The NHL presents the 60th annual All-Star Game live from the Nationwide Arena, the home rink of the Columbus Blue Jackets, this Sunday night.
Throughout the years, many of great moments and memories have been made at the All-Star Game and this year should prove to be no different.
Before the puck drops on the best players of the 2014-15 season, it's time to look back and count down the five best performances in NHL All-Star Game history.
5) Home, Sweet Home For Richter: The New York Rangers hosted the All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden in 1994 and Blueshirts netminder Mike Richter stole the show. Richter played in the second period of that game and yielded just two goals on 21 shots to stymie the Western Conference, which ended up scoring six tallies on 25 shots against the two other East goaltenders. Richter ended up taking home the All-Star Game MVP honors as the East topped the West 9-8.
4) A Dazzling Debut for Heatley: Dany Heatley topped up his Calder Trophy-winning rookie season in 2001-02 with his first All-Star game appearance at the 2003 game and he didn't disappoint. Representing the Atlanta Thrashers, Heatley scored four goals in regulation and assisted on another marker for the East and then found the back of the net in the shootout. The West topped the East 6-5 in the skills competition, but Heatley still took home All-Star Game MVP honors.
3) Home Cooking: Ray Bourque felt right at home when he represented the Boston Bruins in front of their fans at the Boston Fleetcenter at the 1996 All-Star Game. With the game seemingly destined for overtime, Bourque notched the deciding goal for the East with just 37 seconds left, sending the hometown crowd into a frenzy as the East won 5-4. Bourque took home MVP honors.
2) Four For The Great One: Wayne Gretzky was kept quiet in the 1983 All-Star Game through the first two periods, but that wouldn't last long. "The Great One" exploded in the third period, notching four goals to set an NHL record for the most tallies notched in a single All-Star Game period. Gretzky, representing the Campbell Conference and the Edmonton Oilers, helped the squad to a 9-3 victory and took home MVP honors.
Honorable Mention: The torch was passed from the legendary Gordie Howe to Gretzky at the 1980 All-Star Game. Gretzky, 19, idolized Howe, 51, and was able to play alongside him in his 23rd and final All-Star Game. Neither player would score, but it was seen as a passing of the torch.
1) 66 Nets 6: Mario Lemieux was a beast in his All-Star career, appearing in 10 games and netting 13 goals and 23 points. His penchant for coming through in the spotlight was never more apparent than in the 1988 game when he notched a record six points in the matchup representing the Pittsburgh Penguins. Lemieux assisted on the first three goals for the Wales Conference against the and then scored goals in the second and third period. Lemieux wasn't done there, as he notched the overtime game-winner to give Wales the win and he then took home MVP honors.
This Sunday, new memories will be made when the NHL presents the 60th annual All-Star Game live from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus.
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