Prior to Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh announced that the New York Islanders and UBS Arena will be getting an All-Star Game.
So, to quote Commissioner Bettman, the demise of the All-Star Game has been greatly exaggerated. As many thought, the NHL had cancelled the All-Star Game in favor of Four Nations. But in speaking with Marty Walsh, the NHLPA Executive Director, “the 2027 NHL All-Star Game will be a prelude to the 2028 World Cup of Hockey.”
The 2027 NHL All-Star Game will have an international flair, with five teams: the United States, Canada, Sweden, Finland, and a fifth team of the World’s best. And Russian athletes will be participating in this, as it is an NHL-sanctioned event.
Per the NHL media release: “The five teams will compete in a three-on-three, round-robin exhibition tournament. Each team will consist of 11 players: nine skaters and two goaltenders. Each team will play four 5-minute games during the round-robin tournament. There will not be an overtime period or a shootout in the event of a tie.
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The top two teams from the round-robin will advance to a 10-minute final based on the following points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss. The winning team will claim a $2 million (USD) prize.”
Both the NHL and the NHLPA will select the 30 players for the participating teams, and fans will be able to select the eight players for each team.
In addition to the changes at the 2027 NHL All-Star Game, the NHL Skills Competition will take on a different tone. No, the NHL is not bringing back the Young Stars Game, but 10 Young Stars, 25 or younger, will participate in eight events selected by the NHL and NHLPA.
Per the NHL: “Each player will participate in four of the first six events: Fastest Skater, Hardest Shot, Passing Challenge, One Timers, Stick Handling and Accuracy Shooting. Players will earn points based on their placement in each event.
The top four players will then advance to a Shootout, facing one of four All-Star goaltenders. The top two performers from the Shootout will compete in the last event: the Obstacle Course Finale. The player with the highest cumulative score will be crowned the All-Star Skills Champion and will take home a prize of $1 million (USD).”
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When the NHL announced the All-Star Event inside UBS Arena at the 2024 Stadium Series. It took three years because of the Four Nations in 2025 and the Olympics in 2026, but the spotlight will be on the New York Islanders and UBS Arena in February of 2027.
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