Anaheim Ducks Daily Links: All-Star Skills Competition

Good day, Anaheim Ducks fans! With the conclusion of the NHL All-Star Draft, the festivities for the All-Star weekend are underway with the All-Star Skills Competition tonight. The Draft was a hit, with some great moments from Alex Ovechkin and a repeat of the Phil Kessel for Tyler Seguin trade that had many hockey fans in hysterics (myself included).

The teams will compete in six events: Fastest Skater, Breakaway Challenge, Accuracy Shooting, Skills Challenge Relay, Hardest Shot, and Shootout. The captains, Nick Foligno and Jonathan Toews, each drafted their teams, and their group of All-Stars and pair of rookies will partake in a competition where the players will get to show off their skills.

Many of these events are fan-favorites. For example, the Breakaway Challenge is a great way for shooters to display their creative side, with all kinds of nifty shootout moves to try in a non-pressure setting (although the fans in the arena and crowds watching from home provide their own pressure as well). The Hardest Shot is another favorite: who doesn’t love seeing missile-esque slapshots? Zdeno Chara set the record in Ottawa with a shot registering a whopping 108.8 mph. Imagine having to block that.

Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf is serving as an assistant captain on Team Toews. He will participate in the Accuracy Shooting competition as a shooter, the Skills Challenge Relay as a passer, and the Shootout as a part of the third heat.

The league may be on a general halt, but there’s still news going around. Here are some Ducks and NHL news for the day.

Schedule