'A bit surreal': Saskatoon's Emily Clark showcases at NHL all-star skills competition

Saskatoon’s Emily Clark was one of five of the top women’s hockey players to take part in the NHL all-star game skills competition this past weekend in Florida.

“Just being on that stage, that much visibility, and being amongst the best players in the world — it's just a bit surreal,” the 27-year-old said.

Clark says she found out in December that she would be involved in the all-star festivities along with Canadians Sarah Nurse and Rebecca Johnston and American players Hilary Knight and Alex Carpenter.

During Friday night’s skills competition Clark was involved in the Tendy Tandem event, where she and Winnipeg Jets defender Josh Morrissey and Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov faced off against Las Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Logan Thompson.

Clark says she settled in after admittedly being a little nervous to start.

“As soon as you're on the ice, honestly all my nerves like left and went out the window and it was just, you're just playing hockey at that point,” she said.

One highlight for Clark was on a three-person rush with Kaprizov and Morrissey.

“Poor Kaprizov didn’t get to touch the puck, it was just me and Morrissey,” she said. “He was just a decoy.”

Clark took the shot, beating Thompson but ringing it off the post.

“Even just to get on the ice and take a shot against an NHL goalie and have it beat the goalie but not beat the net. That was fun too.”

She says moments like sitting on the bench next to superstar Alex Ovechkin and being able to have a chat with he and his son was one of the highlights, but it was another of the game’s elite that left the biggest impression.

“Probably one of my most favorite conversations that I had with any of the players honestly was Connor McDavid,” she said.

Clark says McDavid introduced himself to her and asked questions about the professional women’s hockey players association as well as the upcoming rivalry series between Canada and the United States.

“To have that mutual respect and knowledge of our game come from one of the best players in the world, if not the best player in the world, I was really impressed by him and really appreciated that kind of respect coming from a player like that.”

The next games in the Canada-United States rivalry series will be played on Monday, Feb. 20 and Wednesday, Feb. 22.

Off the ice, Clark was given the opportunity to walk her first red carpet.

“Sherwood, which is my equipment sponsor, just hired fashion director Kesha Mcleod, and she's a celebrity stylist,” she said.

Clark and fellow Canadians Sarah Nurse and Rebecca Johnston after the red carpet event.

“She styles people like Serena Williams and James Harden and the list goes on. Her involvement with Sherwood is really cool to begin with, and then to get the chance to have her style me and work with me made me feel like a bit of a movie star.”

Clark says she hopes that viewership of the talent and skill of women in the game can be an inspiration.

“I remember growing up wanting to be the first girl in the NHL because that's all I ever saw on TV growing up,” she said.

“Young kids at home, whether it's young girls or boys, seeing us on the same screen and on the same ice surface as the best men in the world, I think that the impact can be unmeasurable.”