*Updated 1/27/18 with information about Upper Deck’s activities over the weekend
It’s finally here! After months of planning, the NHL All-Star Weekend is finally ready to kick off a weekend of celebration with music, mascots, multiple autograph signings and a little bit of hockey and hockey-related activities. With the NHL opting out of the Olympics this season, that means the All-Star game is on. Why spend two weeks in Pyeongchang when you can spend a long weekend in Tampa?
The big hockey match, a series of 3-on-3 games pitting the various divisions against each other, takes place on Sunday. The fun, however, begins on Friday as The PreGame (known as FanFest the last time the All-Star game was in Tampa) kicks off the festivities. Split between Cotanchobee Park and Amalie Arena’s Silver Parking Lot, the PreGame, which is free to attend by the public, will feature autographs from Lightning players and alumni, NHL alumni and Team USA stars, music by various local performers and a chance for fans to get their picture taken with the greatest trophy in all of sports – The Stanley Cup.
Friday January 26th:
The Pregame –
5:00pm: St. Denis Oktoberfest Band, Cotanchobee Music Stage
5:00pm – 10:00pm: The Stanley Cup at the NHL Trophy Showcase Tent in Cotanchobee Park
5:30pm: Nikita Kucherov, Autograph Alley
6:30pm: Steven Stamkos, Autograph Alley
7:00pm: UNRB, Cotanchobee Music Stage
7:30pm: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Autograph Alley
8:00pm: Mascot Showdown (Dodgeball), Franklin Family Hockey Rink
8:30pm: Dave Andreychuk, Autograph Alley
8:30pm: LED Cube Act, Cotanchobee Music Stage
8:00pm NHL Friday All-Star Friday night Concert at Curtis Hixon Park. Hosted by P.K. Subban. Headliners Fitz and the Tantrums. Also appearing Moon Taxi.
9:00pm-midnight: 2018 Raw Charge All Star Party at Fly Bar & Restaurant. Come meet your favorite Lightning bloggers and others!
Saturday January 27th:
All-Star Beach Bash at Pier 60 Park in Clearwater
Scheduled to run from 9:00am to 3:00pm, the family-oriented Bash will feature music and kids games by the “beautiful white sands of Clearwater Beach”. The highlight will be a round-robin youth street hockey tournament featuring more than 15 teams from around the Tampa Bay area.
The PreGame
12:00pm: Ella Jet, Cotanchobee Music Stage
12:30pm: Victor Hedman, Autograph Alley
1:30pm: Dean Johansen, Cotanchobee Music Stage
1:45pm: Bernie Parent, Autograph Alley
2:00pm: Mascot Showdown (Relay Races), Franklin Family Hockey Rink
2:00pm-11:00pm: The Stanley Cup at the NHL Trophy Showcase Tent in Cotanchobee Park
2:30pm: Jon Cooper, Autograph Alley
3:00pm: St. Denis Oktoberfest Band, Cotanchobee Music Stage
3:30pm: Bryan Trottier, Autograph Alley
4:30pm: Shane Doan, Autograph Alley
5:00pm: Mascot Showdown (Dance Competition), Franklin Family Hockey Rink
5:30pm: Jocelyne Lamoureux, Kelly Pannek, Maddie Rooney, Sidney Morin, Haley Skarupa (Team USA), Autograph Alley
6:00pm: Kendall Coyne, Hannah Brandt, Amanda Pelkey, Kali Flanagan, Megan Keller (Team USA), Autograph Alley
5:30pm: Tribal Style, Cotanchobee Music Stage
7:00pm: 2018 GEICO NHL Skills Competition Viewing Party, Thunder Alley/ Cotanchobee Music Stage
9:30pm: LED Drumline and Lyrian Dancers, Cotanchobee Music Stage
7:00pm: Skills Competition
Enterprise NHL Fastest Skater – The simplest of all competitions. The fastest skater to complete one lap around the ice wins.
Dunkin’ Donuts NHL Passing Challenge – A three-skill challenge featuring eight players.
- Target Passing – player must complete four passes to targets that light up randomly
- Give and Go – player must complete four passes through a course set up in the neutral zone
- Mini Nets – player must pass over an obstacle and into a mini net before completing a final pass into the game net/
Whoever completes all three skills the fastest wins.
GEICO NHL Save Streak – a breakaway challenge that focuses on the goalie, not the shooter. Five goalies will compete to see who can stop the most breakaways in a row.
Gatorade NHL Puck Control Relay – Another three-skill competition featuring eight skaters
- Stickhandling – player must control a puck around eight pucks set up in a straight line.
- Cone Control – player must control a puck around through eight cones set up in a zig-zag
- Gates – player must shoot or guide a puck through a series of gates with rungs. As the player approaches, a rung will light up and that is the one the player has to get the puck through/
PPG NHL Hardest Shot – pretty simple. Whoever shoots the puck the hardest wins. Each player gets two attempts and the attempt with the highest MPH is the one used.
Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting – a staple of skills competition for decades, players will attempt to break targets set up at the four corners of the net. There are some new twists this year. An additional target is set up at the “five hole”. Also, the targets will light up randomly and the shooter must shoot at the lit-up target. The player that breaks all five targets in the shortest amount of time wins.
Sunday January 28th:
The PreGame:
12:00pm-2:00pm – Jeremy Roenick tending bar at the Coors Light Upcycled Bar (Silver Lot)
12:00pm-3:00pm: The Stanley Cup at the NHL Trophy Showcase Tent in Cotanchobee Park
12:30pm: Ruslan Fedotenko, Autograph Alley
12:30pm: Cliff Brown, Cotanchobee Music Stage
12:30pm: Mascot Showdown (Bean Bag Toss), Franklin Family Hockey Rink
1:00pm: NHL All-Star Red Carpet – The players are scheduled to arrive at Contanchobee Park via boat and will then walk over to the arena.
2:00pm: Have Gun Will Travel, Cotanchobee Music Stage
2:30pm: Kacey Bellamy, Gigi Marvin, Alex Rigsby, Dani Cameranesi, Cayla Barnes (Team USA), Autograph Alley3:00pm: Jocelyne Lamoureux, Nicole Hensley, Lee Stecklein, Emily Pfalzer, Brianna Decker (Team USA), Autograph Alley
3:30pm: The 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game at Amalie Arena – the 3-on-3 tournament format continues as teams comprised of players from the four divisions face off against each other.The winning team will split a $1 million prize. Brett Young will sing the U.S. National Anthem while Lindsey Ell will sing the Canadian National Anthem. Moon Taxi is back to serve as the NHL’s “house band”. At the second intermission there will be a musical act.
Upper Deck at the All-Star Game
The official trading card company of the NHL, Upper Deck, is set up all weekend and will offering giveaways, special player autographs and the chance to create your own hockey card
Upper Deck has a virtual e-Card trading program. If you sign up for it or can show up for it, you will receive a special All-Star poster.
Perhaps the greatest Tampa-themed giveaway of the weekend – a card of Jose Gaspar
Information for this post was compiled from NHL.com and The Tampa Bay Times.
