The 10 best NHL All-Star Game moments

The 2024 NHL All-Star game is this weekend. Every year, there is seemingly a new memorable moment for fans and players to look back on. Last year it was headlined by performances from stars like Connor McDavid, Matthew Tkachuk, and Elias Petterson. Let’s take a look at some of the best moments from NHL All-Star games in years past.

Mr. Hockey was six years removed from playing for the Red Wings, but Howe, 51, got one final moment at the Joe, where he received a lengthy standing ovation.

Howe notched an assist in what was his 23rd All-Star Game appearance, and retired after the end of the season.

The Hall of Fame winger, who played for the Hartford Whalers at the time, helped the Wales Conference win, 6-3.

Oh, and a 19-year-old Wayne Gretzky played in his first of 18 ASGs.

Fuhr was the first Black All-Star MVP after saving all 15 shots the Wales Conference — which featured names like Mario Lemieux and Mike Bossy — put on goal against him that night.

However, the Campbell Conference lost, 4-3, in overtime.

Super Mario had himself a night in St. Louis. He notched a record six points — three goals, three assists — including the game-winning score in overtime.

Another Penguins legend, Sidney Crosby, holds the current record with eight points in a single All-Star game in 2019.

Boston winger David Pastrnak was the captain of the Atlantic Division at the 2020 All-Star game. While on the bench, he took it upon himself to tell the official his thoughts, justifying it because he had a C stitched onto his jersey. The moment was caught on film, and many found it funny. Pasta and his team lost in the championship game, 5-4.

108.8 miles per hour.

That’s how fast Zdeno Chara’s record-setting slapshot in 2012 was — almost 40 MPH faster than the top speed of a cheetah.

“The guys shoot the puck harder and harder,” the then-Boston Bruins 6-foot-9 defenseman said. “It’s hard to win.”

For every professional sports’ All-Star game, there is a signature event. For the NBA, it’s the dunk contest. For the MLB, it’s the home run derby. In the NHL, it’s the breakaway challenge.

When it was Patrick Kane’s turn, he skated up to the blue line before calling over teammate Marian Hossa, who was holding some accessories for the winger.

He put on a Superman cape, and some Clark Kent-style glasses, and continued his turn. His move was sliding on his stomach, putting the puck in his hand, then back on his stick and around goaltender Brian Elliott and in the back of the net.

The 2015 All-Star game in Columbus was different than most, in there was a draft held by the captains of each team to pick the players they wanted on their roster, regardless of conference. The last player of the draft would win a car, which Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin wanted. He begged the captains to pick him last so he could win the Honda Accord, but the captain trio of Nick Foligno, Drew Doughty, and Patrick Kane, who were pounding a few drinks as they conferred over who they were going to draft, picked him second to last.

“I knew they were going to screw me,” Ovechkin said. He later revealed he wanted to give the car to charity, not keep it to himself.

This one is probably the most wacky All-Star moment, for both the meme and how memorable it is. John Scott was a journeyman who bounced around not only various NHL teams, but also between the minors and majors.

In 2016, Scott was a member of the Phoenix Coyotes, and won the fan vote for All-Star captain of the Pacific Division. The problem? Scott had only one point in 11 games — nowhere near what is “standard” of an All-Star.

The team urged him to remove his name from the game, but after he won the fan vote, he decided to stay and play. He was traded to Montreal weeks after being put on the roster, and the Canadiens sent him to their AHL affiliate.

Minor leaguers can’t play in the NHL All-Star game, and he was no longer in the Pacific Conference. The NHL even urged him to not play. Still, he played and did not represent a team, and scored two goals in the semifinal game. The Pacific team won, and he won MVP based on everyone on the internet sharing #VoteMVPScott.

The format of this All-Star game wasn’t based on conference, but geographical locations. Team North America was composed of players from the U.S. and Canada, and Team World was, well, everyone else.

It was an exciting, goal-heavy game, but Team North America pulled away with victory, 14-12. North America was headlined by the return of Lemieux, who had taken a three-and-a-half-year break from hockey. He scored a goal and had an assist. Bill Guerin had a hat trick, and Thereon Fleury scored 49 seconds into the game.

Just like the Great Bambino did many decades — and in a completely different sport, obviously — before him, Nolan called his own shot.

The then-San Jose Sharks winger capped off his hometown hat trick by pointing at the goal — and then burying the puck in the back of the net.

Even more impressive is that he scored on future Hall of Famers Martin Brodeur (twice) and Dominic Hasek.