I was going to write a post listing my five favorite moments from All-star Weekend but there are just too many to limit it to the top five. Here are my highlights by category.

Best On-Ice Hockey Moments

Evgeni Nabokov's incredible second period saves on Ilya Kovalchuk in the All-star Game that prompted him to collapse on the ice and then hug Nabokov after the first stop and throw his stick and then kick it after the second. what a great display of personality and goaltending.

Tim Thomas' stick save in the third period of the All-Star Game. The puck got past him but he somehow reached behind himself with his stick to make the save and then cleared the puck out of his crease by firing it between his own legs, all in one clean motion.

Rick Nash's hat trick. The kid can flat out play. Back when he signed his five-year deal with Columbus before the 2005-06 season people decried it as an overpayment. Now Nash is a bargain at $5.4 million per year (cap hit) through 2009-2010. All three of his goals were highlight reel quality, but his second was the best of the bunch. The third was pretty close though. If Rick Nash played in a bigger market he'd be an NHL poster boy.

Ilya Kovalchuk in the breakaway challenge. His first attempt was terrible, but then he tried to ply the judges with Gatorade and handshakes. then he skated to center ice and flapped his arms, encouraging the crowd to make some noise before he broke in on goal, dropped to his knees, and actually got a shot off. There wasn't a high degree of difficulty involved but it was a surprising and almost effective move. Kovy the showman.

The YoungStars Game. Last year this game was terrible and give the NHL credit for trying to make it better. For the most part they succeeded, and it was a nice way to showcase just how talented these rookies are. Tobias Enstrom didn't have the best of games but the event was a passing clinic.

Best Off-Ice Hockey Moments

Ilya Kovalchuk's post-All-Star Game press conference. Kovalchuk is usually fairly reserved around the media but on Sunday night he was relaxed and in a joking mood. Those moods are rare when the cameras are rolling and that made it all the more enjoyable. The quips didn't stop, but you should just watch it yourself instead of having me try to do it justice. Kovy's press conference starts 12:14  into this video.

The celebration of Willie O'Ree's accomplishments. The man broke the NHL color barrier 50 years ago and he doesn't get nearly enough recognition for it. I've spoken to him several times and he's an incredible man. It was a nice gesture by the crowd to give him a standing ovation when he was recognized during one of the intermissions on Sunday night. I was also moved by how well he was received at the NHL's Diversity Luncheon on Friday afternoon. A lot of people in attendance weren't familiar with his story and they were blown away by him.

The red carpet arrivals. Most of the players ate this event up, or at last pretended they were enjoying it. It took some players like Hossa and Kovalchuk upwards of 30 minutes to get form the bus to the door because they stopped to sign anything that was put in front of them. Several players including Ilya made a point of mentioning that they were impressed by the fan turnout.

Best People Moments

I'll openly admit that being six feet away from Alyssa Milano was a treat. She was accommodating when talking to the media and wasn't one of those celebrities that's a let down when you actually meet them.

Talking to David Boreanaz. I'm a fan of Bones, as is my wife. The picture I got of 'Booth' for her balances the one I got of Milano for myself.

Chatting with Scott Mellanby. It wasn't an official all-Star event but the Legends of Hockey wine-tasting at TJ's on Thursday was a treat and I got a chance to talk to Scott Mellanby for the first time since he retired. Mell was the first hockey player I ever interviewed and when I told them that he remembered it, even though it was two and a half years ago at an insignificant practice up in Duluth. Mell always treated me well.

Meeting Bob McFarlane. I interviewed Todd McFarlane the week before the All-star Game but I didn't have a chance to meet him on the weekend. I did get to meet his father though. Great man with a great personality. He has to be pushing 70 and he still plays hockey on a regular basis. He's not big but he's barrel-chested, like a miniature Brad McCrimmon. I bet he can still throw a hit.

The post-game VIP party hosted by Versus. It was a ticket-only deal after the game and a surprising number of players were there mixing and mingling with everyone else. Being able to talk to some of them in a non-hockey environment was special.

Honorable Mentions

Hearing people from other cities talk about how impressed they were with the facilities and the events. Everyone seemed to have a good time and I heard very few complaints from anyone about anything.

The reception at the Georgia Aquarium was also a highlight, as was the whole media setup down in the Hawks practice court. The NHL put that media headquarters together without a hitch and it was pretty impressive to see.

Biggest Regret

In all the craziness I forgot to stop by the Stanley Cup in CNN Center. I won't touch it until the day the Thrashers win it, but I still love looking at it.

My second biggest regret is not getting this written sooner, because it looks like Craig Custance had the same idea as I did and he got his favorite moment piece up before me. It looks like we saw the weekend the same way. The weekend was easily one of the highlight of me covering the Thrashers so far and it's hard to imagine anything short of a deep playoff run topping it.

What were your highlights?