SportsHockey

Bieksa has fun with Canucks players at NHL All-Star Skills Competition

Rob Williams
Rob Williams
|
Jan 25 2020, 4:45 am
Bieksa has fun with Canucks players at NHL All-Star Skills Competition
Sportsnet

There was a Vancouver flavour to the NHL All-Star Skills Competition in St. Louis on Friday night.

Three Canucks players took part — Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and Jacob Markstrom — which is more than the team has sent to the mid-season event in eight years.

Vancouver Police Department’s Meghan Agosta also suited up, as one of 20 female players who participated.

Even Canucks public address announcer Al Murdoch was there, calling the action for fans at the NHL event.

But perhaps the most entertaining Vancouver connection was on the Sportsnet broadcast, as former Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa helped out at ice level.

Pettersson juggling the puck

Bieksa put Pettersson’s hand-eye coordination to the test.

“Can you juggle and talk at the same time?” Bieksa asked.

Here’s your answer:

Markstrom takes Bieksa’s money

Sportsnet had Markstrom mic’d up during the Save Streak competition. Bieksa told the Canucks goaltender that he’d give him $100 if Markstrom could stop five shootout attempts in a row.

He did, so he cashed in.

Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington won the event with 10 straight saves, but the real winners were Anze Kopitar’s kids, who Markstrom gave the money to.

Mama Markstrom proud of her boy

Markstrom’s mother Lena made the trip to St. Louis, snapping a selfie with her son on the red carpet.

Markstrom was one of the best dressed players at his first All-Star Weekend, rocking this suit:

Here you go, officer

Agosta and Team Canada beat the Americans 2-1 in the three-on-three game. Don’t let the low score fool you though, it was a back-and-forth game with all sorts of breakaways and scoring chances.

Prior to taking the ice, the three-time Olympic gold medallist met the trio of Canucks All-Stars, receiving a team jersey with her name and number on the back.

Hughes in the fastest skater competition

Hughes is a great skater, but he’s not the fastest in the league. The rookie defenceman finished in last place in the fastest skater competition.

New York Islanders forward and Coquitlam native Mathew Barzal won the competition in a major upset over Connor McDavid.

Pettersson surprises in hardest shot

View this post on Instagram

1️⃣0️⃣2️⃣.4️⃣ 😳🔥

A post shared by Vancouver #Canucks (@canucks) on

Pettersson didn’t win the hardest shot competition, but he definitely turned heads.

As the only forward and smallest player in the competition, Pettersson came in third place with a 102.4 mph slap shot.

Shea Weber won the event with a 106.5 mph bomb, finishing ahead of last year’s winner John Carlson, who clocked in at 104.5 mph.

The all-time king of this competition, Al MacInnis, made an appearance as well. The 56-year-old Hall of Famer’s shot (allegedly) hit 100.4 mph with a wooden stick.

Other Blues greats made appearances as well, including Wayne Gretzky, Bernie Federko, Keith Tkachuk, and Brett Hull.

Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Jaccob Slavin was the surprise winner of the accuracy shooting event, while Patrick Kane won the new Shooting Stars Competition.

The All-Star Game takes place on Saturday night, at 5 pm PT on CBC and Sportsnet.

Rob WilliamsRob Williams
+ Offside
+ Hockey

SUBSCRIBE TO THE HIVE

Get the latest news sent to your inbox and stay in the loop