Johnny Gaudreau wins Puck Control Relay at Skills Competition

Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau is pretty good with the puck. The Flames’ lone on-ice representative at the NHL’s All-Star Game festivities put on a show at the annual Skills Competition for the second year in a row, winning the Puck Control Relay.

As the defending champion, Gaudreau was the last competitor in the Puck Control Relay and beat Patrick Kane’s time by a second and a half. As he managed last year, Gaudreau didn’t bobble or boot the puck at all. The key to his victory was managing to get a clean performance in the three gates – everyone else seemed to have trouble getting the puck on their stick to move through the various levels, but Gaudreau managed to get it done quickly.

All due respect to Gaudreau, the highlight of the Skills Competition was the inclusion of NWHL player Kendall Coyne Schofield. The Minnesota Whitecaps left wing (and two-time Olympic medalist) took part in the Fastest Skater Competition… and beat Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller’s time.

Hopefully this marks a beginning of more female stars appearing in the Skills Competition, as it seems a perfect venue to celebrate the NHL’s stars while helping put a bit of a spotlight on the NWHL and CWHL.