4 key takeaways from the 2024 NHL All-Star weekend

On Saturday night, the 68th NHL All-Star Game pitted the league's best against one another in a 3-on-3 mini-tournament, with Auston Matthews leading a team of four Toronto Maple Leafs players to victory.

Despite the NHL trying to find ways to keep the skaters engaged in the fun contest while trying to grow the game by announcing things like celebrity coaches, this event is a turn-off for many fans who love to watch meaningful hockey.

Just like Major League Baseball, when it eliminated the World Series home-field advantage rule as part of its All-Star Game, people lost interest if there wasn't a serious award to be won at the end of the weekend.

Ultimately, at a loss for ways to revamp the superstar showcase (yet again), the league opted to host a Four Nations Cup next year instead of the All-Star Game. The hope is more people will be invested in seeing Canada and the United States battle it out for international bragging rights, which would feature Connor McDavid facing off against Matthews in a more intense situation.

Although the NHL All-Star Game is usually a hit with a younger population who love shootouts, 3-on-3 hockey and wacky player drafts, here are four takeaways from this past weekend's events.

---

4 key takeaways from the 2024 NHL All-Star weekend

#1. Goalies shouldn't have to participate in NHL All-Star competitions

The NHL All-Star Game Skills Competition is a joke. Even though a cash prize was worth $1 million for the player with the most points, the eight goalies selected for the festivities had little to nothing to do.

Of course, the league tried to showcase McDavid as much as possible, which resulted in him participating in almost every event and walking away with the competition prize without much of a threat. However, the netminders who earned their spot at the showcase sat around in the dressing room for over two hours, only getting to come out for the one-on-one event.

Jeremy Swayman at the 2024 Honda NHL All-Star Game

The goalie who made the most saves, which ended up being Alexandar Georgiev (Colorado), won a cool $100,000, but once the event was done, they were shuffled back off the ice so the skaters could go back to drills showcasing their skills.

Of course, no one tries hard in these events so they don't get hurt, but anyone watching the game on Saturday could see that the goalies could care less about making saves, and if required to move, most give the skater an easy layup.

No one is saying that goalies don't deserve to be at the NHL All-Star Game; they need to be better showcased because, right now, it looks like they don't have a place in the event.

Here's an idea to spice things up. Since last season, several goalies have scored a goal in professional hockey, so why not get the padded warriors out on the ice to practice long-distance shots at an empty net?

#2. NHL team chemistry is vital in these 3-on-3 mini-tournaments

Team captains McDavid and Matthews drafted teams with players they already played with, hoping that established connections could lead to victories. The strategy worked since McDavid and regular Edmonton Oilers linemate Leon Draisaitl combined on the same goals, with the same happening for Nathan MacKinnon and his Colorado Avalanche teammate Cale Makar.

Matthews, Marner, Reilly, and Nylander at the 2024 Honda NHL All-Star Game

Moreover, it worked for the team Matthews constructed, with Maple Leafs players combining eight points over the two games en route to the title. Plus, all five members of the Vancouver Canucks skated together on Team Hughes, but they were one and done at the tournament.

Even though the object of the draft was to build a winning team, some of these superstars have never played with each other, so we all got to miss out on Sidney Crosby skating with David Pastrnak and two Swedish players, Elias Pettersson dishing off to William Nylander. As nice as familiarity is, switching things up for once had the potential to be far more entertaining.

#3. Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews are the faces of today's NHL

Over the past three seasons, only two players have won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, McDavid and Matthews, captains at this year's All-Star Game. Unsurprisingly, these two megastars guided their teams to the finale, with Matthews' team picking up the win while he took home the All-Star Game MVP at the final buzzer.

Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews at the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend

Considering that Matthews was skating on home ice in what could be his only All-Star Game in this situation, there was some additional pressure for him to deliver a win for a passionate fan base. Meanwhile, McDavid was close to repeating as an All-Star Game winner just a night after destroying his opponents in the skills competition.

Overall, both stars did everything to help their teams win. Besides being good friends who train together in the offseason, they are the current faces of the NHL, and every discussion involving who is the best player and best scorer begins with them.

#4. Despite being entertaining, the NHL All-Star Game is comical

On Friday night at the skills competition, NHL leading scorer Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning) had a rough night, getting jeered when he struggled to complete the obstacles. By the night's end, everyone watching could tell he was disinterested in participating.

Meanwhile, former first-overall pick Connor Bedard made a surprise appearance despite recovering from a fractured jaw. Although he only came out for one event to pass pucks on the one-timer competition and didn't participate in anything else, the NHL opted not to replace him as the Chicago Blackhawks representative during the selection process.

Unfortunately for fans, the league boasts that it wants every team represented. Still, the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Vegas Golden Knights and the Calgary Flames, didn't have a skater at the event. Despite claiming inclusivity, the NHL can't even follow its rules, detracting from the experience.