The 2000 NHL All-Star Game was the 50th All-Star Game in the National Hockey League. It took place on February 6, 2000, at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, home to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 1st NHL All-Star Game took place in 1947 and was also hosted by Toronto. The All-Star week festivities saw the Canadian Hockey League Top Prospects Game played on February 2, and an exhibition game between the Canadian and American women's national teams on February 3. The Heroes of Hockey game and the Skills Competition were held on February 5. It is to note that the opening face-off for the Heroes of Hockey game were Ted Lindsay and Fleming Mackell, two players who played in the 1st All-Star Game. Wayne Gretzky had retired the previous year, and the NHL announced they would retire his jersey number, 99, for every team in the league, a promise fulfilled in a pre-game ceremony at the 2000 All-Star Game. A banner with his name and number in the colors of his Edmonton Oilers team, blue and orange, was raised to the rafters, after which he performed a ceremonial puck drop between Paul Kariya of Team North America and Jaromir Jagr of Team World. The NHL was inspired to honor Gretzky in this way by Major League Baseball retiring Jackie Robinson's number 42. Gretzky also made it clear that he would not partake in any oldtimer or Heroes of Hockey game unless it was held in Edmonton, a statement that was realized with the 2003 Heritage Classic three years later. Super Skills Competition In the Skills Competition, the World All-Stars would win their third-straight skills competition. In the individual events, the Boston Bruins' Ray Bourque and Florida Panthers' Viktor Kozlov shared the Accuracy Shot event, which was Bourque's seventh victory in the event. In addition, the St. Louis Blues' Al MacInnis won his fourth-straight Hardest Shot event, which was also his sixth all-time victory in the event, and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim's Paul Kariya would win his second-straight Puck Control Relay event. Individual event winners Puck Control Relay – Paul Kariya (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim) Fastest Skater – Sami Kapanen (Carolina Hurricanes) - 13.649 seconds Accuracy Shooting – Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins)/ Viktor Kozlov (Florida Panthers) - 4 hits, 5 shots Hardest Shot – Al MacInnis (St. Louis Blues) - 100.1 mph Goaltenders Competition – Mike Richter (New York Rangers)