Wild Makes Skills Competition About Family

LOS ANGELES --Amongst the glitz and glam of Hollywood, the NHL hosted the 2017 All-Star Skills Competition at Staples Center with the League's best.

The Wild was well represented with defenseman Ryan Suter and goaltender Devan Dubnyk participating as head coach Bruce Boudreau looked on from the bench. But what really made the night special for the trio were the friends and family they brought with them.
Before the Skills Competition began, Suter brought his son Brooks and nephew Jut to the locker room.

Boudreau's son, Brady, joined him on the bench to watch Dubnyk and Suter compete in the Skills Challenge Relay event. Suter hit a few posts, but finally knocked one into the net.

The goalies were out of their element a bit: instead of trying to stop pucks, they were tasked with attempting to score "goalie goals." Luckily for the Central, Dubnyk tossed one down the ice past the goal line.

After a tough first event, Brooks Suter gave his dad a pep talk.
"He goes, 'Ahhh, sorry dad,'" Suter said. "But then the second one, he was all jacked up for that one."

Meanwhile, Nate Dubnyk joined his dad on the ice. But the real highlight for the Dubnyks was when Nordy and Nate reunited after a year.

Nordy just had to go see his buddy for a fist bump on the bench.

When it came time to represent the Central, Dubnyk put his game face back on.
"He was loving it out there," Dubnyk said of his son. "He didn't want to leave, either. It was still kind of tight and I had to put him down. I said, 'Nate, I might have to go play and I need to stretch, so you've got to get out of here.'"

Never fear: it sounds like Nate may have a future in the sport and develop his own game face.
"He told me yesterday he's going to be a hockey player, and a pilot and a captain of a boat and a teacher," Dubnyk said. "So the hockey player was in there, 25 percent chance that he wants to be a hockey player."
Dubnyk, Suter, Boudreau and the rest of the Central Division All-Stars will take on the Pacific Division in Game 1 of the NHL All-Star Game tomorrow beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT.
The Atlantic Division -- winner of tonight's Skills Competition -- will face the Metropolitan Division in game two. The winning teams from each match-up will then compete in a final 20-minute, 3-on-3 game for a prize pot of $1 million.