Puck Control Relay ...	Johnny Gaudreau	CGY	24.650 secs
Hardest Shot ...	Alex Ovechkin	WSH	101.3 mph
Shooting Accuracy ...	Brock Boeser	VAN	11.136 secs

 

The league knew how to turn up their competitive spirit, too. Each winner earned $25,000.