McDavid of Oilers grateful for reaction at NHL All-Star Skills 

TORONTO -- Connor McDavid managed his way through the bridges lit up in green. He hit all three mini nets with sauce passes, making it look easy. He turned the corner and as he started weaving through the large replica Pepsi cans in front of the player bench, he smiled.

It was right then, right there, as he was still finishing the Pepsi NHL Obstacle Course, that the Edmonton Oilers captain knew he had it, that the $1 million prize for winning the 2024 NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook was in his pocket.

McDavid ripped a shot into the net after weaving through the cans to finish the course in 40.606 seconds, beating Cale Makar's time of 43.435. He earned 10 points for winning that event, giving him a final total of 25, five more than Makar, who finished second at Scotiabank Arena on Friday.

"I was most nervous, to be honest, about the passing," McDavid said. "I was really nervous about the passing, the sauce into the mini nets, so nervous that I kind of fumbled through the gates there. But I kind of made my way through and knew I was on a pretty good clip and I had some time to spare. I was like, 'Just don't miss,' and thankfully I didn't."

McDavid was the leader all the way through thanks to finishing first in the Fastenal NHL Fastest Skater (13.408 seconds), the Upper Deck NHL Stickhandling (25.755 seconds) and the Cheetos NHL Accuracy Shooting, when went 4-for-4 on the targets in 9.158 seconds.

He earned five points for each win.

McDavid finished out of points contention in the Scotiabank NHL Passing Challenge (ninth out of 11) and the Honda/Hyundai NHL One-on-One (tied for sixth out of eight with three points), which is what set up the Obstacle Course drama.

McDavid, the last of six players to compete in the Obstacle Course, needed to finish in at least second place, besting Auston Matthews' time of 47.271 to win the Skills competition.

He was nearly seven seconds faster.

"It's tough to beat that guy," Makar said. "He was the guy to beat coming in, and yeah, he earned it."

Makar said he knew McDavid was going to beat his time once he stepped on the ice for the Obstacle Course. He thought his only hope was if McDavid got stuck on the mini nets, but that didn't happen.

"If he got stuck there, maybe a shot," Makar said. "He's so silky. He's fun to watch."

The silver lining, Makar said, is that he didn't lose to Colorado Avalanche teammate Nathan MacKinnon, who didn't make it to the Obstacle Course having been eliminated by finishing last in the One-on-One.

"That would be worse if I lost to Nate," Makar said.

McDavid had input in the revamped format for the Skills competition that featured 12 skaters and eight goalies, leading to one overall winner. He spoke with Steve Mayer, the NHL's executive vice president and chief content officer, to give his opinion on what could work.

"I thought it was entertaining," McDavid said. "From a competitive side, it definitely got competitive out there. I was huffing and puffing. Guys were working hard trying to put on a good show, and I feel like we did that and we can feel good about it. Ultimately, it's up to the fans, and I hope they enjoyed it."

McDavid said the most challenging event was the One-on-One against the goalies. He went up against Colorado's Alexandar Georgiev, who held McDavid to just two goals and three points.

"Georgiev had my number," McDavid said. "He was pokechecking. He was mixing things up. He made it tough on me. But that's what he's there to do."

He said the Obstacle Course was his favorite.

"I thought that was cool," McDavid said. "It kind of tied in all the different aspects of the game. I thought it was good. I thought it was entertaining. It was fun to be a part of."

To compete the way he did and win the whole thing in Toronto was extra special for McDavid.

He was born in nearby Richmond Hill and grew up in Newmarket, which is less than an hour north of Toronto. McDavid was a Toronto Maple Leafs fan and vividly remembers attending games at Scotiabank Arena. He said his first game here was his favorite.

"I was just a kid, I don't remember how old, but came down with my dad and just remember being so excited, couldn't believe I was going to an NHL game. Coming into this building and seeing the Leafs, and they were playing the Rangers that night, and I actually predicted the score. That was a 4-1 win for the Leafs. That was a memorable night for me."

So was Friday.

"It means a lot, it means a lot," McDavid said. "Toronto fans have always shown a lot of love to me when I've been in town. It means a lot. Being a local guy growing up watching the Leafs in this building, the building means a lot to me that way. The building means a lot, the fans have always treated me well and it means a lot to hear them cheer."

Next for McDavid is to figure out what he is going to do with the $1 million prize.

"That's a good question, I haven't really put much thought into it," McDavid said. "I know I'm going to have some teammates back home that are going to be very interested in what I'm going to do with it. I'm going to have to try to figure it out. Maybe donate some of it. Some of it to the teammates. We'll see. A lot of good options."