LAS VEGAS — The home bench inside T-Mobile Arena on Friday night was a smorgasbord of some of the NHL's best players.
San Jose's Timo Meier sat between Edmonton's Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, while Central Division rivals Jordan Kyrou (St. Louis), Nazem Kadri (Colorado) and Roman Josi (Nashville) were huddled together.
And then there were 5-year-old twins Sloane and Landon, their heads barely peeking above the dasher boards.
"I was just kind of watching them the whole time," their dad and Wild goaltender Cam Talbot said. "I think I missed half the events because I was just looking back and forth to see how they were doing. It's just so much fun to share with them."
By taking the ice in Las Vegas this weekend, Talbot became just the sixth goalie in NHL history to appear in the All-Star Game for the first time at age 34 or older.
That this recognition is coming now when he's a veteran is indicative of Talbot's commitment to his craft and the success he's had since assuming the mantle as the Wild's No. 1 netminder.
"I never thought it would happen at this point in my career," Talbot said of the All-Star nod. "It's humbling, but I feel like it's a testament to my dedication [and] my perseverance. I think that's how I got here. That's how I still approach every single day. It's always an honor to be in the NHL, and I don't take a day for granted."
After posting his first shutout of the season, a 30-save showing in a 5-0 rout of the Blackhawks on Wednesday, Talbot flew back to Minneapolis and then was on another plane just a few hours later to Las Vegas — staying awake for a total of approximately 40 hours.
He showed no fatigue on the ice, though, with none of the five players he faced scoring against him in the save streak challenge.
"Three of them missed the net," Talbot said. "I don't know how much I really did."
Talbot and fellow Central Division goalie Juuse Saros of Nashville, however, didn't win the event; the Atlantic Division goalies (Toronto's Jack Campbell and Tampa Bay Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy) won with nine consecutive saves.
This airtight performance from Talbot was an appropriate encore to his play the past few months, which included a career-best wins for the first half of a season.
Overall, he's 18-8-1 with a 2.81 goals-against average and .913 save percentage.
But this steadiness has been the norm for Talbot since his arrival before last season when General Manager Bill Guerin signed him to a three-year, $11 million contract to replace Devan Dubnyk as the Wild's starter, a move that came on the heels of Talbot revitalizing his career with Calgary after previously being a No. 1 with Edmonton before the Oilers traded him.
"I can't thank Billy and the Wild enough to come calling and give me another opportunity to be a starting goalie," Talbot said. "They believe in me, put me in there night in, night out. When your team and coaches have confidence in you like that, that makes you feel that much better about yourself and your game and you want to out there and do your best for them."
Skills on display
Kyrou was the fastest skater at 13.55 seconds, Columbus' Zach Werenski won the faceoff on the Bellagio Fountains in which players had to shoot pucks at targets, and Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman registered the hardest shot at 103.2 mph.
Vegas' Alex Pietrangelo claimed the breakaway challenge, Dallas' Joe Pavelski was crowned "Puck Shark" in the street hockey event on Las Vegas Boulevard and Carolina's Sebastian Aho was best in accuracy shooting.
In the breakaway challenge, actor Wyatt Russell was one of the goalies. Not only is Russell the son of actor Kurt Russell and actress Goldie Hawn, but he's also a former teammate of Talbot's with the University of Alabama-Huntsville.
"So much life has happened between now and the last time we played together," Russell said. "He has a wife and kids, and I've got a kid and wife. Our careers have gone different ways, and it's just so cool, so exciting to watch."
Around the NHL
• The Bruins will play in the 2023 Winter Classic at Fenway Park, the Hurricanes have a 2023 Stadium Series game set for Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh and the Panthers will host next year's All-Star Game in Florida.
• Commissioner Gary Bettman said the NHL could move this summer's draft out of Montreal if COVID-19 restrictions remain in place. The Canadiens are currently playing without fans in attendance.
• The NHL is also hoping to resurrect the World Cup of Hockey, potentially ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, and the league's Global Series will return next season with action in Switzerland, Germany, Finland and the Czech Republic.
