2023 NHL All-Star Game

The 2023 National Hockey League All-Star Game was held on February 4, 2023 at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida, the home of the Florida Panthers. For the seventh consecutive All-Star Game, a three-on-three format was used, with teams representing each of the league's four divisions competing in a single-elimination tournament. This was the 67th edition of the game.

History

The NHL originally awarded Sunrise, Florida, the 2021 All-Star Game on January 24, 2020. The city previously hosted the NHL All-Star Game in 2003.

On October 22, 2020, the NHL announced that the All-Star Game had been postponed for the 2020–21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and "uncertainty as to when we will be able to welcome our fans back to our games," as fan participation and accompanying events are considered "integral to the rsuccess". The NHL stated that the event could be held in Florida "in the near future" (but not yet naming them the 2022 hosts).

On June 28, 2021, the league instead announced that the 2022 All-Star Game would take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, home of the Vegas Golden Knights. On February 4, 2022, the league confirmed that Florida would host the 2023 game.

Skills Competition

The NHL All-Star Skills Competition was held on February 3. The Accuracy Shooting, Breakaway Challenge, Fastest Skater, and Hardest Shot events returned for another year.

The winners of these four regular skills events were:
* Fastest Skater: Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes (13.699 seconds)
* Hardest Shot: Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks (103.2 mph)
* Breakaway Challenge: Sidney Crosby ( Pittsburgh Penguins), Alexander Ovechkin ( Washington Capitals), and Sergei Ovechkin (40)
* Accuracy Shooting: Brock Nelson, New York Islanders (12.419 seconds)

Replacing the Save Streak event was a new goaltender competition called Tendy Tandem, featuring both goalies from each division. The event split the goalies from each division, with one shooting across the ice to score a goal on net, and the other (depending on the points earned by the other goalie) then facing 1, 2, or 3 players in a breakaway shootout, which included members of the Canadian and American womens' national hockey teams; during the event, Team Canada's Sarah Nurse scored a goal against New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin. The event was ultimately won by the Central Division tandem of Connor Hellebuyck ( Winnipeg Jets) and Juuse Saros ( Nashville Predators), who finished with 13 points.

The Skills Competition also feature two events specific to Florida locations:
*Splash Shot event took place on a Fort Lauderdale beach and featured players hitting pucks at targets. If all the targets were hit, then the player could attempt to hit a puck at a dunk tank, trying to dunk an opponent. The winners of the challenge were Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche, knocking down all the targets in 18.7 seconds.
*Pitch 'n Puck took place at Plantation Perserve Golf Course & Club in Plantation, Florida. The event had players on a par-4 golf hole, attempting to sink a puck in the hole. The event was won by Nick Suzuki of the Montreal Canadiens, who finished with a birdie.

Rosters

For the 2023 game, the player selection process was performed in two stages. On January 5, the league’s Department of Hockey Operations selected 32 players, one for each team. The remaining 12 players were decided by fan vote, which ran from January 5 to January 17, with fans voting in three players (two skaters and one goalie) for each division.

On January 11, the head coaches were announced, chosen from the team in each division with the highest points percentage through January 11: Rod Brind'Amour of the Carolina Hurricanes (Metropolitan), Jim Montgomery of the Boston Bruins (Atlantic), Peter DeBoer of the Dallas Stars (Central), and Bruce Cassidy of the Vegas Golden Knights (Pacific).

Eastern Conference

*^* Replaced Auston Matthews ( Toronto Maple Leafs) due to injury.
*^# Replaced Tage Thompson ( Buffalo Sabres) due to injury.

Western Conference

*^* Replaced Matty Beniers ( Seattle Kraken) due to injury.

Bracket

Game summaries

Each game was played in abbreviated format, consisting of two 10-minute periods of 3-on-3 play.

First semifinal game

Second semifinal game

Final

Uniforms

The All-Star uniforms were unveiled on January 19. For the first time since 2009, conference logos are featured on the jersey crests, with each player's respective team logo on the left shoulder and the All-Star Game logo on the right. The jerseys are part of the league's 2022–23 NHL season#"Reverse Retro" jerseys, "Reverse Retro" program, based off the same design as those used from 1994 NHL All-Star Game, 1994 to 1997 NHL All-Star Game, 1997; however, they were recolored in black, teal, and pink, reflecting the South Florida setting of the game. Like the remainder of the Reverse Retro jerseys in 2022–23, the NHL logo at the collar was colored orange instead of silver.

In the semifinals, the Pacific and Metropolitan teams wore white over teal against their opponents, the Central and Atlantic teams, respectively, who wore black over white. In the final, the Atlantic team stayed in their black jerseys while the Central team switched to white.

Festivities and entertainment

The Boston Beer Company, Truly Hard Seltzer NHL All-Star Beach Festival, featured various fan activities during All-Star Weekend, held between February 2 and February 4 at the Fort Lauderdale Beach Park.

The NHL announced on January 20 that American pop punk rock band Fall Out Boy would perform at the All-Star Game. The performance took place during the second intermission.

Canadian country singer SACHA sang the O Canada, Canadian national anthem while Andrew McMahon sang the The Star-Spangled Banner, American national anthem.

Television

The All-Star Game and Skills Competition were broadcast in the United States by NHL on ABC, ABC and NHL on ESPN, ESPN, respectively. Both events were also streamed in the U.S. on ESPN+. In Canada, both the All-Star Game and Skills Competition were broadcast in English on NHL on Sportsnet, Sportsnet and on TVA Sports in French. The All-Star Game was also streamed in Canada on Sportsnet Now. After a one-year hiatus due to the 2022 Winter Olympics, Hockey Night in Canada, CBC rejoined Sportsnet in simulcasting both events.

References

{{2022–23 NHL season by team

National Hockey League All-Star Games
2022–23 NHL season, All-Star Game
2023 in sports in Florida, National Hockey League All-Star Game
February 2023 sports events in the United States, National Hockey League All-Star Game
Sports in Sunrise, Florida
Ice hockey competitions in Florida