NHL Cancels Olympic Event and Bets on the All-Star Weekend in 2027
The NHL has decided to cancel the Olympic farewell event scheduled for February at UBS Arena, home of the New York Islanders. Instead, the league plans to hold the All-Star Weekend festivities at the same arena in 2027.
Originally, it was announced that UBS Arena would host the 2026 All-Star Weekend. The league intended to use this event as a starting point for players, coaches, and staff to gather and then travel from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Milan.
The resounding success of the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament earlier this year led the executives to reconsider the traditional format of the All-Star Weekend. The viability of maintaining a skills competition and a game, or the 3-on-3 tournament that has been a fixture at the mid-season hockey event for almost a decade, was questioned.
NHL officials had indicated that the Islanders would likely host the All-Star Game in the odd-numbered year between the return to the Olympic Games and the 2028 World Cup of Hockey. The league hopes to take advantage of the weekend of February 5-7, 2027 for this event.
