Makar Selected to Second-Straight NHL All-Star Game

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar was named to the Central Division roster for the 2023 NHL All-Star Game, it was announced by the league this evening. He will make his second straight All-Star Game appearance when the 2023 Honda NHL® All-Star Weekend is held Feb. 3-4 at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida. The 2023 NHL All-Star Skills™ presented by DraftKings Sportsbook will take place on Friday, Feb. 3, followed by the 2023 Honda NHL® All-Star Game on Saturday, Feb. 4.

Under a new format, the NHL department of hockey operations selected one player per NHL team in each division (including one goalie), making up the initial eight-man rosters for each division. The three remaining players per division (two skaters, one goalie), will be selected as part of the 2023 Honda All-Star Fan Vote presented by Guaranteed Rate, which will begin at 9 p.m. ET tonight and run through Jan. 17.
Makar, 24, is just the third defenseman in franchise history to be named to the NHL All-Star Game in consecutive seasons, joining Sandis Ozolinsh (1996-97 and 1997-98) and Rob Blake (three straight, 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04).
Makar ranks fifth among NHL defensemen in scoring this season with 34 points (9g/25a) in 36 games. He is tied for fourth among defenders in goals, ranks sixth in assists and third in power-play goals (4-tied). The Calgary, Alberta, native leads the entire NHL in ice time, averaging 27:09 per game. Makar recorded his 200th career point on Nov. 21 in Dallas, reaching the milestone faster than any defenseman in NHL history (195th game). He appeared in his 200th career NHL game on Dec. 3 at Boston, with his 203 career points at the time the most ever by a defender through 200 contests.
Makar, Bobby Orr and Brian Leetch are the only players in NHL history to have won the Calder Memorial Trophy (rookie of the year), the James Norris Memorial Trophy (top defenseman) and Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP). Cale has been named to the NHL's First All-Star Team in each of the last two seasons, joining Rob Blake (2000-01 and 2001-02) as the only defensemen in franchise history to be selected to the postseason NHL All-Star Team in back-to-back campaigns. Makar has 214 career points (57g/157a) in 214 NHL games, the most ever by a defenseman through 214 contests, and is and one of only three blueliners in history to average a point-per-game (min 200 GP). Orr (1.39) and Paul Coffey (1.09) are the others.
Makar has scored 12 career game-winning goals (18 including playoffs), the most of any NHL defenseman since the start of the 2019-20 campaign. In fact, it's the most game winners by a blueliner in his first 214 NHL contests since World War II. Only one rearguard in history has had that many game-winning markers in his first four NHL seasons, Dion Phaneuf (19 from 2005-06 to 2007-08).
Makar has added 60 points (15g/45a) in 55 career playoff games, the second-best points/game average (1.09) by a defenseman in Stanley Cup Playoff history behind Orr (1.24). Cale was the third-fastest blueliner to reach the 60-point playoff mark (54 games), trailing only Orr (46) and Brian Leetch (49).
Makar won the 2021-22 Norris Trophy, becoming the first player in franchise history to be named the league's top defenseman. The 23-year-old led all blueliners in goals (28) and finished second in points (86), setting single season franchise records for a defenseman in both categories. Makar became the first defenseman with 25+ goals and 55+ assists in a season since Al MacInnis in 1990-91 with the Flames. He tied for first among NHL blueliners with six game-winning goals and matched the single-season franchise record with three overtime goals. Cale was just the third defenseman in NHL history to reach at least 25 goals, 55 assists, nine power-play goals, six game-winning goals and a +45 rating or better in a season, joining Denis Potvin in 1977-78 and Coffey in 1984-85.
Five days after winning the Norris Trophy, Makar was the recipient of the 2022 Conn Smythe as playoff MVP. At 23 years, 239 days, he became the youngest defenseman in 52 years to win the Conn Smythe and just the third overall to do so at age 23 or younger, joining Orr with the 1970 Bruins (22 years, 51 days) and Serge Savard with the 1969 Canadiens (23 years, 102 days). Cale became the third player to win both the Norris and Conn Smythe in the same season, following Orr in 1970 and Nicklas Lidstrom in 2002. Makar led the Avalanche and all NHL defensemen with 29 points (8g/21a) in 20 games, the fourth-highest total by a defenseman in Stanley Cup Playoff history behind Coffey (37) with the 1985 Oilers, Leetch (34) with the 1994 Rangers and MacInnis (31) with the 1989 Flames.
In 2020-21, Makar was a finalist for the Norris Trophy and was named to the NHL First All-Star Team. Only four other defensemen in the last 50 years have made the NHL First All-Star Team before their 23rd birthday (as of the end of the regular season): Erik Karlsson (21 years old in 2011-12), Phaneuf (22 in 2007-08), Ray Bourque (19 in 1979-80 and 21 in 1981-82) and Potvin (21 in 1974-75 and 22 in 1975-76).
Makar won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2019-20, becoming the first defenseman in Avalanche/Nordiques history to be named the league's rookie of the year. He was just the 12th defenseman in NHL history to win the Calder Memorial Trophy and only the second in the last 10 seasons, joining Aaron Ekblad in 2014-15.
Selected by Colorado in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft, Makar spent two seasons at the University of Massachusetts, where as a sophomore in 2018-19 he became the first player in school history to win the Hobey Baker Award. Seventy-two hours after winning the Hobey Baker and 48 hours after playing in the NCAA title game, Makar scored his first NHL goal on his first shot in the opening period of Colorado's Game 3 victory against Calgary in Round 1 on April 15, 2019. He became the first defenseman in history to score his first career goal while making his NHL debut in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Internationally, Makar helped Team Canada win the gold medal at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo. The highest-drafted defenseman in Avalanche history, Makar was named the 2016-17 Canadian Junior Hockey League's Most Valuable Player and Alberta Junior Hockey League MVP in his final season with the Brooks Bandits.