New York Islanders will host All-Star Weekend in 2026

Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporterFeb 18, 2024, 05:45 PM ET

CloseKristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.Y. — The New York Islanders will host All-Star Weekend in 2026, the NHL announced on Sunday.

That news was announced during the first intermission of the Islanders’ Stadium Series game against the New York Rangers at MetLife Stadium. It was second game of the Series’ showcase this year, after the New Jersey Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night here.

Now, the Islanders can prepare to welcome the league’s stars to UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, which opened two seasons ago. It’s the next time there will be an NHL All-Star weekend, with the league skipping their annual exhibition in 2025 to roll out the 4 Nations Face-Off at midseason, an event that will spotlight players from the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland.

The Islanders, at the height of their Stanley Cup era, hosted the All-Star Game in 1983 at Nassau Coliseum, where Wayne Gretzky was crowed the game’s MVP. The Islanders won four consecutive Stanley Cup titles from 1980-83.

“We have been looking forward to UBS Arena playing host to one of our major League events since before construction of this wonderful arena began,” commissioner Gary Bettman in a press release. “We have every confidence that the Islanders organization, led by Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky, will deliver a celebration that will make the greater New York region and the NHL proud.”

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New York’s All-Star Weekend will come about right before NHL players make their return to the 2026 Olympic Games, Feb. 6-22 in Milan.

“After an impressive All-Star Weekend earlier this month, the players are looking forward to raising the bar even higher at UBS Arena in 2026 where we know the New York Islanders will be great hosts for the event,” Marty Walsh, the NHLPA’s executive director, said.

Construction on UBS Arena began in 2019 and the Islanders played their inaugural season…

Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/39554243/new-york-islanders-host-all-star-weekend-2026

Author : Kristen Shilton

Publish date : 2024-02-18 22:52:30

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