Another All-Star Skills Competition has come and gone, thankfully.
Related: Atlantic wins Skills Competition, will face Metro in 2nd ASG semifinal
The NHL's top players were out in full force Saturday night, and while they did their best to power through a collection of skill-testing events, the fact is this year's edition was dry, dull, and provided few memorable moments.
That might have been the worst skills competition ever.
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) January 29, 2017
This year's installment should be used as a case study by the league, as some changes would make the event more exciting for players and fans alike. Here are three suggestions:
Lose the 4-line challenge
The four-line challenge made its first and hopefully last appearance Saturday.
The event saw players shoot pucks (no more than two) from the blue line, the red line, the far blue line, and the far goal line into various slots in a cutout in front of the goal to score points for their respective teams.
The biggest flaw with the event: it's nearly impossible. Even at the blue line, picking the top corner isn't exactly an acquired skill. So, in the subsequent rounds, players are more or less using the "shoot and pray" method.
Including goalies is great, but it's not any easier for them. Even Mike Smith - who miraculously completed the feat - saw his shot take a lucky bounce into the target.
It's a great intermission gig for fans hoping to win a car, free tuition, or a lifetime supply of pizza, but that's about it.
Stick to concrete rules
We could've witnessed history Saturday, but we'll never know.
The league's fastest skater competition had many believing Connor McDavid could set the all-time record set by Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin last season, and he had a chance.
Related: McDavid wins fastest skater, fails to break Larkin's record
After winning the event, he was given the chance to do a full lap to try to beat the record. The Oilers captain came up just short, but not without controversy.
Related: Larkin glad McDavid had to play by the rules; issues challenge
Larkin set the record with a running start, while McDavid started while standing in place. It could be argued that McDavid - who finished just shy of the record - could have eclipsed the mark if he had the same luxury.
Would have been closer if mcdavid started @blue line like Larkin did..almost at full speed by the time you hit red line @Jeremy_Roenick
— Michael Grabner (@grabs40) January 29, 2017
The night could have been much more special if we were celebrating a record. Instead, we're left thinking of what could have been.
Promote creativity, fun
The four-line challenge was even more disappointing because it came at the cost of the most creative and fun event: the breakaway challenge.
Last year in Nashville, P.K. Subban dressed up as Jaromir Jagr before taking a penalty shot on Pekka Rinne and celebrating with the iconic Jagr salute.
It was hilarious, and the type of stuff fans want to see at the skills competition. Even without the gimmicks - from Patrick Kane dressing as Superman to Jakub Voracek using Johnny Gaudreau as a prop - the event at least had players trying to score pretty goals.
The standard shootout challenge is based solely on goals, meaning creativity takes a backseat to pure strategy.
An improvement doesn't necessarily need to be re-introducing the breakaway challenge, but more events that do a better job of showing off the players' skills while keeping the evening light.
Fun is at the heart of the skills competition. Let's get back to that.
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