OPINION: Lightning Forward Gives Nonchalant Performance

Sam Belton

Feb 4, 2024, 13:37

Sam Belton

Feb 4, 2024, 13:37

Nikita Kucherov may play for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but his performance Friday night was anything but lightning-fast.

Tampa Bay Lightning righty Nikita Kucherov annoyed fans with a vapid performance at all the 2024 NHL All-Star Skills Competition at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena.

During the passing competition, Kucherov repeatedly missed the targets and did not appear to be making much of an effort, lethargically skating between the shot-taking positions and carelessly knocking off poor shots. This prompted boos from the Toronto fans. Both sides may have been bitter in the wake of last year's playoff series between the victorious Toronto Maple Leafs and Kucherov's Tampa Bay Lightning.

In response to boos, he sarcastically waved.

Even if it did not seem so, an unenthusiastic Kucherov told reporters in an interview after the event that he enjoyed participating.

"It wasn't my day today but you know, I was enjoying it," Kucherov said.

The same sarcasm from the wave came out in the interview when he said he expected the negative reactions from fans.

"It was good. I liked that. I didn't expect any different or better, so it was fun," he said.

He said the biggest challenge was sitting there for three hours and then having to compete.

The only reason Kucherov ended up on the final scoreboard at all was because he finished fifth in the Tim Hortons NHL One Timers competition, receiving several passes from Pittsburgh Penguins' legend Sidney Crosby, one of the guest passers. His mid-range performance here earned him 0.5 points in the overall standings, and he didn't get any points from any other event.

Even more irritating may have been that Kucherov was the first pick for the All-Star Player Draft, taken on by Team Hughes, captained by Canucks' blueliner Quinn Hughes. He was the first pick, but ultimately finished dead last in the competition with his half-point. No other competitor scored less than four.

For comparison, Oilers superstar Connor McDavid won the competition with 25 points, followed by Avs' blueliner Cale Makar with 20, and the third-place spot going to the Maple Leaf speed-skater William Nylander with 16.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnAMjoPt29A[/embed]

Kucherov also came last in the stick-handling competition with a time of 44.178 seconds. The only player who compared was Boston right-winger David Pastrnak who finished at 38.488 seconds.

He skated through the course with very low energy,

"Not quite the McDavid intensity," the announcer said.

Hockey Daily 365 even commented on X that he did not want to be there.

Fans bashed him online as well.

"Kind of a bad look for @TBLightning in general...regardless of not wanting to be there.... Show some respect. Or elect another representative..." a fan said on X.

Unlike Kucherov, the Canucks' Hughes put up a good fight, who passionately and aggressively skated towards the net after smoothly stickhandling around the markers, threaded the puck through the final barriers, and promptly fired it into the net. But even he only finished in sixth at 29.038 seconds, which was the first time to beat.

Despite his lower rank in the standings, he still did much, much better than Kucherov.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSY3jR1salQ[/embed]

Immediately after Kucherov was the eventual winner, McDavid, with an obstacle course time of 25.755 seconds. McDavid was passionate and fierce, and skated and handled the puck with expertise and finesse even with his lightning-fast pace, which we did not see from the Lightning player.

Kucherov praised McDavid in his interview, though, saying he loved being so close to him competing.

"He's a hell of a player and he does it every night and it was just a cool moment to be sitting next to him," Kucherov said.

He also said it was good to see his kids in the stands.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=febwdfndtqU[/embed]