(Double entendre completely intended.)
While he may not have won the event (that honor went to Dwight Howard Patrick Kane), Corey Perry showed off his creativity during the Breakaway Challenge. I'll be honest, I didn't think our Pears had it in him and I thought he was doomed after Patty Kane's exploding puck. Yet he defies the odds once again and surprises everyone.
Here is my exact thought process while watching Perry. "Going straight on. Weird. He stopped? Is he going to fight Elliott? Wait is he taking off his jersey? Bash brothers. No. What the hell is that? A mini-stick? WHAT THE?! Awesome."
For me, Kane and Perry (by the way, wearing an "A" on his Ducks jersey, but I wouldn't look too much into it) were a great part of the Breakaway Challenge, but there was another unexpected star - Habs goalie, Carey Price. He was hilarious. He was trying to make the most unconventional saves. He's spinning in his crease or waving his arms around. He "Tebowed". My favorite move was making a save with his back to the skater. He was watching the skater in the reflection on the glass.
After that event, I was bored. It was fun to see Zdeno Chara break his own record with a 108.8 mph slapshot but that was about it. The NHL needs to get more creative with this series of events, like they did with the ASG draft. Yet, like I said in the open, it has a lot to do with the personalities on the ice. The more involved the players are with the broadcast, the better the fan experience, at least that's what I learned by watching the ultimate boring event, MLB's Home Run Derby.
Read up on the rest of the Skills Competition by visiting SBNation NHL's story stream on the All-Star weekend.