Quote:
Originally Posted by Ped
Does anyone remember the year (or maybe more than one year) when the skills competition was made up of the winners of the individual teams' skills competitions? Like the five hardest shooters from those individual competitions, so players who normally wouldn't be at an all-star game were there.
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arsenal14
All-Star Ed Ward! I think it was the hardest shot and fastest skater competitors that were determined from the individual team competitions.
|
The year was 1996, and yes, it was the fastest skater and hardest shot competitions that had the four best of the individual teams' skills comps participating in addition to players actually selected to play in the game.
In the hardest shot the Eastern Conference had Scott Stevens (Devils), Peter Bondra (Capitals), John Leclair (Flyers) and the Bruins' John Rohloff—remember that guy? No? Me neither. The West had Chris Chelios (Blackhawks), Jason Arnott (Oilers), Dave Manson (Jets) and... Ed Ward.
Manson actually won that hardest shot competition.
The fastest skaters had Bondra, Daniel Alfredsson (Sens), Derek Plante (Sabres) and Shawn McEachern (Bruins) vs. Mike Gartner (Leafs), Sergei Federov (Red Wings), Tony Amonte (Blackhawks) and Bret Hedican (Canucks). Gartner—35 years old at the time, mind you—set the record lap that stood for 20 years.