Connor McDavid denied by NHL in fastest skater request

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LOS ANGELES – The NHL drew the line on Connor McDavid’s request in the fastest skater event at the all-star skills competition in Los Angeles.
No, like, they literally drew a line on the ice. With a marker.
It showed the Edmonton Oilers superstar where he was allowed to start his attempt to break Dylan Larkin’s specious NHL record of 13.172 seconds, set last season.
McDavid won the event with a time of 13.02 seconds, and then had a chance to break Larkin’s record with a race around the outside border of the rink. He ended up finishing in 13.310 seconds, just missing the record.

“I was happy with how it went, honestly,” said McDavid. “Maybe if I had a running start, or something like that.”
Yeah, about that start. Mike Gartner’s record was 13.386 seconds, but it was set at a stand-still start.
Here was Larkin’s record:

That running start made all the difference, even if some Detroit Red Wings fans still believe he earned the record.
McDavid on the other hand, didn’t get that running start.
“I wanted to go a little further back, but they told me there was a line drawn on the ice. They told me I had to be between that line and the red line. No running start,” he said.
“I definitely knew that. I wanted to try that and see if I could get that. But no dice, I guess,” McDavid*said. “He deserves to be the fastest guy to ever do it. He’s a great skater.”
Well, maybe we’ll see about who is the faster skater. Here’s Larkin on Saturday night:

A lot of people making a big deal about the fastest skater! I understand the advantages of a running start and I'm very glad #97 didnt…
— Dylan Larkin (@Dylanlarkin39) January 29, 2017
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(CONT) get a start like I did for the sake of all organized skating events in the future! @cmcdavid97 was buzzing! Head to head one day?
— Dylan Larkin (@Dylanlarkin39) January 29, 2017
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Showdown!
For McDavid, participating in his first NHL All-Star Game, the fastest skater and shot accuracy competitions (he went 4-for-6) were nervous affairs. “Everyone always says the same thing: You don’t want to embarrass yourself. You don’t want to take 15 shots to break four targets or fall or put up a bad time,” he said.

Luckily for McDavid, he got a taste of both events at the Edmonton skills competition held earlier this season. In fact, he was able to shave off 0.2 seconds from his Oilers time at the NHL All-Star event.
But more than that, it was a chance for McDavid to meet and spend time with some idols, like Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, playing in his first All-Star Game since 2007.
Crosby said that watching McDavid in the fastest skater event was his favorite moment of Saturday night.
“McDavid, flying around the ice there. You see playing against him but you don’t always get a chance to open it up like that with nobody out there and that was pretty cool to see,” said Crosby. “He’s far and away the fastest guy I’ve seen.”
Even without a running start.
But hey, in the end, McDavid beat Mike Gartner’s time. So it’s, like, sort of a record.
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DISAGREE WITH THE NHL’S PICKS? HERE’S AN ALTERNATIVE:

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.