Should Matthew Tkachuk be named NHL First Star of the Week for his All-Star Game performance?

The 2023 National Hockey League All-Star Game took place on Saturday afternoon from Sunrise, Florida, with the Atlantic Division defeating the Central Division 7-5 in the final after beating the Metropolitan Division 10-6 in the semifinals. In the two 20-minute mini-games, Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers had four goals and three assists for seven points. As a result, Tkachuk was named the NHL All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, becoming the fourth American to accomplish the feat. Tkachuk followed New York Rangers goaltender Mike Richter of Abington, Pennsylvania (1994), Boston Bruins right winger Bill Guerin of Worcester, Massachusetts (2001), and Vancouver Canucks right winger Brock Boeser of Burnsville, Minnesota (2018). Tkachuk also became the second Florida Panthers player in franchise history to be named the NHL All-Star Game MVP. He followed Pavel Bure of Moscow, Russia, who was honoured in 2000.

Controversy in further honours

There is no problem in naming a NHL All-Star Game MVP. Leave it at that. By naming Tkachuk, Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings (five goals and one assist in the NHL All-Star Game) and Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs (six assists in the NHL All-Star Game) as the NHL three stars of the week, the NHL is putting priority on this three-on-three exhibition contest over the seven very meaningful games played to begin the week from January 30 to February 1. In these three days of NHL regular season action, Viersen, Germany native Tim Stutzle of the Ottawa Senators had four points in one game, as the Senators beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-4. Stutzle had two goals and two assists. Meanwhile, Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta of Rauma, Finland made 29 saves on 30 shots as the Hurricanes defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-1.

The NHL resumes on Monday night with six games on the slate. Toronto meanwhile has been named the host city of the 2024 NHL All-Star Game.