The 2022 National Hockey League All-Star Game was held on February 5, 2022, at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, the home of the Vegas Golden Knights.[1][2] For the sixth 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.[3]
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.[4] During their State of the League press conference on January 24, 2020, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly stated that the league was considering changing the All-Star Game format so it has a "distinct international flavor," using a model similar to the World Cup of Hockey.[5] The four-team, 3-on-3, single elimination format, with one team representing each of the league's four divisions, had been used for the past five All-Star Games.
On October 22, 2020, the NHL officially announced that both the Winter Classic in Minnesota and 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[ir] success". The NHL stated that both events will not return until 2022 at the earliest, and that these events could be held in Minneapolis and Sunrise "in the near future" (but not yet naming them the 2022 hosts).[6][7] Sunrise was later instead awarded the 2023 All-Star Game, replacing the scheduled game for 2021.[8]
The collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that the league and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) signed on July 10, 2020, included a provision opening the possibility for the NHL to explore participation at the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympics.[9] During seasons when the league goes to the Olympics (most recently in 2014), the All-Star Game is not normally held.
On June 28, 2021, the league announced that the All-Star Game will take place instead at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, home of the Vegas Golden Knights, for the first time.[1] The league cited the fact that they had not yet signed a deal with the International Olympic Committee on sending players to the 2022 Beijing Olympics, so they decided to go ahead and schedule an All-Star Game anyway, at an arena on the West Coast since players will be scheduled to fly straight to Beijing after the game.[2][10][11] On September 3, 2021, a deal was officially reached to send players to the Olympics, with an opt-out clause should COVID-19 health conditions worsen.[12] However, on December 22, 2021, the NHL announced that it will no longer send its players to the Olympics due to rising COVID-19 cases and increasing number of postponed games. Consequently, the originally scheduled Olympic break following the All-Star Game from February 7 to 22 will now be utilized to reschedule 95 postponed games.[13][14][15]
Skills Competition
The NHL All-Star Skills Competition was held on the night before on February 4. The Fastest Skater, Save Streak, Accuracy Shooting, and Hardest Shot events returned from 2020; and the Breakaway Challenge from 2016.[16]
The winners of these five regular skills events were:[17]
The Skills Competition also featured two events specific to Las Vegas locations:[16]
The Fountain Face-off was held outside at the Fountains of Bellagio directly on the water. The event consisted of a bracket-style tournament where players stand on a floating ice circle, with each player trying to land pucks on five floating targets. They could land them in any order they chose; however, a puck that ended up in the pond did not count. The two players who hit four out of five targets in the fastest time, moved onto a head-to-head final where they have to hit all five targets in order to be crowned the champion. Former Team USA women's player Jocelyne Lamoureux also participated, finishing in third. The finals saw Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi competing against Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski, with Werenski hitting all five targets in 25.634 seconds to secure the victory.[19]
The NHL 21 In '22 was held on the Las Vegas Strip and consisted of a full deck of over-sized cards standing 35 feet away. A player took two shots and for every card they knocked down with the puck, they get the card's point value. If a player got blackjack, they automatically won. If more than one player did that, they shot again, with the highest card being declared the winner. If nobody got blackjack, each all-star played their own hand. The closest player to 21 without going over, won the event. The tie-breaker would then be settled with a single shot where the highest card will determine the "card shark". The winner was Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski with the queen of clubs over Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos' four of clubs.[20]
†Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals), the original winner of the captaincy vote, did not play due to COVID protocols. Giroux was then named as the new captain and Wilson as the replacement player.
†Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), the original winner of the captaincy vote, did not play due to injury. Pavelski was then named as the new captain and Josi as the replacement player.
* Added to the roster on February 2, 2022, by the NHL
Bracket
Instead of the conference-based semifinals used in the previous all-star games, the matchups were randomly determined at the Skills Competition with Vegas Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault drawing the Pacific Division's opponent from a set of cards representing the other three divisions during a magic trick. Marchessault drew the Metropolitan Division card.[24]
Semifinals
Final
Atlantic Division
5
Central Division
8
Central Division
3
Metropolitan Division
6
Metropolitan Division
5
Pacific Division
4
Game summaries
Each game was played in abbreviated format, consisting of two 10-minute periods of 3-on-3 play. The players of the winning divisional all-star team split a $1 million prize and Claude Giroux received a Honda Passport for being named MVP.[25][26]
The All-Star uniforms were unveiled on January 13. For the first time since the 2018 All-Star Game, the NHL shield is featured on the front. Each player's respective team logo is on the left shoulder and the All-Star Game logo is on the right.[27] There is one white and one navy blue jersey, both feature a chevron at the waist in a contrasting color with two stripes separating this feature from the base (white has dark red with black trim and navy blue has light blue with white stripes). The NHL shields are also trimmed in these colors, while the shield is in the usual black with silver elements. The stripes pattern is repeated on each sleeve with two stars; four in total per jersey (one for each division). These stars are dark red with red trim on the white jersey, royal blue with light blue trim on the navy blue jersey.[28]
Festivities and entertainment
The NHL Fan Fair, featuring various fan activities during All-Star Weekend, wase held between February 3 and February 6 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.[29]
The NHL announced on January 28 that American singer Machine Gun Kelly would perform at the All-Star Game, with his performance taking place during the second intermission.[30] Canadian pop singer Faouzia sang the Canadian national anthem while country singer Blanco Brown sang the American national anthem.
Television
The All-Star Game and Skills Competition was broadcast in the United States by ABC and ESPN, respectively, for the first time since 2004. The All-Star Game was also streamed in the U.S. on ESPN+. In Canada, both the All-Star Game and Skills Competition were broadcast in English on Sportsnet and on TVA Sports in French. The All-Star Game was also streamed in Canada on Sportsnet Now. CBC did not join Sportsnet in simulcasting either event this year due to its coverage of the 2022 Winter Olympics.[21][31]
