Though the Colorado Avalanche have just one representative at the 2020 NHL All Star Weekend, it should still be a fun time.
The Colorado Avalanche are sending a single representative to the 2020 NHL All Star team, Nathan MacKinnon, who’s the fan-elected captain. Sure, Cale Makar should be going, too, but them’s the breaks.
Last year, at the All Star Weekend in San Jose, the Avalanche actually sent three representatives. In addition to MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen were attendees. Landeskog was last year’s Last Men In for the Central Division.
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This year, the Last Men In was yet another St. Louis Blues player, bringing their tally to four. The event is, of course, being hosted in St. Louis.
Anyway, let’s get to the nitty gritty of the All Star Weekend festivities.
2020 NHL Fan Fair
The festivities begin with the 2020 NHL Fan Fair, which takes place at St. Louis Union Station. Here are the times:
Thurs, Jan 23: 3pm-10pm
Fri, Jan 24: 3pm-10pm
Sat, Jan 25: 10am-7pm
Sun, Jan 26: 10am-4pm
The Fan Fair consists of interactive games and attractions that are related to hockey. Fans can enjoy special guest appearances, trophy and memorabilia displays, and family-friendly activities.
Here are some of the highlights:
- Picture with the Stanley Cup
- Q & A with current and former NHL players
- Meet and greet with current and former NHL players
- Meet NHL mascots
- Trading Card & Memorabilia Show where you can create your own hockey card and collect rare hockey memorabilia
You have to purchase tickets for each day of the event. General admission is $12.
All Star Music
The official weekend opens on Friday night with the All Star Friday Night concert. The band performing is O.A.R. They’ll be performing on a stage near the arena on 14th and Market Streets.
Additionally, fans can enjoy the red carpet arrivals of the All Star players and the mascots in attendance.
On the day of the All Star game, the “halftime” entertainment will be Green Day.
All Star Skills Competition
By far the most popular event at the All Star Weekend is the Skills Competition. The event takes place Friday. January 24 at 7 pm CT, so 6 pm MT.
Here is a list of the skills competitions:
- Fastest skater
- Save streak
- Accuracy shooting
- Hardest shot
- Shooting stars
Additionally, the competition will feature a new attraction, the Elite Women’s 3-on-3. We’ll have more on this flagship event in a separate post. However, it’s surely brought on by the popularity of the elite women athletes that took part in last year’s All Star Skills Competition.
I’m personally most excited for that event. That and, of course, Nathan MacKinnon’s inevitable fastest skater competition against Connor McDavid.
All Star Game
The game itself takes place on Saturday, January 25 at 7 pm CT, so 6 pm MT. The format will be the same as last year’s. It will be a three-on-three format of the four divisional teams.
The Eastern Conference teams will face off in one semifinal matchup, while the Western Conference teams will face off in the other. The winners will advance to the championship round to determine the winners. The games are 20-minute contests.
The 2020 NHL All Star Game will be televised on NBC. You can also stream it live on NBC Sports.