LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 04: Alex DeBrincat #12 of the
Chicago Blackhawks looks on during the 2022
NHL All-Star Skills Competition at T-Mobile Arena on February 04, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The Chicago Blackhawks have been a very bad team this season. They don’t do a lot of winning which is no fun to be a part of but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Alex DeBrincat has had a very nice season. He was well deserving of his spot at the NHL All-Star Game.
It started on Friday night in Vegas with the NHL Skills Competition. DeBrincat was part of a very fun show that the National Hockey League put together. There were the traditional competitions like fastest skater and accuracy shooting but there were also some new fun ones that were themed after the city of Las Vegas.
DeBrincat, along with every other player, participated in the game where the goalies had to try and have a save streak. He scored a goal in this one which kept the Pacific Division goalies from having a streak. We all knew that he was capable of doing this at a high level as he is one of the best snipers in the world.
He also competed in the Breakway Challenge which was so much fun to watch. Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks did a skit where he imitated a character from the movie “DodgeBall” and Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils pretended to be a Vegas magician who created a mini version of himself in a box.
DeBrincat got in on the fun with a skit of his own. He was dressed as Alan from “The Hangover” for his part and it was so much fun. He had a few people join him as other characters from the movie as well which was great to see. Everyone knows how funny that movie is and remembers it fondly.
DeBrincat also had some help with one of his chances. Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw him a football that he used to deke out the goalie. The hometown Vegas crowd definitely enjoyed a skit revolving around a famous movie from their town helped out by their team’s quarterback. It was certainly one of the top moments of the night.
Most people believed that Jack Hughes deserved to win with honorable mentions for Alex DeBrincat and Trevor Zegras. However, actor John Hamm (a St. Louis native) was somehow allowed to give Alex Pietrangelo a 19 out of 10 on his scorecard.
Of course, Pietrangelo is a member of the Vegas Golden Knights so the hometown crowd loved that but he also was the captain of Hamm’s St. Louis Blues when they won the Stanley Cup in 2019. DeBrincat’s teammates had his back on social media.
The NHL Skills Competition is a great way for the league to showcase some personality along with great play from its best players. Alex DeBrincat was an awesome part of a great story and all Chicago Blackhawks fans should be proud of him. Few represent the organization better than him these days.
