NHL veteran declines invitation for All-Star skills competition

Earlier this week in his 32 Thoughts article, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman mentioned that he thinks the NHL was planning on inviting New York Islanders defenceman Zdeno Chara to the All-Star Skills Competition to participate in the hardest shot.

"I think Zdeno Chara goes to All-Star. Not sure he's going to play, but compete in hardest shot and be around. Hope that's right, would be great," Friedman said on Tuesday.

Now according to Jeff Marek, Chara has turned down the NHL's offer and won't be in Vegas next weekend where he could have won a sixth hardest shot title.

"One final note, the NHL was very much hoping that Zdeno Chara would be available for the Skills Competition. They wanted him in the hardest shot, I think we all want to see Chara in the hardest shot again and maybe play an ambassadorial role at the All-Star Skills. The future Hall-of-Famer politely declined. No Chara in Vegas next weekend," Marek said on Hockey Night in Canada.

The Trencin, Slovakia native has won the NHL's hardest shot competition a total of five times, most recently in 2012 when it was hosted in Ottawa, Ontario. At the 2012 All-Star skills competition, Chara set the NHL record for hardest shot at 108.8 mph (175.1 km/h).

32 Thoughts, HNIC version: Canucks/Mrazek/Mack Guzda/Manson/Ducks GM, Verbeek/Owen Tippett/No Chara at All-Star 😢 -- https://t.co/PkGH3zs4qe— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 30, 2022

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