The errors of definitions multiply themselves according as the reckoning proceeds; and lead men into absurdities, which at last they see but cannot avoid, without reckoning anew from the beginning.

The real excitement for tonight's competition and tomorrow night's All-Star Game is supposed to be the young players - particularly Sidney Crosby (the first teen to start in the All-Star Game since Gretzky) and Alexander Ovechkin.

21:09 I didn't realize Brian Campbell would be fast enough to even compete in the Fastest Skater category, but apparently he is. Buffalo Sabres, represent!

21:15 Andy McDonald is the fastest skater, completing a lap of the rink in 14.03. That's crazy fast. Next up is the shootout, which is a team event, West vs. East. The goalie for the West will be Marty Turco, of Dallas. He's on home ice tonight, by the way. The East has Montreal's Cristobal Huet in net.

21:22 Some acrobatic stuff, but nothing compared to the crazy things we've seen in the past. The West wins it, 2-1. Next up, a fan favorite - the hardest shot.

21:26 The commentators are clearly some sort of physics consortium, as they note the puck tends to lose speed if you shoot it higher into the net. "Keep it low to the ice" is their free advice. Cripes, that frozen rubber is flying nearly 100 mph. Zdeno Chara just hit 100.4 as I typed. Ironic that it's in mph, when most players are Canadian and many European. They don't know what hell a mile per hour is.

21:29 Sheldon Souray managed 100 mph as well. But the 6'9" Chara (that's 2.06 metres, mon frere) wins the highest speed and the East has the highest average. Up next, shootout part 2. West Goaltender: Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary. East Goaltender: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey.

21:38 Brodeur is a beast. The East wins that round. Sheesh, and some people are watching the freaking State of the Union. Unbelievable. I'm sure that's really exciting, Dale.

21:40 Shooting accuracy! My kids and I play that in the cul-de-sac. The three-year-old can't shoot worth a damn, but the six-year-old is getting good.

21:43 Yanic Perreault hit the camera in the back of the net, but they don't give you points for that. Just the painted targets.

21:47 I have to stand for the "In the Zone" goalie event. No liveblogging of it. Sorry.

21:58 Okay, I'm sitting back down for the last round of the shootout. Vancouver's Roberto Luongo in net for the West and my boy Ryan Miller minding for the East. I believe both were perfect "in the Zone".

22:00 Intensity! Miller gave up the points and let the West tie it up. It's down to the final event, a one-on-one shootout.

22:01 Sidney Crosby and Teemu Selanne each score and it goes to another round. And a third round. Luongo finally makes a save and Selanne can finish it - and he does!

Ah... I'm done. Who has ever been excited about the State of the Union going over time? I'm sure I'll read all about the politics-as-usual tomorrow, and hear about it on the radio. But for tonight, I got my hockey fix. Good night.