Unlike other sports, the stars truly do come out to shine during the NHL All-Star weekend. From the different skills challenges to the game itself, the best hockey players in the world have provided some pretty unforgettable moments over the years.
[sc:NHL250 ]Let’s take a look back at our pick of the top 10 best moments from the top NHL players during the past 60 editions of All-Star festivities. And for more hockey reminiscing, check out our look back at the top 10 Alex Ovechkin goals and top 10 Sydney Crosby goals and moments.
[sc:PopCultureArticles ]Top 10 NHL All-Star Game and Weekend Moments
10. Phil Kessel gets picked last
[sc:NHL240 ]No one likes to get picked last at anything, but someone’s got to bite the bullet. Unfortunately for Phil Kessel, he was Mr. Irrelevant as the NHL went with the new draft-style format back in 2011. But if it makes Kessel feel any better, a couple of good things came out of his one embarrassing moment:
1) Kessel got a car and $20,000 for his troubles, and
2) the world got to witness an awesome, awesome, Alex Ovechkin tweet. Hahahhaahhaa indeed.
9. Mike Richter magic at MSG
Madison Square Garden hosted the 1991 All-Star Game, and that seemingly brought the best out of hometown favorite Mike Richter. The New York Rangers goalie put on a show in the second period, as he produced 19 saves on 21 shots.
Perhaps the most famous of those 19 stops was the one on Pavel Bure on a breakaway that would foreshadow their Stanley Cup meeting that year. The East would go on to win, 9-8, as Richter deservedly won the MVP award.
8. Zdeno Chara shatters slapshot record
It’s always fun to see a bit of history being made, and Zdeno Chara did just that in 2012. The hulking Slovak displayed his freakish strength, not by checking another hapless forward into the boards, but by shattering his own all-time record in the hardest shot competition. Luckily for the fans in attendance, only an empty net felt the full brunt of that ferociously-struck 108.8 mile per hour puck.
7. Dany Heatley joins elite company
Any list that includes Hall of Famers like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Michael Gartner is a pretty big deal. In 2003, Dany Heatley added himself on one such list as he became just the fifth person at the time to score four goals in an All-Star Game.
Heatley also scored the East’s only goal in the shootout and claimed MVP honors despite his team going down 6-5. Not bad for his very first All-Star appearance, eh?
6. Alex Ovechkin pulls out the props
NHL All-Star weekend is the ultimate showcase for the fans, and no one gets that better than Alex Ovechkin. In a great display of his showmanship back in 2009, Ovi – with the help of BFF Evgeni Malkin – had one of the most unforgettable moments ever in the breakaway challenge.
Words really don’t do justice to Ovi’s master class of a run. From the get-up to the goal, everything was just inspired. If for some reason you haven’t already viewed it a thousand times, prepare to do so now.
5. Ray Bourque shines bright in Beantown
If anyone is familiar with Ray Bourque’s brilliance, it’s Boston. And in 1996, with the city hosting the All-Star Game, the Bruins legend didn’t pass up the opportunity to give his hometown fans another glimpse of his greatness.
With the game tied in the waning seconds, Bourque scored with just 37 seconds left in the game to deliver the win for the East. He was named the game’s MVP and sent Bruins fans home happy.
4. Owen Nolan owns The Dominator
Getting the puck past Dominik Hasek in his prime was hard enough as it was, but to call your shot against “The Dominator” and still score? That’s just insane.
Well, that’s exactly what Owen Nolan did in 1997. While on a breakaway, Nolan oh-so-casually pointed toward Hasek’s right-hand side and proceeded to slot it home to complete his All-Star Game hat-trick. Needless to say, the swag points on that play were simply off the charts.
3. The Great One first to four
What type of hockey top 10 list is complete without an entry from Wayne Gretzky? An incomplete one. “The Great One” delivered arguably his marquee All-Star Game performance in 1983, where he dazzled the crowd with four goals – all in the third period – to lead the Campbell Conference to a 9-3 win over the Wales.
In typical Gretzky fashion, he became the first player ever to reach the four-goal threshold in NHL All-Star Game history.
2. Super Mario goes for six
As great as Gretzky’s 1983 game was, Mario Lemieux’s 1988 was better. Super Mario was simply magnificent in that game as he set an All-Star record six points (three goals, three assists), including the game-winner in overtime. That record stood unmatched for 27 long years until Jakub Voracek finally equalled it in 2015.
However, Voracek did that in a glorified scrimmage of an ASG, which finished 17-12. The ’88 game finished 6-5, so Super Mario had a hand in all six Wales goals. No bonus points to see which was the more impressive feat.
1. Howe takes a bow
Red Wings legend Gordie Howe made his record 23rd and final All-Star appearance in 1980, which was fittingly held in Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. But while that game will rightly be remembered as Mr. Hockey’s swansong, it was also a historic moment for one Wayne Douglas Gretzky, who was making his very first All-Star appearance that year.
In terms of great All-Star Game moments, what can top the two greatest players in hockey history sharing the ice with the other greats of the time? Nothing, really.
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