Coyne Schofield 1st woman in skills competition

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Nathan MacKinnon didn’t compete in the NHL All-Stars skills competition Friday because of an undisclosed injury. U.S. women’s national team player Kendall Coyne Schofield replaced MacKinnon in the fastest-skater event, making her the first woman to compete in the skills competition.

Coyne Schofield, 26, was originally slated to attend the event and demonstrate the skills, along with other female players. But when MacKinnon, a Colorado Avalanche center, told the NHL he could not participate, organizers decided to call upon one of the speediest players on the U.S. women’s squad.

Coyne Schofield put up a time of 14.346 seconds as the opening skater Friday night. Edmonton’s Connor McDavid won for the third consecutive year, with a time of 13.378 seconds. Coyne Schofield finished seventh in a field that also included Cam Atkinson, Mat Barzal, Jack Eichel, Miro Heiskanen, Clayton Keller and Elias Pettersson. Coyne Schofield finished ahead of Keller’s 14.526 seconds.

MacKinnon’s status for Saturday night’s All-Star Game is still unclear. However, he is in San Jose participating in the festivities, meaning he will avoid the mandatory one-game suspension for skipping the skills event.