Russian Colorado Avalanche goaltender Alexander Georgiev was the best in the heads-up competition before the National Hockey League (NHL) All-Star Game held in Toronto and won $100 thousand.
Georgiev made the most saves in all goalkeeper competitions. Players can choose their own goalkeeper and try to score as many goals as possible against him in a minute. Canadian Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid picked off Georgiev, and the Russian managed to make nine saves in 60 seconds.
“What happened? I didn’t want to look like a beer league goalie,” Georgiev said in an on-field interview.
The winner of the eight-skills competition was McDavid, who won $1 million.
Georgiev moved to Colorado ahead of the 2022-23 season and quickly became the team’s main goalkeeper. In December 2023, he surpassed NHL legend Patrick Roy to break Colorado’s record for most wins by a goaltender in a calendar year. The Canadian record has stood since 2000.
former NHL star statedWithout the Russians, the Olympics cannot be considered a tournament of the strongest.