When Is The NHL All-Star Skills Competition Going To Be Back

Has the NHL finally unlocked the secret of the spectacle?

nhl

If you’re reading this newsletter the day it landed into your inbox (sign up so you can be on top of it), you are just in time for the 2022 NHL All-Star Weekend. The day; or evening I should say, is finally upon us - starting with the Skills Competition on Friday night.

In last week’s newsletter, AJ talked about how the NHL might need to consider a change to the all-star game format to make the event more exciting because the event has gotten a tad stale over the years. I might be biased, but it is hard to recall a memorable ASG moment since Alexander Ovechkin’s shootout challenge in 2009. Maybe John Scott winning the All-Star Game MVP in 2016 is a more recent example, but we really are grasping at straws.

In 2022, the NHL is going all-in by hosting the festivities in Las Vegas. The city known globally for being the entertainment capital of North America, the league hopes that some of the glamour shines positively on the sport and helps to further commercialize the game for casual audiences. Many have criticized the NHL ASG for not being exciting enough for players to enjoy attending - comparing it to the scenes of NBA All-Star weekend, where players not participating still attend the events during their break from regular play. Many hope that the location of this year’s event will create an exciting buzz and attract more NHLers and celebrities to attend.

The NHL added two new events for the skills competition, both with a focus on incorporating the Vegas theme. The “Fountain Faceoff” takes players by boat into the famous Bellagio fountains for a target and accuracy-based skill challenge. The NHL “21 in ‘22” puts players in front of a giant board of playing cards, and has to shoot at the cards to build the best blackjack hand - it puts a hockey twist on a popular casino game, simply put.

It remains to be seen how popular these events will be, but images of the events and the idea of them have started to create a buzz around NHL All-Star weekend. In a recent episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, hosted by Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, Steve Mayer (NHL Chief Content Officer) noted that many of the players named to the all-star game were very interested in participating in these new events. It’s no secret why - the scenes and the lights of Vegas’ culture are both flashy and fun. Players want to be there, and the success of the event starts with that player buy-in.

The main takeaway from this weekend is going to be how deep the NHL can dive into the Vegas culture. The league prides itself on the markets they have franchises in, and many of their events focus on the local community. To make these events a bigger tourist destination, it’s important for the all-star events to showcase their host city’s traditions and culture - ultimately the event is an extension of the city’s brand. The league seems to be on the right track with the flashy Vegas-themed festivities set to take the stage this weekend. Whether the event is a success or a failure, the branding of it all is making the right splash - from the Bellagio fountains into screens across the world. 

Published: February 4, 2022 - Issue 25 of The Sport Marketeer