You're an All-Star Tyler Seguin, so Go Play

Seguin puts aside R&R to embrace his status as an elite NHL player, something it would be good to remember before the final push towards playoffs

The NHL All-Star Weekend is here. At a time when most NHL players head for destinations involving warmer climates to rest and recuperate, some stay behind to focus on the lighter side of hockey. According to the NHL, the “biggest and brightest stars” will be gathering in St. Louis to compete with and against each other.

This is a questionable assertion by the NHL as there are some obvious choices that were left out of the mix. Certainly, some of Dallas’ own biggest and brightest were left out. How could you not have defenseman Miro Heiskanen in the fastest skater competition?

Somewhat surprisingly, Tyler Seguin was voted in for 2020 after being skipped over last year.

Sequin has now made an appearance at the NHL All-Star Weekend six times during his career. Until last year, he represented the Dallas Stars for four consecutive years (2015-2018). Seguin is unarguably the poster child for the Dallas Stars and last season was rough on him. You may remember certain comments in December of 2018 by a higher up in the Stars organization regarding the scoring capabilities of Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. Then he was passed over for the 2019 All-Star games. At the time, Seguin indicated that he thought the break had been a good time for him to contemplate the way his season was going but this would understandably be a knock to the ego for anyone.

ALL-STAR GAME

Maybe the weekend just wasn’t the same without him or maybe fans are tired of the constant calling out he has been getting for the lack of scoring. Either way, Seguin will be representing the Dallas Stars on the Central Division team this year. Hindering the potential fun is the fact that the team is somewhat overrun by the St. Louis Blues. Coached by St. Louis’ Craig Berube with Jordan Binnington in goal, Seguin will take the ice with Ryan O’Reilly, David Perron, and Alex Pietrangelo. This is supposed to be an honor and not a punishment. It’s difficult to entertain an image of camaraderie with this roster but we are all professionals, right?

Balancing out the team will be Patrick Kane (CHI), Mark Scheifele (WPG), Eric Staal (MIN), Roman Josi (NSH), and Connor Hellebuyck (WPG). The one saving grace is that Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche will be captaining the team and not Pietrangelo.

ALL-STARS SKILLS COMPETITION

The NHL is mixing things up for the skills competition this year and has added two new events.

Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater™
Bud Light NHL Save Streak™
Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting™
Elite Women’s 3-on-3 presented by Adidas™
Enterprise NHL Hardest Shot™
Gatorade NHL Shooting Stars™

Seguin has been selected to participate in the new Gatorade NHL Shooting All-Star skills event during tonight’s competition. This isn’t your typical NHL sponsored idea. It has more of a Dude Perfect feel to it. From a platform 30 feet above the ice, selected players will take turns shooting at targets. This should be one of the more entertaining events to watch. The NHL has assured us that it is completely safe as an orange puck and safety netting will be used. If this event goes badly the NHL may never let us have fun again, so keep your fingers crossed.

This event is for top players and fan favorites. As important as R&R is at this point in the season, taking a step into the stoplight may be just what Seguin needs to remind him that he is an elite player in the NHL. It might be a good reminder for the rest of the hockey world also.