Alexandar Georgiev’s booked a trip to Mexico during the All-Star break, but fans said otherwise. Rather than tacos, it would be poutine for the netminder in Toronto to compete in his first All-Star Game. Georgiev leads the league in wins with 27; however, without a strong backup goalie, he also has the most starts with 41 and has faced criticism for his 116 goals allowed, which is the most in the league. The Avs have allowed the most goals but scored the most with 153. He is only the second Avs goalie to make an All-Star appearance, aside from Roy
Nathan MacKinnon was among the elite players that were pre-selected for the All-Star Game in his seventh appearance, being named an All-Star every year since 2016, and fans selected Makar for his third time, making him and Georgiev the 2/12 players that were picked by popular vote.
The skills competition, featuring 12 players and eight events with a grand prize of $1 million, is held the evening before the game itself. Makar promised $100,000 to each of his fellow defensive linemen if he were to win. However, much to Byram and Toews’ disappointment, Makar came in second to the famed Oiler’s captian, Connor McDavid. Makar won the hardest shot at 102.3 mph, and MacKinnon won the one-timer shot challenge, as well as scoring two goals in the All-Star Game on Saturday.
However, the big winner for the Avs went to Georgiev, who won the one-on-one challenge, where one player has 60 seconds to score as many goals as possible against one goaltender. Georgiev saved 9/11 shots, only allowing his opponent Connor McDavid two goals and winning $100,000. “Georgiev had my number. He was poke-checking, and he was mixing things up. He made it tough for me. He definitely deserved it,” McDavid said. For Alexandar, “I love going against Connor. He’s incredible.” He beat out Florida Panthers Bobrovsky, who allowed two goals by MacKinnon but fewer saves with eight. When asked about his performance, Georgiev said he thought he’d give some of his winnings to his family and maybe his teammates, but he mainly “tried not to look like a beer league goalie.”
At 27, Georgiev spent his first five years in the NHL with the New York Rangers, never receiving the role of starting tender and was overshadowed by fellow goalie Igor Shesterkin. He’s gotten his chance with the Avs, and despite his league-leading record, he still faces criticism, so being named an All-Star along with his former teammate is a huge achievement.
After nearly ten days off, the Avs are now on the longest road trip of the year. On Monday, they faced off against Georgiev’s former club, where Shesterkin, who has won 19 games, didn’t get the start against his former backup. Despite a 2-1 overtime loss, Georgiev's outstanding performance demonstrates that the soft-spoken goalie is not a beer league tendie but can compete at an elite level. He has $100k to prove it, and his next trip to Mexico deserves an upgrade.