All-Star Weekend all about family for Keith Yandle

For Keith Yandle, the NHL All-Star Weekend was all about family.
Whether it was during the skills competition or the game itself, the Florida Panthers defenseman couldn't help but keep peeking up from the ice into the stands, searching for the suite he'd locked down to accommodate the large amount of family members that came with him to San Jose.

And although Yandle and the Atlantic Division missed a shot at the $1 million grand prize after getting bounced from the All-Star Game tournament at SAP Center on Saturday night with a 7-4 loss to the Metropolitan Division, the 32-year-old couldn't keep a smile off his face afterwards.
"Looking up in the crowd and seeing my family up there -- the wife and kids and some of my relatives -- it was a lot of fun to see how happy they are," said Yandle, who had 19 members of his family in attendance. "My nephew yesterday said to my sister, 'This is something I'm never going to forget.' That's what you do it for. It's great to hear."
Participating in the third All-Star Weekend of his career, Yandle said after getting the nod that he was going to make a concerted effort to ditch the shyness that had plagued him in his first two trips back in 2011 and 2012. And, well, it's safe to say he certainly accomplished that goal.
As the NHL's unofficial on-ice reporter throughout the weekend, Yandle, armed with a gift of gab and a patented deadpan delivery, kept the laughs coming both on the bench and on social media throughout the skills competition on Friday while interviewing many of his fellow all-stars.

In the end, Yandle said he even made a few new friends.
"Got some phone numbers," Yandle said. "I feel like a little kid. I guess most guys nowadays get Instagram names or whatever, but I got a couple numbers and definitely made some friends."
When he wasn't filming, Yandle spent part of his Friday night competing in the Enterprise NHL Premier Passer portion of the skills competition. In the eight-man event, players had to work their way through three very difficult stages: breakout passes, mini nets and target passing. As usual, the event was filled with ample amounts of both frustration and fun, with Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl winning with a time of 69.088 seconds. Yandle, meanwhile, came in fourth at 1:34.611, beating out the likes of Nashville's Roman Josi (1:47.128) and San Jose's Erik Karlsson (1:58.824).
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"It was a lot of fun," Yandle said of the skills competition. "It was nerve-wracking at times. Before you go, you're waiting in anticipation. Seeing guys do what they do, it was a lot of fun to be a part of… All in all it was a great experience and a lot of fun to be a part of.
"I think I get spoiled by passing to guys like Barky [Aleksander Barkov] and Troch [Vincent Trocheck] and those guys. You've just got to kind of put it near them and they catch it instead of a standstill target. Passing to those guys in Florida is a lot easier than putting it into a little net."
After being eliminated from the All-Star Game tournament, Yandle watched as the Metropolitan Division won the final round, beating the Central Division 10-5 behind a big five-point game from Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who was named the game's most valuable player.
"He's a great ambassador for the game," Yandle said of Crosby. "He brings a lot for everyone."
Florida's leader in assists (31) and points (37) this season, Yandle will now have a few days off with his extended family before returning to the ice to help the Panthers get back in the playoff picture and gain ground in the Eastern Conference standings during the season's second half.
And, just like he did all weekend long, Yandle plans to have a smile on his face throughout.
"The thing I take away from this is you see how much fun every guy has," Yandle said. "At the end of the day, we're playing a game here. The main goal is to obviously win the Stanley Cup, but you've always got to have fun, have a smile on your face and enjoy every minute of it."