>> ALL RIGHT, DAVID. SO THE SCENE IS SET AND IT IS TIME FOR THE FASTERS IN ALL FASTEST SKATER COMPETITION HERE AT SCOTIABANK ARENA. THE GUY WE ALLUDED TO, THE COOL DEMEANOR OF WILLIAM NYLANDER MIGHT BENEFIT HIM AS THE ACE CARD TONIGHT BECAUSE IT HAS TO BE DAUNTING BEING THE LEADOFF HITTER >> Craig: THERE'S NO SURPRISE THEY MAKE THIS ONE FIRST. IT'S THE MOST DIFFICULT AND THE GUYS REALLY FOCUSING THEMSELVE. GED YOUR BODY READY, DON'T PULL ANYTHING. AND HAVING THE HELMET ON JUST IN CASE YOU TAKE A TUMBLE. IT IS A LITTLE BIT UNNERVING. SITTING AROUND IN A CALM AREA WITH -- CHATTING WITH PLAYERS. NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU HAVE TO EXPLODE AND YOU CAN SEE NYLANDER TRYING TO GET T THE CROWD BEHIN HIM TO GIVE HIM EXTRA ENERGY. >> Chris: FASTEST SPEED RECORDED BY NYLANDER IN GAME ACTION THIS SEASON, 36.0 KILOMETRES AN HOUR. SO OFF AND RUNNING HERE, WILLIAM NYLANDER, TRYING TO SET AN EARLY TIME TO BEAT! INTO THE FINAL TURN, AND THIS IS GOING TO BE -- THE CLOCK KEEPS TICKING HERE SO WE'RE NOT SURE WHAT THE FINAL TIME IS. IT'S CERTAINLY NOT OVER 20 SECONDS. >> Craig: SO IF THERE'S ANY DISCREPANCY WITH THE DIGITAL TIME, YOU CAN SEE THE OFFICIALS DOWN, THEY HAVE A STOP WATCH. THEY WILL BE THE ONES THAT ARE GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE TIMING. YOU CAN SEE RIGHT AWAY, NYLANDER DID A GOOD JOB OF KEEPING THE POWER AND KEEPING LOW A AROUND E CORNERS. IT'S HOW MUCH SPEED CAN YOU GAIN WHEN YOU'RE GOING AROUND THE CORNERS, USUALLY IS A BIT OF THE DIFFERENCE. >> Chris: WE'VE SEEN WATCHING HIM THIS YEAR HE'S FASTEST LATE IN THE SHIFT WHEN THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A BREAKAWAY. SO WE'LL SEE HIS TIME RECORDED AT 14.164. HERE COMES QUINN HUGHES WHO SEEMS TO BE COMPARED DAILY WITH CALE MAKAR. THEY'LL SKATE BACK-TO-BACK HERE. >> Craig: IT WILLING FUN TO WATCH. YOU CAN SEE THE LEFTY HERE GOING COUNTERCLOCKWISE SO HE DOESN'T LOSE THE BALANCE AS WE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE. BUT MAN, WITH THE PUCK, HUGHES CAN FLY. IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE WITHOUT IT WHAT HE CAN DO HERE. STOO SO QUINN HUGHES OFF AND RUNNING. 36.1 HIS TOP SPEED REGISTERED IN ACTION THIS SEASON. AGAIN, NYLANDER 14.164. AND THAT'S A 14.088! SO QUINN HUGHES HAS TAKEN THE LEAD. >> Craig: YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES THAT SPEED CAN BE DECEIVING. GUYS THAT JUST HAVE A DIFFERENT KIND OF A POWERFUL STRIDE. LOOK AT HIM HOPPING. IT'S NOT EXACTLY PERFECT TECHNIQUE, BUT THAT HOPPING GIVES HIM JUST THAT LITTLE BIT MORE PICK-UP OF SPEED AS HE'S COMING AROUND THE CORNER. AND HE JUST NIPS WILLIAM NYLANDER. >> Chris: HERE'S CALE MAKAR, I THINK EVERYBODY WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THIS. >> Craig: THIS IS WHERE HE'S GOING THE OPPOSITE WAY THAN WHAT HE DID L LAST YEAR WHEN HE FELL. THIS IS AS A RIGHTY WHERE HE SHOULD. NOW HE HAS THAT STRIDE IN THE MIDDLE. HE'S GOT SUCH A POWERFUL STRIDE. >> LOOKING FOR A REDEMPTION AND LOOKING FOR A TIME UNDER 14. OH, IT'S GOING TO BE QUINN HUGHES BUT 1/1,000TH OF A SECOND >> Craig: OH, MAN. THE TWO DEFENCEMEN >> THAT'S UNBELIEVABLE. >> Craig: ISN'T IT? JUST SO SIMILAR, AND THE START REALLY IMPORTANT AS WELL. THE CHOPPY STRIDES TO GET YOUR POWER, AND MUCH LIKE HUGHES, SEE A LITTLE HOPPING AROUND THE CORNER. YOU CAN'T GET MUCH CLOSER A BATTLE THAN THAT, WOW >> Chris: HERE'S KEVIN. >> Kevin: AS THEY GO ALONG AND WE GET FURTHER INTO THE COMPETITION YOU CAN START TO SEE THERE ARE LITTLE RUTS THAT MIGHT AFFECT THE TURNS A LITTLE BIT. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, OBVIOUSLY, SLIM MARGIN HERE BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND. SO THESE RUTS MIGHT SLOW DOWN THESE GUYS AT THE END. SO ADVANTAGE TO THE GUYS WHO HAVE ALREADY WENT >> Chris: THESE TWO LAST WOULD BE THE FAVOURTIES. MATHEW BARZAL WON THIS COMPETITION IN 2020, TOOK A WIDE TURN HERE, BUT AS WE FOCUS IN, LOOKS LIKE HE'S GOT A SHOT AT THE LEAD. AND HE IS INTO THE LEAD AT 13.519! >> Craig: BOY, GET A REAL SENSE OF THE POWER HE BUILDS AROUND THE CORNERS. FROM THE SKATERS THAT WE'VE SEEN AT THIS POINT, A LITTLE WIDER, AND BARZAL NOT AFRAID TO JUST GET THAT POWER OUT OF THE TURN. AND THAT LITTLE BIT OF DIFFERENCE THIS THOSE TURNS, I THINK, ULTIMATELY IS WHAT MAKES HIM AT THIS POINT T THE LEADER. >> Kevin: THERE GOES MY THEORY ABOUT THE DEFENCEMEN, DOESN'T IT? >> Chris: THERE YOU GO. HERE'S THE FAVOURITE. A THREE-TIME WINNER, AND HE WON IN CONSECUTIVE YEARS, 20172018 AND 2019, THE HIGHEST REGISTETED SPEED IN GAME ACTION WHICH SHOULDN'T BE ANY SURPRISE. CONNOR McDAVID, LOOKING TO BEAT THE BARZAL TIME OF 13.519. AND HE DOES! CONNOR McDAVID IS THE FASTEST SKATER IN THE 2024 SKILLS COMPETITION. >> Craig: YOU SAW THE REACTION LAST YEAR WHEN BARZAL WAS ABLE TO TAKE THE CHAMPIONSHIP FROM, AND McDAVID, WHOSE FINGERPRINTS ARE ALL OVER THIS SKILLS, THIS IS WHAT HE DOES BETTER THAN MOST. GOT A LITTLE PIECE OF THE PILON GOING AROUND THE ONE POINT IN THAT SECOND-LAST TURN BUT YOU CAN JUST SEE HE'S CONSTANTLY DRIVING THOSE FEET AND LEADING TO THE VICTORY >> Chris: SO DAVID AMBER IS WITH THE WINNER. >> David: NOT GIVING YOU TIME TO CATCH YOUR BREATH BUT CONGRAT CONGRATULATIONS, A VICTORY IN THIS COMPETITION. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE LAP. >> YEAH, OBVIOUSLY, IT WAS GOOD ENOUGH TONIGHT. GOING UP AGAINST AMAZING SKATERS. SORRY, OH A LITTLE OUT OF BREATH, BUT IT WAS FUN >> David: MATHEW BARZAL WAS OUT HERE PRACTICING AND HE SET A QUICK TIME FOR YOU TO BEAT. DID YOU PUT ANY PRACTICE INTO THIS BEFORE YOU CAME OUT HERE? >> BARZALY GOT ME AND FEELS GOOD TO GET HIM BACK >> David: YOU'VE BEEN TO A LOT OF ALL-STAR GAMES THIS IS THE ONLY TIME YOU'RE HERE IN YOUR HOMETOWN, WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU TO HAVE FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND A LOT OF FANS HERE. >> SEE MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS UP THERE RIGHT NOW. IT MEANS A LOT. IT'S GREAT HAVING THEM HERE. GREAT BEING HERE IN MY HOMETOWN. GREAT EVENT, HAPPY
