The NHL All-Star Weekend is an annual event organized by the National Hockey League that typically takes place in January or February. The NHL All-Star Weekend is filled with various excitement and festivities like the NHL All-Star Game and NHL Skills Competition.
The NHL Skills Competition sees the players showcase their talent in competitions like fast skating, stick handling and accuracy shooting. As for player selections, fans are allowed to select some of the All-Star players via votes that compete together irrespective of their regular team association. From time to time, the format of the NHL All-Star Game has evolved. Traditionally, the format was based on conferences such as the Campbell Conference versus the Wales Conference. However, in 2015, the league introduced some changes, including a fantasy draft, where captains had to choose rosters from the pool of fans voted and the NHL selected players to make a special team irrespective of their different team affiliations in the NHL.
Highest-scoring NHL All-Star Games
One of the highest-scoring and most talked about NHL All-Star Games took place in Columbus, Ohio (USA) in 2015. Team Toews captained by Jonathan Toews defeated Team Foligno, captained by Nick Foligno where Team Toews made a record of 17 goals and the game finished at 17-12. The abundance of goals makes it one of the highest-scoring games.
| Year | Result | Game MVP, Team | Total Goals |
| 2015 | Team Toews 17 – Team Foligno 12 | Ryan Johansen, Columbus Blue Jackets | 29 |
| 1993 | Wales 16 – Campbell 6 | Mike Gartner, New York Rangers | 22 |
| 2001 | North America 14 – World 12 | Bill Guerin, Boston Bruins | 26 |
| 2009 | East 12 – West 11 (SO) | Alexei Kovalev, Montreal Canadiens | 23 |
| 1991 | Campbell 11 – Wales 5 | Vincent Damphousse, Toronto Maple Leafs | 16 |
| 2017 | Metropolitan 10 – Pacific 3 | Wayne Simmonds, Philadelphia Flyers | 13 |
| 2009 | Central 10 – Pacific 4 | Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins | 14 |
| 2016 | Pacific 9 – Central 6 | John Scott | 15 |
| 1983 | Campbell 9 – Wales 3 | Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers | 12 |
| 1988 | Wales 6 – Campbell 5 (OT) | Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins | 11 |
| 2003 | West 6 – East 5 (SO) | Dany Heatley, Atlanta Thrashers | 11 |
| 1985 | Wales 6 – Campbell 4 | Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins | 10 |
Note- the table is based on the highest goals made by one team
NHL All-Star Game most goals and assists recorded in a single game
Legendary players Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Vincent Damphousse each scored four goals in a single game in the years 1983, 1990 and 1991 respectively. Mike Gartner (1993), Dany Heatley (2003), and John Tavares (2015) also hit four in a single All-Star game. Sidney Crosby, Mikko Rantanen, and Gabriel Landeskog joined this elite group with the most goals in a single NHL All-Star Game in 2019. Mats Naslund contributed five assists in the 1988 NHL All-Star Game and his record was equalled by Oman Josi and Ryan O'Reilly in 2019.
NHL All-Star Game most appearances
There are many players who have made several appearances in the NHL All-Star Games. Some of them are leading scores and are included in the Fall of Fame. Gordie Howe who played in the NHL from 1946 to 1980 is the only player who has appeared in the NHL All-Star Game 23 times. Wayne Gretzky appeared 18 times in the All-star Games. Here is the list:
Gordie Howe, 23 times
Ray Bourque, 19 times
Wayne Gretzky, 18 times
Frank Mahovlich, 15 times
Paul Coffey, 15 times
Mark Messier, 15 times
Jean Beliveau, 13 times
Scott Stevens, 13 times
Alex Delvecchio, 13 times
Glenn Hall, 13 times
Al MacInnis, 13 times
Jaromir Jagr, 13 times
Joe Sakic, 12 times (elected to the team 13 times, was injured in 1997)
Alexander Ovechkin, 12 times
Terry Sawchuk, 11 times
Claude Provost, 11 times
Patrick Roy, 11 times
Chris Chelios, 11 times
Nicklas Lidstrom, 11 times
Ted Lindsay 11 Times
Teemu Selanne, 11 times
Brian Leetch, 10 times
Mario Lemieux, 10 times
Jari Kurri, 10 times
Steve Yzerman, 10 times
Martin Brodeur, 9 times (elected to the team 10 times, was injured in 2008)
Patrick Kane, 9 times
List of Highest Scoring NHL All-Star Game FAQ
A. The most number of goals scored in a single NHL All-Star Game is four. The record is jointly held by Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Vincent Damphousse, Mike Gartner, Dany Heatley, Sidney Crosby, Mikko Rantanen, and Gabriel Landeskog.
A. Mats Naslund contributed five assists in 1988 in a single NHL All-Star Game and he shared the record with Oman Josi and Ryan O'Reilly in 2019.
A. Gordie Howe, who played in the NHL from 1946 to 1980 is the only player who has appeared in the NHL All-Star Game 23 times.
A. Team Toews captained by Jonathan Toews defeated Team Foligno, captained by Nick Foligno 17-12 at Columbus, Ohio in 2015.
A. Wayne Gretzky played 18 NHL All-Star Games.
