NHL ALL-STAR WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS

1. Laila Anderson was chosen to announce the St. Louis Blues

Laila Anderson has been known around the whole NHL community as the St. Louis Blues superfan and has been in attendance to almost all of their games–including the final game last season for their long overdue chance at the Stanley Cup. Anderson was diagnosed with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, or HLH, a life-threatening immune disease that only 15 other children in the world have been diagnosed with. The St. Louis Blues have been heard saying that she is their lucky charm and when she was cleared to attend the playoff games by her doctor, the Blues knew they would have to play their hearts out for her, (ESPN). Since their Stanley Cup last year, Anderson has been a big part of the organization, even getting her own ring like the players did once they won. Having her picked to announce the host team for the All-Star Weekend games was a great idea and kept the winning spirit alive for everyone there.

2. The “Top-Golf Inspired”

Although this competition did need some revision it was pretty cool to watch the crowd interact with the players in a new event that left fans pretty happy. This was a competition mainly inspired by TopGolf where the players would launch pucks over the crowd at targets centered on the ice. Did it need some work? Absolutely. But was it pretty fun to watch? Again, absolutely. I think the Blues are ahead of the game with this new kind of competition and I look forward to possibly seeing a remake of it next games.

3. New Technology

The NHL has been testing the possibility of a puck tracking system that will allow players on the ice to be better identified and also will give fans real-time statistics on screen to better track players and their teams. This puck also allowed for NHL to track its speed of shots and passes to be given to everyone instantly! A pretty cool new system for NHL that seems to have really taken off in the All-Star games. This new player and puck technology will forever change the way the hockey league will get its statistics. It was pretty awesome to see this done at the games for the first time as well and even better that it went off with success! I look forward to seeing all the new advances next season.

Here’s a look at those player graphics on the live broadcast pic.twitter.com/1bEDYFSeAx

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) January 27, 2019

Overall, the NHL All-Star Weekend had some pretty defining moments. I look forward to the next season and for the new advancements the NHL is making to the game of hockey.

~Alyssa