Fansided

NHL All-Star Game 2017: Winners, losers from weekend

By Dave Stevenson

Jan 28, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Kesler (17) with son Ryker Kesler during the four line challenge in the 2017 NHL All Star Game skills competition at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Kesler (17) with son Ryker Kesler during the four line challenge in the 2017 NHL All Star Game skills competition at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next

Who emerged from the 2017 NHL All-Star Game weekend as the biggest winners and losers? 

The 2017 NHL All-Star Game weekend was supposed to be a great event. It was planned to be a celebration of the game of hockey with its greatest stars present. While it wasn’t as exciting or as fun as past events, it was still a success.

For a variety of reasons, the All-Star Game weekend was unforgettable. While the priceless moments weren’t as plentiful in the past, there were still numerous winners and losers from it. Here are the biggest winners and losers from the 2017 NHL All-Star Game weekend.

Mandatory Credit: Harry How/Getty Images
Mandatory Credit: Harry How/Getty Images /

Winners: Ryker and Ryan Kesler

Due to the inclusion of the Four Line Challenge, an event had to be removed from the Skills Competition. The NHL got rid of the Breakaway Challenge, which was the source of many priceless moments over the past few All-Star Games. With its exclusion, the Skills Competition was a lot less fun. While there was a Shootout Challenge at the end to determine the winner, this event was more based on scoring and less based on players trying to creatively win over the crowd.

Ryan Kesler and his son Ryker, however, had other ideas. During the shootout, it became painfully obvious the Atlantic Division would win. So the elder Kesler sent his son in his place. Carey Price, ever the classy sportsman, obliged.

The Skills Competition missed things like Brent Burns dressing up like Chewbacca, P.K. Subban dressing like his hero Jaromir Jagr, and Jakub Voracek using Johnny Gaudreau as a prop. Thanks to the Keslers, there was a hint of creativity and joy at the Skills Competition. Hopefully it serves as a lesson to the NHL to bring back to Breakaway Challenge.

Home/NHL