All-Star Night in Toronto: A recap of the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend

Mai-Lan Bui, February 11, 2024 —

The 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend took place in Toronto from February 1 to 3, marking the ninth time Canada's bustling city has hosted the event. We present to your attention memorable moments from the event:

First day

The All-Star celebration began with the NHL Alumni Man of the Year presented to the 1967 Maple Leafs. After that, the much-anticipated NHL All-Star Draft featured celebrity captains Michael Buble with Team Hughes, Justin Bieber with Team Matthews, Tate McRae with Team McKinnon and Will Arnett with Team McDavid. The draft featured a sense of humor and camaraderie between players that fans rarely see during the regular season. The final draft was completed after minor technical difficulties with the microphone and a memorable speech by Michael Buble. What followed was a three-for-three PWHL showing and a victory for Team King.

The first day ended with a private party hosted by the Toronto Maple Leafs and Drewhouse, featuring a surprise performance by Justin Bieber, his first public show since canceling his 2022 world tour.

The second day

After last year's low-skill challenge, the NHL and Connor McDavid revamped the 2024 edition of the skills challenge, ensuring that each challenge showcases the players' skill and competitiveness while entertaining. The competition was held in three rounds, with players earning points to advance through each round. In the first round, there were similar contests from previous years, which included six categories. Colorado Avalanche teammates Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon won in the hardest shot and one shot categories. “Vancouver Canucks” forward Elias Petterson scored 25 points and won. Connor McDavid earned his fourth victory in the fastest skater category, cementing himself as the all-time leader in wins for the title, and wins in the upright and shot put categories.

The second round featured the inaugural one-on-one competition. In a one-minute competition, the forward players scored as many goals as possible against their chosen goalkeeper, turning the quick task into a difficult feat and exhausting the players. William Nylander won the round, scoring nine points against Cam Talbot. Goalkeepers also received a $100,000 incentive to score, and Alexander Georgiev won the prize money.

For the first time, a timed obstacle course was shown in the third and final stage of the skill competition. McDavid won the final round of the Masters and won the 2024 Masters with a $1 million prize.

The third day

The weekend ended with an all-star game that began with a pregame warm-up when celebrity captain Justin Bieber took to the ice to join the players. Team McKinnon faced Team McDavid, followed by Team Hughes against Team Matthews, and both games ended in a shootout with Team McDavid and Team Matthews winning.

Famed captain Tate McRae, Calgary's lone representative, performed second halftime greatest hits like “Exes” and “Greedy.” In the end, Team Matthews won the final game 7-4, and team captain Auston Matthews won the MVP All-Star title.

The debate over the personalities or lack thereof of NHL players still rages on, but fans got to see their favorite players doing what they do best this weekend in a relaxed atmosphere that reignited their passion for the sport. Fans will also recognize and appreciate the massive improvements the NHL has made for this year's All-Star event. With the recent announcement of the 4 Nations tournament scheduled for February 2025, this will mark the last time the All Stars meet in the current format.