2012 NHL All-Star Weekend kicked off Thursday when Team Chara and Team Alfredsson chose their teams, among them the Tampa Bay Lightning's lone All-Star, goal-scoring wiz Steven Stamkos (selected in the 7th round). The real on-ice fun, though, begins Saturday with the Skills Competition. Six events will take place, some individual and some team-related, beginning at 7:00 P.M. ET. Stamkos will be involved in three of those six events: Accuracy Shooting, the Skills Challenge Relay and the Elimination Shootout. A quick rundown of the events:
Fastest Skater: Five players from each team compete in a series of heats to determine who is the fastest.
Breakaway Challenge: A goalie and three shooters from each team participate, as players attempt three shots, looking to score a goal in the most impressive way possible. Judges vote on the goal-scoring attempts.
Accuracy Shooting: Four foam targets are placed in the four corners of the goal, and players try to hit each target in the fastest time possible.
Skills Challenge Relay: This event consists of four separate relays, with each replay involving: one timers, passing, puck control relay, stick handling, and shooting accuracy. Players cannot move on to the next skill until the previous one is completed.
Hardest Shot: The player who shoots the puck the hardest, measured in MPH, wins. Captain Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins has won this event four years in a row.
Elimination Shootout: The basics of the game: players attempt to score a goal against the goaltender and move on to the next round.
We'll have plenty more on the All-Star game throughout the weekend here at SB Nation Tampa Bay, so keep it locked to this StoryStream. For more on the Lightning players that will be playing in the game, head over to Raw Charge. For more on this and all things NHL, please check out the SB Nation NHL hub page.