In recent years, the NHL's all-game has lost the interest it should create. Players have been publicly reluctant to participate, and the fans can feel that sentiment when the all-star game becomes a boring scrimmage.
However this year, the NHL is looking to revitalize the all-star game in Toronto. The league has already brought back the player's draft, where team captains will select their teams live on air. Now, the NHL has revealed a major re-vamp to the skills competition, with ideas implemented from McDavid himself.
To incentivize players to actually try their best in the competition, a $1M prize has been created for the winner. The skills competition will feature only 12 players on an obstacle course, with specific skills picked by McDavid which showcase the most elite hockey talent.
It will be a welcome change from the tired repetitions of accuracy shooting on targets, or ridiculous gag-type shootout attempts. It sounds very promising that with McDavid's input and the NHL's willingness to fix the all-star game, that this year could show serious improvement.