All-Star Weekend alumni game has unlikely hat trick, Luongo at forward

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -- For Peter Worrell, the Coral Springs Hockey Festival and Alumni Game can be summarized in one word.

Fun.
"For guys I played with, guys I played against, guys that I got to watch after I retired, it was a lot of fun to be out there," said Worrell, a forward who played six of his seven NHL seasons for the Florida Panthers from 1997 to 2003. "I thought the pace was pretty good. I'm just happy I made it through the whole game, to be honest."
The fun was a setup for
2023 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend
that continues with the 2023 NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Friday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS). The Pacific Division will play the Central Division in the first All-Star Game semifinal, followed by the Atlantic Division facing the Metropolitan Division, on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, CBC, SN, TVAS).
RELATED: [2023 NHL All-Star Game coverage]
Worrell had his fun with a hat trick that helped Panthers alumni defeat NHL alumni 15-10 at Panthers IceDen on Wednesday, this coming from a forward who during his NHL career scored 19 goals in 391 games for Florida and the Colorado Avalanche. The game also featured Pierre Turgeon showing off the deft scoring touch that led him to 515 NHL goals and Hockey Hall of Fame goalie Roberto Luongo successfully winning a face-off against Patrick Marleau.
"Last hat trick was probably my first year as a pro (with New Haven of the American Hockey League in 1997-98) against Jose Theodore," Worrell said. "This was a little bit different, but just as fun."
As is often tradition with alumni games, there was plenty of open ice and enjoyable moments. Luongo successfully challenged Marleau at center ice and got a chance to show off his playmaking skills on a few rushes playing forward.

"I was trying to sauce a few passes to the guys," Luongo said. "Unfortunately my legs were not working. I love being part of these types of events and hopefully we'll have a lot more in the future. Maybe I'll go in net for the next one. We'll see."
Luongo will participate in the NHL All-Star Skills competition. He wasn't ready to reveal his role, but confirmed he'll be wearing goalie pads for the first time in four years.
"They asked me if I was interested and I don't know why I said yes," Luongo said. "I went on the ice yesterday for the first time and I still feel it in my legs, but it was fun to have the gear back on. After four years off I felt a lot better than I thought I would, so I'm really looking forward to Friday."
The alumni game was the main attraction at the Coral Springs Hockey Festival, an outdoor event that featured games, live music and an opportunity to take a picture with the Stanley Cup. All proceeds from the festival and ticket sales from the alumni game benefitted the Florida Panthers Foundation.
"This is a great thing for the community, I loved playing here and (for the Tampa Bay Lightning)," said former NHL forward Brian Boyle. "My wife is from here, so we spend a lot of time down here. The fans, the crowd, they are all more and more enthusiastic every year. They have great teams to root for. It's a fantastic time to come down here and be part of this."