All Star Skillz time

So here we are in Ottawa- sorry, Kanata (which really isn't quite the same thing), Ontario for the NHL All Stars Skills Competition. (And yeah, I'm not just being lame, I've been to ScotiabankPlace and it's actually a really cool place to see hockey, but it's a bit outside of the city.) However, Ottawa has the Rideau Canal so they totally get the win. (and a lot of jealousy from me)

The intros were cool- I liked the pics of the players as kids. My nephew was pretty upset that the announcer wasn't getting excited enough about their names though. LOL

The fastest skater was fine- the goalie race still cracks me up.

Now we've moved on to the Breakaway competition.
So far, Corey Perry wins- that stickwork was INSANE- the puck was GLUED to his stick.. then he scored!

okay, PKane with the superman dive was pretty funny.. and I didn't even catch how he slid the puck from his hand to his skate.

Tavares hitting it off his stick was pretty slick, especially the switching hands.

3rd round..
Carey Price- he saved it facing backwards!? that was great.

Did the puck really just break on Kane? Or did he plan that?.. ah okay it was planned.

Perry is cracking us up with the mini-stick.
I just voted for him.

Oh come on. Perry was better than Kane! Though Kane was creative, Perry had more skill. (and creativity)

On to the Accuracy Competition:
-Poor Cody...
-Stamkos' gum is really bright.
-Wow Jamie Benn. I was wondering why he looked so unhappy early, he just had an appendectomy. Wow.
*I don't like how there's no scoreboard keeping track of how many targets they've hit. I can't always tell if they hit them.

Jamie Benn with the win there.

And on to the Skills Challenge Relay- I dig this one.. they have to do such wild stuff.

My favs are the stickhandling through the obstacles.. so amazing. And I would get SO DIZZY going through the pylons- reminds me of the hockey class I took in college- we used to do figure 8s between cones- they were a little further apart and we were nowhere near that quick. LOL

Letang just owned that One-timer deal. 3/4
Hank Sedin seems impatient with the passing thing at first then starts owning.

Team Alfie got the win there- way less time.

Love how Pommers is hanging with all the Sens. I thought you guys were enemies! ;)

I am amused by how the "cones" are Gatorade bottles.

Pommers takes it in the Clutch for Team Alfie. :) Good job! (Ottawa fans should know about Pominville and clutch- see Playoffs, 2006, Round 1)

You're not Tim Thomas.. This is Tim Thomas... *kissy kissy* (This commercial will never get old.)

--Hardest Shot time:
Luke Adam from the Sabres acquits himself well with a 98 and wins his round. :)
Alfie is killing it, 101.1, 101.3. WOW
Team Alfie is owning it so far.
WAIT 106.2 Chara. What the WHAT?
And hold the phone.. 108.8. Weber came back with a 106 but Chara's 106.2 and 107 were all over it. Who would stand in front of that?

Team Alfredsson still winning but Chara caught up with that ridiculously hard shot.

What's with the R2-D2 Verizon commercial? I'd totally buy him over a phone. He'll talk back to your snooty C-3PO droid, navigate your X-Wing, talk to your hyperdrive and fix it, he'll serve drinks on your party barge, keep your lightsabre and handily toss it to you at the right moment.. I mean he's pretty indispensable really. :) And that other thing.. just a phone.

Only 11 players (and a rookie) in the shootout? I thought it was everybody.

This part is usually all about the goalies.. let's see what happens.
NO goal for Datsyuk- wow. But we know Lundqvist is sick.
Stamkos with the fake.. nice one bro.
Whoa Malkin snuck it right under the leg..
Tavares scores- Team Alfie still winning-and 2 goals so far
CoreyPerry just misses high- he hit the post.
Spezza pulls Price out of the net but keeps the puck and sneaks it in far side.
Team Alfie up 14-10 now.
Thomas stones Giroux (good, I don't like him)
Gaborik tries to flip it on the glove side and Elliot says NO!
Alfredsson goes 5-hole on Thomas for the score. (Maybe Tim was being nice.. LOL)
Kane stoned by Elliot and it's 15-10 Alfie
Thomas with the poke check on Neal.. no goal!
Iglina sneaks one in.. through the 5-hole. Wow.
Michalek stopped by Thomas and it's 15-11 Team Alfie
-Wow why does Gary Bettman look so angry? This is great!
Round 3
Quick stops Benn to keep the score where it is. He's so good this year- too bad his team is not.
Pominville scores a snapshot high glove side on Howard! :) Let's Go Buffalo!
Lupul gets robbed by Quick, much to the fans' delight.
Letang slips one by Howard on the backhand. It's 17-11 now.
Timmonen does some voodoo and somehow scores on Quick.
Suter hits the crossbar on Quick
Daniel Sedin misses.. and we're done with the initial round. Only 6 players remain.
YEEESH Lundqvist with the split for the stop.
Stamkos with a SICK spin-o-rama.
Iginla goes wide.. he's done. He's so smiley though!
Tavares still in with the high backhand. Team Alfie up 19-12 now. Only one Team Chara player still left.
Timmonen misses and Team Chara is DONE. We still have a few more players though, and we need a winner.
Spezza's up- he's stopped by Price. The crowd sighs.
*sidenote- Pommers looks lost without his Sens buddies*
Alfredsson gets stopped by Price. Crowd loved that. Or not.
Pominville scores on Thomas! The crowd cheers. :)
Tavares Misses..
Pominville comes in 2nd! Good job!
Stamkos is the winner. :)

Phew. Team Alfredsson with the win 22-12. :)

and there we have it. Tomorrow is the Game.

All-Stars

I'm really digging the fog "screen" with the projected names and numbers that the players skate through. Very cool.

-I didn't notice Shattenkirk or that random guy from the Ducks last night during the draft.. weird... oh wait are they rookies?

-My nephews are watching this with my nephews and they appropriately booing the Rangers and Bruins and Flyers and Senators.. hahahaha I have taught them well! Haha now they showed Tyler Ennis and Benj said "Yay now that's what I call my favorite!" hahahaha they are too cute.

-Let the games begin! :) I love super skillz.

-The goalie race was possibly the awesomest thing I've ever seen in an All-Star game. Rock on- and the backwards D-man race was fun too.

-Why did Team Staal pick Mike Green for fastest skater? He is not fast.

-I love love love the breakaway competition. It's impressive and fun. The level of talent on display is insane.

-Sharpie owned the accuracy competition. Why did Toews have a do-over? Bum.

-What's with the random kids on the benches? Are they the players' kids? Kids who won some competition?

-How hot is Sharp? Just saying. Daaaaaymnnn boy.

-Team Staal is OWNING! :) 18-6 WOW

-Shannny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-They are having the worst camera angle issues. figure it out peeps!

-The relay is nifty. I dig the puck control parts.. so sweet- and Tyler Ennis killed on that part- he made it look easy and I know that it isnt! Good job, bro.

-It is cracking me up that they are all chomping on gum like baseball players.

-I don't want to say this publicly, but it's true- Claude Giroux is kinda cute. Whoops.... yeah, I said it. It's like Marc Savard from last year- why don't they ever mic up someone I already know and like- like Kes or Sharpie?

-I want someone random to win the hardest shot competition- let's see what happens.........
Team Staal ahead after 2 rounds.. nothing too shocking yet.
C'mon Sharpie.. with the win! Still that was an odd choice- he isn't much of a hard shooter, just accurate and fast, like the announcers were saying. I don't mind him getting some face time though.
Here comes Chara and Weber- now we're getting serious about this shot. 104.6 for Weber- yeesh. 104.1 for Chara. WHOA. Make that 104.8 for Webs.. and he wins it. WOW.
Tricky Ricky.. what ya got for us? 88.5? Weak! C'mon bro.. you're better than that. yeesh not a good showing for you my man. Ovie broke the radar.
WOWZERS Chara beat his own record- 105.9 MPH.

-How about this shootout? The goalies are bustin. Woooo P K Suban finally scored on McFlurry! :)

-Nash finally got one through! Nobody can score on his own goalie..
Man.. this is kind of wild- there were so many misses in the first round.
Corey Perry is the last man standing. :) Good for him!

Team Staal with the win. yaaaay baby!