Pastrnak Channels 'Happy Gilmore' at Skills Competition

SUNRISE, Fla. - David Pastrnak didn't think much about it.
When presented with his options for the Breakaway Challenge at Friday night's NHL All-Star Skills Competition at FLA Live Arena, the Bruins' winger knew there was an easy choice.
"That was kind of a quick idea," said Pastrnak. "The All-Star happens quick and obviously 'Happy Gilmore' is rocking the Boston Bruins jersey, so it was an easy choice."

Pastrnak became one of the event's highlights when he emerged from the bench donning a No. 18 'Gilmore' sweater and immediately adopted the classic character's mannerisms, before stepping up to a puck in the neutral zone for a patented 'Happy' golf swing slap shot that missed well wide of the net.
He then - with help from caddie Linus Ullmark - tried a golf putter but again missed wide. It was then that he moved up closer to the crease and yanked out a hockey stick putter and gave it a little 'tappy tap tap taparoo' to put it home.
Pastrnak, who celebrated in classic 'Happy Gilmore' fashion with the stick between his legs rodeo-style, was awarded 38 out of a possible 40 points by the judges, which ranked second to Alex Ovechkin - his son Sergei - and Sidney Crosby, who earned a perfect score.
"I'm happy I didn't [win]," said Pastrnak. "It's awesome that Ovi can bring his kid here - and the rivalry with Sid and Ovi is unbelievable. I'm happy they came up for that. You don't see that very often with Washington and Pittsburgh, so it was awesome."

Ullmark, who played a small part in the skit, was happy to help out his fellow All-Star.
"An hour before," he said after being asked when he found out about the skit. "I had no idea…they started talking about it. They got the props for the caddie and they asked if I wanted to join and do that. I'm like, 'Yeah why not? I have nothing else to do'…that was great fun. I enjoyed that more than the actual shooting."
The Boston netminder finished third out of four in the Tendy Tandem event, during which he was paired with fellow Atlantic Division All-Star and Tampa Bay netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy. Ullmark hit the net twice in his five goalie goal attempts, but did not hit the jackpot target and finished with four points.
"It's entertainment, that's what it is. You have to enjoy it," said Ullmark, who ripped a slapshot on his last attempt. "I didn't hit the first four, so I just went for a clapper. I think I should've taken the puck on the other side of the net and taken a clapper from there, it's a better angle.
"Actually, [New York Rangers goalie] Igor [Shesterkin] told me to do that. I didn't do that. I should've. It's tough as well. You go out there, you're a little cold, you haven't really warmed up and then you try to rip one down there. I managed to hit the net twice which is good."

Ullmark, who was taking part in his first All-Star Skills Competition, was thrilled to share a dressing room with so many of the NHL's top players, as well as some legends of the game, including former Florida Panthers netminder and Hall of Famer Roberto Luongo, who sat in the stall next to him.
"Just meeting everybody else that you look up to throughout the years," Ullmark said when asked for his highlight of the night. "You've got Hall of Famers, Hall of Fame right here sitting next to me which for me is really cool. We have future Hall of Famers in Ovi, Sid…future stars in [Rasmus] Dahlin, [Jack] Hughes, and present starts with Pasta, [Mitch] Marner, [Matthew] Tkachuk. It's cool to be around them and have conversations that you normally wouldn't have."
Pastrnak, meanwhile, was taking part in his third All-Star weekend after previous appearances in 2019 (San Jose) and 2020 (St. Louis).
"Highlight for me was the red carpet," said Pastrnak, who donned a white suit with blue wavy patches, a white T-shirt, black necklace, and white sneakers. "It was a great set up right on the beach. Fans were waiting. Huge credit to them, it was very warm out there today. Hopefully we satisfied them, signed some signatures. It was a beautiful set up, I was impressed."