Top 5 greatest NHL All-Star games of all-time ft. 1996

The NHL All-Star Game is a must-see for fans because it pits the finest players against one another. With the 2024 NHL All-Star Game set for this weekend in Toronto, it's a great time to reflect on some of the best games in All-Star history.

Top 5 greatest NHL All-Star games of all-time

#5, 2009

The 2009 NHL All-Star Game ended up also going to a shootout as the Eastern Conference won 12-11 over the Western Conference.

The second period alone featured 10 goals, while in the first period, the East got out to a 4-1 lead. It was a very exciting game and to top it off, Montreal Canadiens forward Alexei Kovalev scored in the shootout, which the Montreal fans erupted for.

#4, 2003

The 2003 NHL All-Star Game wasn't the highest scoring but it was the first time in history the game was decided by a shootout.

The Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference 6-5 in a shootout with no goals being scored after the final 10 minutes of the third period.

#3, 2015

In 2015, Jonathan Toews and Nick Foligno were captains and selected their teams and the game resulted in the most high-scoring NHL All-Star Game of all time.

Some notable players were Patrick Kane, Steven Stamkos, Marc-Andre Fleury, Alexander Ovechkin, Roberto Luongo, Rick Nash, and John Tavares, among others.

Team Toews beat Team Foligno 17-12. This was the record for the most goals in an All-Star Game, most goals by one team, fastest back-to-back goals, fastest three goals scored, fastest four goals scored, and most goals in a period with 11.

#2, 2001

The 2001 NHL All-Star Game was the North American All-Stars vs. World All-Stars, which was something the league did from 1998 until 2022.

In the 2001 game, fans were in for a treat. Notable players were Joe Sakic, Patrick Roy, Brett Hull, Scott Niedermayer, Martin Brodeur, Ed Jovanovski, Mario Lemieux, Peter Forsberg, Pavel Bure, Nicklas Lidstrom, Mats Sundin, and Markus Naslund.

The game was back-and-forth as North America won 14-12, which included a goal in the first minute and six in the first period.

#1, 1996

The 1996 NHL All-Star Game is likely the greatest game ever. The 1996 NHL All-Star Game featured the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Brett Hull, Jaromir Jagr, Ray Bourque, and Martin Brodeur, among other future Hall of Famers.

The game was an Eastern vs. Western Conference setting and the East got out to a 3-0 lead. It was back-and-forth from there and eventually, the West clawed it back to 4-3 and Teemu Selanne tied the game with 3:29 remaining.

Bourque ended up scoring a goal with 38 seconds left for one of the best games ever, which the East won 5-4.