Connor McDavid, Dylan Larkin, and the ‘skating start’ controversy

Watch as Connor McDavid bests Nathan MacKinnon in the fastest skater competition but then falls short in eclipsing Dylan Larkin’s record.

It shocked no one to see Connor McDavid blow past the competition to post the fastest time at the NHL’s Fastest Skater competition on Saturday.

His time of 13.02 seconds in the half-rink preliminary round gave the superstar a chance to break Dylan Larkin‘s record in the full lap set in the 2016 skills competition, which was timed at 13.172.

McDavid was just a bit late in his attempt (13.310), but as New York Rangers forward Michael Grabner pointed out on Twitter, Larkin had a bit of an advantage when he took his full lap in Nashville.

Mike Gartner set a long-held record time of 13.386 in 1996, starting from a stopped position on the red line.

Larkin had a head start in his attempt, as he was allowed to gain momentum from the blue line. McDavid took his lap like Gartner did.

We don’t know what McDavid would have timed had he been given a skating start like Larkin, but this is the second time in a month that the 20-year-old has beaten Gartner’s pace.

Larkin weighed in on the matter Saturday night, offering his support for McDavid.

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