The 2012 NHL All-Star Weekend officially began on Thursday when Team Chara and Team Alfredsson chose their teams, but the real fun begins Saturday with the Skills Competition. A quick rundown of the six events, some individual and some team-related, that will occur Saturday evening in Ottawa, beginning at 7:00 P.M. ET:
Fastest Skater: Five players from each team compete in a series of heats to determine who is the fastest.
Breakaway Challenge: A goalie and three shooters from each team participate, as players attempt three shots, looking to score a goal in the most impressive way possible. Judges vote on the goal-scoring attempts.
Accuracy Shooting: Four foam targets are placed in the four corners of the goal, and players try to hit each target in the fastest time possible.
Skills Challenge Relay: This event consists of four separate relays, with each replay involving: one timers, passing, puck control relay, stick handling, and shooting accuracy. Players cannot move on to the next skill until the previous one is completed.
Hardest Shot: The player who shoots the puck the hardest, measured in MPH, wins. Captain Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins has won this event four years in a row.
Elimination Shootout: The basics of the game: players attempt to score a goal against the goaltender and move on to the next round.
We'll have plenty more on the All-Star game throughout the weekend here at SB Nation Pittsburgh, so keep it locked to this StoryStream. For more on the Penguins that will be in action, head over to Pensburgh. And for more on the game and all things NHL, check out the SB Nation NHL hub page.