LOS ANGELES — Detroit Red Wings rookie center Dylan Larkin captured the Fastest Skater title, breaking the 20-year old mark set by Mike Gartner during the NHL All-Star Skills Competition Saturday night.
The 19-year-old American Larkin zipped around the Bridgestone Arena ice surface in 13.172 seconds, just 0.02 seconds ahead of Gartner’s former record of 13.386. Larkin would have had an even faster time if he hadn’t stumbled around the last turn.
“I was just happy I didn’t fall. It is pretty cool — the crowd was pretty nuts,” Larkin said of his blazing lap around the rink.
Larkin’s skate, in front of a sold out crowd of 17,006, highlighted the All-Star Weekend festivities ahead of Sunday’s mid-season showcase game which is being hosted by the Nashville Predators.
Predators superstar Shea Weber defended his title by winning the popular Hardest Shot competition.
Weber just missed Zdeno Chara’s four-year old record of 108.8 mph with a blast of 108.1 mph.
“The crowd was really into it,” Weber said. “Sure, I was slightly disappointed that I didn’t break the record. We’re very competitive out there.”
Pacific Division captain John Scott drew the loudest cheer of any non-Nashville player in pre-event introductions. Scott, who won a fan vote to claim his spot on the team and was then traded by the Arizona Coyotes to the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 15, was sent down to the lower level American Hockey League by Montreal, which the NHL said invalidated the fan vote.
But Scott’s spot was restored after complaints about the way he was treated. Wearing a jersey that said NHL across the front, Scott defiantly took part in the Hardest Shot and Shootout competitions.
“It was really neat that it happened,” said Scott, who has 542 penalty minutes in 285 games with six NHL teams.
“Very emotional. My heart was going boom-boom-boom. It was very touching.”
Los Angeles named site
for 2017 All-Star Game
Los Angeles was named Saturday as the host city for the 2017 National Hockey League All-Star Game, with two days of events set to be staged at the Staples Center next January.
The home arena of the Los Angeles Kings, winners of the Stanley Cup twice in the past four years, will host a skills contest on Jan. 28 on the eve of the NHL’s 62nd mid-season showcase of elite talent.
Next year’s NHL All-Star Game will be the third to be played in Los Angeles, having been previously hosted by the Kings in 1981 at the Forum and 2002 at Staples Center, where a team of World All-Stars beat North America 8-5.
Seattle not in the running
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman insisted Seattle is not in the running to land an expansion team.
“If someone wanted to give us an application right now, we wouldn’t take it,” Bettman said Saturday at his state-of-the-league news conference.
Las Vegas and Quebec City have submitted expansion applications, but a decision whether to grant both, either or neither city an NHL franchise does not appear to be imminent.
“The process is continuing,” Bettman said. “We’re not ready to make a recommendation.”
Bettman said a 10-owner executive committee will eventually suggest the league should add two teams, one or none.
Expansion was barely addressed at the NHL Board of Governors meeting Saturday morning after it was discussed extensively in December. Bettman bristled at a suggestion that the league is struggling to decide whether to expand.
“We’re going through an orderly process,” Bettman said. “This is a very important decision. A lot of things have to be considered.” — Agencies
