ALL-STAR: Oilers soaking in South Florida experience

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - Sun's out, big guns out.
With the breeze of the Atlantic Ocean at their backs, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Stuart Skinner sat down and spoke to the media on Thursday about their South Florida NHL All-Star Weekend experiences.
For Skinner, who came into the season not even expecting to be a number-one goaltender, nevermind an All-Star, he'll be soaking in more than just the sun this weekend.
"Yeah, it's been great. I just got here yesterday and enjoyed just looking at the ocean and got a nice ocean view," Skinner said. "I just hung out and got to meet a few guys today, which has been great, and yeah, just loving the Florida weather."
Skinner currently finds himself mingling with some of the best goaltenders in the game like Vezina Trophy winners Connor Hellebuyck, Igor Shesterkin, and Andrei Vasilevskiy. It's just another feather in the cap for the Edmonton product, who also signed a new three-year NHL contract and witnessed the birth of this son Beau within the last month and a half.
"It's amazing. I'm very happy, very proud for Stuey," Draisaitl said. "He's worked his bleep off for a lot of years now. I think it's very exciting for him and for his family. Obviously a very special week or month with the birth of his child as well. Very happy for him."

"It's been a lot of growing experiences this year, and being able to kind of go through the season and getting the chance to be an all-star is a very gratifying moment," Skinner added.
One common theme among the rest of the NHLers in attendance for the media event was the glowing reviews of Connor McDavid's performance this season. The Oilers captain leads the league with 92 points (41G, 51A) in the first 50 games of the campaign and is on pace for numbers not seen in the League since the early 1990s. McDavid's reputation as a human highlight reel was certainly a talking point in South Florida.
"To hear that, it means a lot," McDavid said about the respect of his peers. "These are the best of the best in the game. Another All-Star game with everybody is always special, but to hear guys say that, it means a lot."

Sunrise, Florida and FLA Live Arena is the site of the 2023 NHL All-Star Weekend, but it was the beginning of what will surely go down as a Hall of Fame career for McDavid. The 26-year-old was drafted first overall back in 2015 at the NHL Draft hosted in the same location.
"I guess it's full circle eight years later. I still remember my draft day," McDavid said. "We actually rented Sea-Doos and were kind of bombing around there, bombing around out there with my family."
Joining McDavid in South Florida is his long-time right-hand man in Leon Draisaitl. Leon is only attending the second NHL All-Star Weekend of his career, but it's even more special to be doing it with his close friend in Connor.
"Yeah, it's special of course. We've kind of been through the same path and have been going through the same stuff daily for almost eight years now, so it's great to have someone by your side that's kind of feeling and going through the same things," Draisaitl said. "I've learned a lot from him, so yeah, it's very special and I'm very lucky that I have him by my side."

The Dynamic Duo, who are all business on the ice, arrived in Florida with a little party in the back so to speak. The typically quiet and reserved Draisaitl and McDavid both showed up the event rocking matching mullets.
The creative coif was the result of the Oilers recent successes. Edmonton hasn't lost a game in regulation since Jan. 9, but it did cost McDavid a little off the top and sides.
"Mine is kind of an accident. I didn't really want one, but yeah, I think it looks good," Draisaitl said about his mullet. "I don't know (about Connor), but his was actually a bet with one of our teammates, so I love it to be honest. I think he looks great."
"I think [the bet was with] Dylan Holloway," Draisaitl continued. "Connor bet Dylan that if we win six or seven games in a row, he'll do a mullet and he did."
If the Oilers continue their winning ways once they All-Star break ends, we could end up seeing even more mullets around Rogers Place.