2023 NHL All-Star Weekend extra special for 1st-time participants

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game is over, but for the players who were there, the memories will last a lifetime.

That may be especially true for the 14 players who experienced the NHL All-Star Weekend for the first time.
"It's fun to meet all these people that you have looked up to all of these years," Boston Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark said. "I was most excited to be able to share this with my family. We've been through a lot, and it's been a long journey to this point. It's an accomplishment within itself, but to share this with your loved ones is so special."
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Ullmark, who is in his eighth NHL season, said he was most excited to see "Sid and 'Ovi,'" a response that was echoed by nearly all of the first-time participants who watched veteran forwards Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals compete together as All-Star teammates again for the Metropolitan Division.
Ullmark was one of five goalies in the All-Star Game for the first time, joined by Stuart Skinner of the Edmonton Oilers, Logan Thompson of the Vegas Golden Knights, Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers and Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders.
"Meeting all these people and seeing all these superstars was a lot of fun," Thompson said.

Defenseman Adam Fox, Shesterkin's teammate with the Rangers, may have had the best experience of all the first timers. In addition to sharing a bench with Ovechkin and Crosby, he played on a line with the two NHL superstars in the 3-on-3 tournament Saturday.
"Playing with Sid and Ovi on our team, seeing them doing stuff out there together," Fox said. "It's cool for a younger guy like me to be around that stuff."
Fox, one of seven first timers on the Metropolitan roster, said the whole experience was surreal.
"It's weird to see it on TV, and then you're the one on the bench the guys are coming giving knuckles to after an event," Fox said. "It was cool to see it so up close."
Like Ullmark, it took some time for Winnipeg Jets forward Josh Morrissey to get to an NHL All-Star Game.
"I don't know if it's really set in yet for me, but I just tried to enjoy it," Morrissey said. "It's a cool experience for me being in my seventh year and first [All-Star] game."
Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov may have made the biggest splash among the first timers, winning the NHL Fastest Skater event during the skills competition. Other first-year All-Stars were Philadelphia Flyers forward Kevin Hayes, New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson, Rangers forward Artemi Panarin, Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson, Golden Knights forward Chandler Stephenson and Los Angeles Kings forward Kevin Fiala.
"It's lots of fun. It's great to spend these couple of days with the best players," Svechnikov said. "You don't realize how many players you meet [over] the three days. I'll maybe realize in a week or so."