Travis Konecny wrapped up the on-ice festivities to his 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend, the second all-star venture of his NHL career.
Konecny last represented the Philadelphia Flyers (25-19-6) at the 2020 NHL All-Star Weekend. At his first NHL All-Star Weekend in St. Louis, he competed in the fastest-skater competition, placing seventh. This time, he wasn’t featured in a skills competition, but still soaked in the event. Konecny is from London, Ontario, about two hours away from Toronto. He had a lot of family in attendance.
“I enjoyed being here, and knowing there’s a bunch of people in the crowd. As long as they had fun, I was trying to have fun, and just enjoy the whole experience.”
Travis Konecny; 2/3/2024
This season, Konecny tallied 42 points (22G, 20A), setting a career-high for shorthanded goals (5) in 50 games. He hadn’t killed penalties until John Tortorella coached the Flyers. Along with his ability to drive offense and create scoring chances, his flexibility on special teams turned Konecny from a solid player into a star player in Philadelphia.
All-Star Media Availability
Almost immediately, Konecny gave his flowers to Tortorella. He explained what it is about Tortorella that helps unlock more from his roster:
“Each player has their own way of learning, their own way of breaking into the player’s habits, and getting them to follow the same path. Not necessarily every player has to do the same thing, but, he [Tortorella] gets everyone on the same structure, the same path, and then allows us to be ourselves within that. I think he does a good job of doing that with everybody. He has his own way with each player, and he’s done a great job with that.”
Travis Konecny; 2/1/2024
Acknowledging how effective of a penalty killer Konecny has been since Tortorella arrived is one example of how he found a way to stretch more from the Flyers’ leading scorer from 2022-2023:
“I’ve never penalty killed before I got the opportunity here. I like it because if I’m not in a game; sometimes the powerplay is not going, five-on-five is not going, I think a penalty kill is a good way to get yourself into it and feel like you’re contributing. I also have a lot of fun, me and Laughty [Laughton] doing it together.”
Travis Konecny; 2/1/2024
But again, the NHL All-Star Break is supposed to be a reset. It’s not all about hockey. This is entertainment. Konecny wants the Kansas City Chiefs to beat the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl but says that he is not a ‘Swiftie.’ He is on the right side of Philadelphia because it’s easier to root for the Kelce’s and Andy Reid before anything about the 49ers.
Additionally, Konecny did choose the winner of the skills competition correctly. The obvious choice seemed to be Connor McDavid. Not only did he revive the NHL Skills Competition, but he won.
He might not predict everything. An interesting question involved Jaromir Jagr, who formerly spent 2011-2012 in Philadelphia. Konecny was asked when Jagr, 51, would retire from hockey. After a thoughtful answer, Konecny said 2028, which pushes Jagr to 55 years old with the Kladno Knights.
Team MacKinnon vs. Team McDavid
Team MacKinnon did not lack firepower.
Nate MacKinnon and Tate McRae selected a team that led Team McDavid throughout 19:00 of the first three-on-three game of the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend. Unfortunately for Team MacKinnon, that last minute meant a two-goal lead disappeared due to David Pastrnak and McDavid.
In a shootout, the first since the NHL All-Star Weekend went to a three-on-three format, McDavid and Pastnrak secured the win to advance to the championship game. Konecny did notch an assist, pushing the pace while on the ice, leading to a goal from Oliver Bjorkstrand. The shootout loss to Team McDavid meant a short stint of on-ice festivities for Konecny at the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend.
“We [Lindholm and Bjorkstrand] had a lot of fun with it. We found out right when we got to the bench that we all were going to be playing together. We sat close to each other in the room.”
Travis Konecny; 2/3/2024
(Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
