SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon was named the captain of the Central Division for NHL All-Star Weekend but couldn't compete in Friday's skills competition because of a bruised foot. So on Friday, his team sent out a tweet offering a suggestion. "Nate's here in San Jose for #NHLAllStar, but has someone else in mind to compete for Fastest Skater," the Avs said in the tweet. "@KendallCoyne, what do you think!?" Kendall Coyne Schofield's response? "My first impression was like, I can do this," she said. A 5-foot-2 forward and gold medalist for the U.S. women's national team, Coyne Schofield, 26, became the first woman to compete in the NHL All-Star skills competition. In the fastest skater event, she posted a time of 14.346, which placed seventh out of a field that also included Connor McDavid, Cam Atkinson, Mathew Barzal, Jack Eichel, Miro Heiskanen, Clayton Keller and Elias Pettersson. Coyne Schofield finished ahead of Keller's 14.526 seconds. McDavid won in 13.378, his third straight title in the event. "Obviously I was a little nervous," Coyne Schofield said afterward. "But I knew it was a moment that was going to break a lot of barriers and a moment that would change the perception of our game." Coyne Schofield, who plays for the NWHL's Minnesota Whitecaps, impressed the crowd -- who began chanting "USA! USA!" -- as well as the other skaters. "When she took off, I was like, 'Wow,'" McDavid said. "I thought she won the event." Kendall Coyne Schofield competes in the fastest skater competition during the NHL All-Star skills competition Friday night. Stan Szeto/USA TODAY Sports Added Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews: "She was flying. I was giving Keller a hard time because she beat him. She came out for warm-ups, was buzzing around, and everyone was taking notice." And Calgary Flames winger Johnny Gaudreau: "It's pretty impressive, obviously. It's great. It's really cool. And she's American, so it's even better." Coyne Schofield was originally slated to attend the event and demonstrate the skills, along with other female players. She found out about that a few weeks ago. But she didn't learn of her inclusion in the fastest skater event until Friday, hours before the competition. She enjoyed hanging out with the other All-Stars, whom she called "awesome" and "so supportive." "They kept telling me they were a little nervous I would beat them," Coyne Schofield said. "I had full confidence in them, so to see them have full confidence in me is pretty cool." MacKinnon will not play in Saturday night's All-Star Game. However, he is in San Jose participating in the festivities, meaning he will avoid the mandatory one-game suspension for skipping the skills event. Coyne Schofield wasn't the only woman to impress Friday night. U.S. teammate Brianna Decker demonstrated the passing competition with a completed time of 1:06. There was a bit of confusion as to when the clock actually started, but it appeared she might have upped NHL All-Star winner Leon Draisaitl's time of 1:09. "It just shows the top players, men or women, belong," Coyne Schofield said.<doc-sep>Kendall Coyne Schofield’s memorable performance as the first woman to compete in the NHL All-Star Skills Competition has prompted NBC to hire her as an analyst for the Wednesday Night Hockey game between Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins (8 p.m., NBCSN). Coyne, 26, a communications major who worked as a sideline reporter while at Northeastern, will appear on the pregame show and then go Inside the Glass with Pierre McGuire. She will also appear during intermissions that will be called by John Forslund. “I love to be able to talk about the game and when this opportunity presented itself, I was more than ecstatic,” Coyne told USA TODAY Sports Coyne, a member of the 2018 U.S. Women’s Olympic gold medal-winning hockey team, posted an NHL-worthy time Friday to finish seventh in the fastest-skater competition at the All-Star Skills Competition. Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid, who won the event for the third consecutive time, said Coyne's start was so strong that he thought she would win it. Sam Flood, executive producer and president, production, at NBC Sports & NBCSN, said Coyne’s “spectacular moment” at the All-Star Weekend had “had people talking about hockey.” “We saw the enormous reaction the players and fans had when she blazed that amazing speed, and want to celebrate her accomplishment,” Flood said. “We think viewers will be very interested to hear her lean in and talk about hockey during a regular-season game.” Coyne said when she received the call that she would compete in the NHL All-Star Skills Competition as a replacement for injured Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon, “it put chills down my back.” “I knew it was going to break down a lot of barriers and open a lot of eyes,” she said. “I was super excited for the opportunity. I know there was a lot of people who worked really hard to make that moment possible. I didn’t think it would (lead to) this opportunity, but I knew it would be a historic moment and it would change perceptions about women’s hockey.” She was gratified by the comments of McDavid and others who noted her skating was NHL-caliber. More:NHL grades: Teams with falling or soaring stocks More:Winners and losers at NHL All-Star weekend More:Olympian Brianna Decker 'shocked' to learn she beat NHLers in event “I did see it,” she said. “The NHL players view us as hockey players and that’s how we want to be viewed. The NHL took a huge stance that night in allowing me to compete. They knew I could skate with the guys. And it is so important for people to realize that women’s hockey has grown and the speed of the game is right up there with men’s hockey.” Coyne said she received more messages, tweets and comments from her All-Star moment than she received when the Americans won the Olympic gold medal in South Korea. “It just speaks to the platform of the NHL,” she said. “It showcased us, and it went viral.” This isn’t the first time NBC has turned to women’s hockey star for its broadcast team. Former U.S. Olympian A.J. Mleczko Griswold has served as an NHL analyst for NBC. She now works as a studio analyst for Madison Square Garden network on New York Islanders games. “I will obviously be doing some research tonight, tomorrow, leading up to Wednesday’s game,” Coyne said. “Obviously the Lightning and Penguins are premier teams with a lot of superstars, so it will be excellent game to talk about.”<doc-sep>
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Kendall Coyne Schofield wasn't just the first woman to compete in an NHL All-Star Skills Competition event. The two-time Olympian was also the first competitor in the opening fastest-skater competition, which was claimed for a third consecutive time by Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid Friday night. "Beggars can't be choosers," Coyne quipped when asked if she'd prefer a spot a little later in the fastest-skater event. Coyne, who wore her Team USA jersey as fans at SAP Center chanted "USA, USA" completed her barrier-breaking lap of 14.346 seconds. “When she took off, I thought she might have won, the way she was moving,” McDavid said. Coyne's time was good enough for seventh out of eight competitors as she finished ahead of Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller (14.526 seconds). “It’s amazing, her stride,” Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon, whose injury gave Coyne the opportunity to participate, said on NBC Sports Network. “She is so powerful." Coyne said she did a lap of 14.26 seconds on Thursday. "I was a little slower (Friday) and I'm bummed about that, but not too bummed," said Coyne, who is expected to compete in the skills competition at NWHL All-Star Game weekend in Nashville Feb. 9-10. Coyne, who plays for the Minnesota Whitecaps of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), was notified earlier Friday that she'd be needed in the fastest-skater competition to take MacKinnon's place. She was already set to attend the competition with Team USA teammates Brianna Decker and Alex Rigsby, who will play Canada as part of the three-game Rivalry Series Feb. 12-17. Coyne was among the Team USA players who threatened to boycott the World Championships over better wages and other support from USA Hockey. The two sides came to a new four-year agreement in March 2017 and the team went on to secure gold at the 2018 Winter Games. Coyne said "the NHL took that stance" for equality on Friday. "They made that statement," she said. "I was fortunate to be among the people pushing for it. We had a lot of hard conversations I am thankful for the opportunity and it went pretty well.” Coyne said her her skills competition display "shows top players, man or woman, belong.” "You cherish these moments," Coyne said. "That’s that I tell kids all the time. When I was putting on my hockey skates when I was 3 years old, I didn’t think I’d play in two Olympic games, get the education that I received or sitting in front of you here today after being the first women to compete in an All-Star skills competition. It’s amazing what this game has brought me.”