Metropolitan Division Triumphs Over Central Division at 2019 NHL All-Star Game

The 2019 NHL All-Star Game had no shortage of goals.

After sitting out of the skills competition on Friday, Sidney Crosby looked like he was feeling just fine at the NHL All-Star Game in San Jose.

The game was divided into three-on-three matchups between the league's four divisions. The Metropolitan Division won the $1 million prize over the Central Division with a 10–5 victory in the final. Crosby, who scored twice against the Atlantic Division and twice more in the final, was named MVP of the tournament.

Before getting hammered in the final, the Central Division unleashed an avalanche of its own in a 10–4 win over the Pacific, with a hat trick from Colorado's Gabriel Landeskog and two goals from Mikko Rantanen. Landeskog scored an additional goal against the Metro to tally four on the day.

Though its appearance was short-lived, the Pacific Division had its shining moments, including a few goals from hometown favorites Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns, as well as some…interesting moves from Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

The Metro Division beat the Atlantic Division in the closest matchup of the day, which ended 7–4 and featured one of the more impressive goals of the night when Steve Stamkos crashed the net and got the puck past Henrik Lundqvist. 

During the broadcast, fans were given a few ref cam views, as well as a taste of the puck and player tracking that will be implemented next season, which had a hint of Glow Puck to it.

The NHL also recognized women’s hockey stars Brianna Decker, Kendall Coyne, Renata Fast and Rebecca Johnson during the game, and announced it would donate $25,000 in each player's name to charities of their choice. The move was likely a response to hockey fans getting #PayDecker trending on Twitter when she demonstrated the Premier Passing event three seconds faster than any of the NHL participants. Fast and Johnson also demonstrated skills events on Friday, while Coyne participated in Fastest Skater, making her the first woman to ever compete in the NHL All-Star skills competition.