NHL All-Star Draft: NHL takes schoolyard captain approach
Here are your 2024 NHL All Star team lineups as chosen by team captains Matthews, MacKinnon, Hughes and McDavid
Nothing says “cutting-edge professional sports” like reverting to the golden days of schoolyard recess. The NHL has decided to channel its inner nostalgia by letting four “captains” pick their teams.
The All-Star Draft
The NHL All-Star Draft selected some of its brightest talents to captain the teams, including the offensive wizard Connor McDavid, Stanley Cup champ and all-around great player Nathan MacKinnon, the young phenom Jack Hughes and the NHL’s scoring leader Toronto’s Auston Matthews.
Shinny
But let’s not kid ourselves; this game is less about fierce competition and more about players having a great time while fans collectively scratch their heads. Forget penalties, aggression, or any semblance of effort – it’s all about promoting the league, not winning. Because, let’s be honest, nothing boosts the NHL’s image like an All-Star game where players are less concerned about the score than Justin Bieber’s jersey design skills.
Celebrity Captains
Perhaps the NHL should take a leaf from its own history and organize a game against the Stanley Cup Champions or a mid-season international tournament. But hey, flag football works for the NFL, right? And just to dial up the excitement even more, each team gets a celebrity captain. Because nothing says “serious competition” like having Will Arnett (Team McDavid), Michael Bublé (Team Hughes), Justin Bieber (Team Matthews), and Tate McRae (Team MacKinnon) lead the charge. It’s the stuff childhood dreams are made of – if your childhood dreams involved a conspicuous lack of effort and the occasional celebrity cameo. But hey, it’s all in the name of fun and games, right?
The All-Star Teams
Team MacKinnon
Co-captain: Cale Makar Colorado Avalanche
Sidney Crosby, PIT
Alexandar Georgiev, COL
Kirill Kaprizov, MIN
Sebastian Aho, CAR
Tom Wilson, WSH
Jeremy Swayman, BOS
Travis Konecny, PHI
Elias Lindholm, VAN
Oliver Bjorkstrand, SEA
Team McDavid
Co-captain Leon Draisaitl – Edmonton Oilers
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG
David Pastrnak, BOS
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF
Robert Thomas, STL
Sam Reinhart, FLA
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA
Boone Jenner, CBJ
Nick Suzuki, MTL
Tomas Hertl, SJS
Team Hughes
Co-captain Jesper Bratt – New Jersey Devils
Quinn Hughes, VAN
Elias Pettersson, VAN
Nikita Kucherov, TBL
Thatcher Demko, VAN
Kyle Connor, WPG
Brady Tkachuk, OTT
Jesper Bratt, NJD
Cam Talbot, LAK
Brock Boeser, VAN
J.T. Miller, VAN
Frank Vatrano, ANA
Team Matthews
Co-captain Morgan Rielly – Toronto Maple Leafs
William Nylander, TOR
Mitch Marner, TOR
Jake Oettinger, DAL
Clayton Keller, ARI
Mathew Barzal, NYI
Igor Shesterkin, NYR
Filip Forsberg, NSH
Alex DeBrincat, DET
Vincent Trocheck, NYR
Don’t miss seeing these teams in action on February 3 starting at 3 pm on @espn, ESPN+, @Sportsnet, and @TVASports!
by Myles Shane
