Nikita Kucherov lampooned by fans following All-Star Skills Competition.

I can certainly understand why Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov was a little frustrated on Friday, but I don't know that every hockey fan is going to be so forgiving.

Kucherov provoked the ire of the hockey community on Friday when he delivered what can only be described as an extremely underwhelming effort during the 2024 National Hockey League All-Star Skills competition. Kucherov made no effort to hide the fact that he did not want to be there, culminating in the fans openly booing him during the passing event.

Things weren't any better when it came to the other events Kucherov was a part of either.

As I said I can certainly understand why players are frustrated at being forced to participate in what is a meaningless event in the grand scheme of things, but it's also important to remember that this is an event primarily targeted towards young hockey fans. Kucherov's failure to deliver with those young fans in mind seems to be where most of the ire being directed at the Lightning's star forward is coming from.

The comments on social media were not kind:

His team could not have felt great about his performance either after drafting him so early.

To be fair there was also a segment of fans who applauded Kucherov for making a mockery of an event that many hockey fans would prefer not to see, but they definitely appear to be in the vast minority.