Live Blog: Winnipeg Jets Skills Competition

9:30 pm:  Mike and I spoke with Patrik Laine and Chris Thorburn to wrap up the 2016 Jets Skills Competition.  Listen here.

8:55 pm:  Crowd is announced as over 12,000.   Last year there were about 10,000+ so quite an increase.

8:45 pm:  The players returned to the room to get autographed hats that were then given to fans in the stands.

8:41 pm:  Five time champ Chris Thorburn maintain his undefeated record and accepts the trophy.

8:40 pm:  Team Blue win the 2016 skills competition 44-17.

8:35 pm:  Mark Scheifele wins the breakaway competition for Team Blue.

8:33 pm:  Nic Petan just pulled a soccer move to even the goals scored in this competition.  Score is 35-15.

8:32 pm:  Dustin Byfuglien (Team Blue) scores and adds to the Blue lead (34-12).

8:30 pm:  The young goalies who stepped up to participate have been solid and stopped most of these NHLers.  Only Nikolaj Ehlers (Team Blue) and Blake Wheeler (Team White) have been able to score.

8:25 pm:  Breakaway challenge is the last event.

8:21 pm:  Team Blue now leads 25-5.

8:20 pm:  Final hardest shots results.

Team Blue:                                           Team White:

Byfuglien: 100.8/96.8/101.3            Tanev: 87.2/94.0/DNQ
Trouba: 97.8/96.2/100.8                  Laine: 96.2/98.3/101.2
Postma: 100.8/97.6/72.0                  Armia: 90.5/93.0/93.0
Matthias: 83.7/90.2/89.0                 Morrissey: 93.7/90.5/94.8

8:19 pm:  But 2011 champ Dustin Byfuglien got his title back on his final shot beating the rookie by 0.1 hitting a top speed of 101.3 to give team Blue the win in that event.

8:15 pm:   Rookie and unlikely hardest shooter Patrik Laine took the lead hitting 101.2 as his top speed.

8:10 pm:   So far Jacob Trouba and Paul Postma have both hit 100.8 as their top speed.

8:01 pm:  Hardest shot is up next.

7:58 pm:  Team Blue won both heats and now have a 20-5 lead.  Once again the Chris Thorburn effect is being seen.

7:50 pm:  They’ve added some wrinkles to the relay.  It ended with goalies trying to hit an empty net.  Let’s just say that Michael Hutchinson is no Ron Hextall.  Took about ten shots before he put it in the empty net.  Hellebuyck on the other hand managed to get it on his second attempt.

7:41 pm:  After two events we are tied 5-5.  Setting up for the relay now.  Players still signing autographs.

7:40 pm:  Team White wins it.

Team Blue:                              Team White:

Laine: 8.4 seconds                 Stafford: 20.1 seconds
Little: DNF                              Ehlers: 16.9 seconds
Wheeler: 23.1 seconds          Scheifele: 9.9 seconds

7:38 pm:  Little surprise that Patrik Laine smashed Kyle Wellwood’s 2011 record tonight.  He went first and he hit 4/4 in 8.4 seconds.

7:30 pm:  Next event is the accuracy.

7:27 pm:  Team Blue wins it.

Team Blue:                              Team White:

Ehlers: 13.29                           Tanev: 13.59
Trouba: 14.63                         Morrissey: 13.83
Copp: 13.87                             Burmistrov: 14.41

7:25 pm:  Jacob Trouba chose to high five fans rather than try and beat the time of the speedy Nikolaj Ehlers.

7:22 pm:  After Mark Scheifele suggested that guys would be hard pressed to beat his all time fastest time, Brandon Tanev did it immediately as the first skater.  But his 13.59 seconds were beaten by the next skater Nikolaj Ehlers who was up next.  He has the new record of 13.29.

7:06 pm:  Five minute warm up and then fastest skater will be the first event.  Most players are spending their time signing autographs instead.

7:00 pm:  Player introductions are underway.  Biggest cheers go to Dustin Byfuglien.  He owns this city.

6:41 pm:  Another substitution.  This time it is Patrik Laine replacing Adam Lowry for the Team White relay competition.

6:32 pm:  Informed that Ben Chiarot won’t be defending his hardest shot title (was going for the three-peat in fact).  In his place will be Brandon Tanev.

6:30 pm:  Arrive at the MTS Centre to find the southern press box a little empty so I head over to the ‘other side’ to join other journos covering the game.  So far it is just myself and Mike Sawatsky of the Winnipeg Free Press.

3:40 pm:  We get a look at the Team White and Team Blue.

3:15 pm:  Chris Thorburn is the only player on the entire roster to be on the winning team for all four Skills competitions that the Jets have held.  Can he keep that streak alive?  Stay tuned to find out.  We should get the roster soon.

Note:  Dave will be at the MTS Centre covering tonight’s Skills Competition.  Stay tuned to illegalcurve.com and on social media including Twitter| Facebook | Instagram for plenty of pictures and videos from the MTS Centre.  I will be live blogging so be sure to bookmark this post and you can follow the action.

Past Skills Competition Results:

2015:

Fastest Skater – Paul Postma (14.16 seconds)
Accuracy – Mathieu Perreault (4/4, 9.5 seconds)
Hardest Shot – Ben Chiarot (107.7 mph)

2014:

Fastest Skater – Paul Postma (13.90 seconds)
Accuracy – Andrew Ladd (4/5, 10.0 seconds)
Hardest Shot – Ben Chiarot (103.0 mph)

2013:

Fastest Skater – Mark Scheifele (13.673 seconds)
Accuracy – Bryan Little (4/5, 12.0 seconds)
Hardest Shot – Anthony Peluso (103.9 mph)

2011:

Fastest Skater – Tim Stapleton & Evander Kane (14.06 seconds)
Accuracy – Kyle Wellwood (4/4, 9.38 seconds)
Hardest Shot – Dustin Byfuglien (104.0mph)