SAN JOSE, CALIF.—Connor McDavid won the fastest skater competition once again, but Kendall Coyne Schofield won over the crowd.

The U.S. women’s hockey star became the first woman ever to compete in the NHL all-star skills competition on Friday night, racing around the rink in a time competitive with the top skaters in the men’s game in a barrier-breaking moment for women’s hockey.

“The crowd was electrifying,” Coyne Schofield said. “To hear the USA chants, everyone erupted when I started. Definitely gave me some momentum and the adrenaline was pumping.”

She was the first skater to take the ice and finisher her lap in 14.346 seconds, impressing the NHL’s biggest stars with her speed.

“When she took off, I was like, ‘Wow!’” McDavid said after winning his third fastest skater competition. “I thought she might have won the way she was moving. She was a really good skater and that was an amazing thing for the game, to see her participate like that in an event like this.”

The 26-year-old Coyne Schofield plays for the Minnesota Whitecaps of the National Women’s Hockey League and won an Olympic gold medal for the United States last February. She found out early Friday that she’d get the chance when Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon pulled out with an injury, then took full advantage of the opportunity.

“My first impression was: I can do this?” she said. “My speed is definitely my strength. Obviously, I was a little nervous. I knew it was a moment that could break a lot of barriers, and a moment that would change the perception of our game and show support to our game.”

She finished seventh out of eight skaters, beating Arizona forward Clayton Keller’s time of 14.526 seconds.

“She beat me, so she’s doing something right,” Keller said. “She’s really fast. I was surprised. It was great to see that. It was a great experience for the NHL to have her do that event. It was really cool.”

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