The saga of the 2026 All-Star Sport is now the saga of the 2027 All-Star Sport.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman mentioned at his availability previous to the Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday that UBS Enviornment will host “an event” in 2027, on condition that the 2026 model will likely be a watered-down Olympic kickoff, the main points of which aren’t but clear.
“We’ve concluded that whatever we do for next season needs to take into account that the players are gonna be very focused on getting to Milan and playing in the Olympics,” Bettman advised reporters in Edmonton. “And we want to respect that. So there will be an event the following year at UBS and we’re still trying to figure out what we can do that will do justice to the level of interest and authenticity that we and the players created in 4 Nations. So that’s still a work in progress.”
A variety of key points are nonetheless unclear, particularly the specifics of the occasions in each 2026 and 2027.
An NHL spokesman confirmed to The Submit that the league nonetheless plans to carry an Olympic sendoff occasion at UBS this coming February and that the 2027 occasion will embody “on-ice hockey.”
Past that, although, it’s not but recognized what both occasion will truly be.
The NHL is a sufferer of its personal success right here.
No matter Lengthy Island will get, if it’s not so good as the 4 Nations Face-Off was this 12 months, it is going to be thought of a disappointment.
And there’s simply no manner that any sort of conventional All-Star Sport will likely be nearly as good because the no-holds-barred, Stanley Cup Ultimate-level hockey that set the sports activities world alight in February.
“We set a pretty high bar for All-Star weekends in all sports,” Bettman mentioned. “I think there was an announcement today that one league [the NBA] is changing its format in response to the success we had.”
The NHL, although, is just dedicated to worldwide best-on-best hockey each different 12 months, with the Olympics each 4 years and the World Cup of Hockey set to be held on a quadrennial foundation beginning in 2028.
That left the Islanders in limbo, and in limbo they continue to be.
