We probably should’ve seen this one coming
UBS Arena, home to the New York Islanders, was slated to host the 2026 All-Star Weekend. This was always kind of odd because in the past, when the NHL sent players to the Olympics — as they will in 2026 — the All-Star Game was skipped.
Then came the overwhelming success of the 4 Nations Face-Off, so the league decided to strike while the iron was hot and swap out the All-Star Game for some kind of international event.
What was that supposed to be? Who knows!
Eventually, it was being described as a sendoff for Olympians, and now, according to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, it has been scrubbed entirely.
I think we all should’ve seen this one coming.
When we get within three and a half months of what is supposed to be a big league event and there’s no word on the specifics of what it even is, it probably wasn’t happening.
Plus, imagine being one of the Olympians. In the middle of your 82-game NHL regular season, while the rest of the league gets a two-week break, you have to fly across the ocean and play in an intense international hockey tournament.
Is it an honor to do that? Yes. Would it be nice to crush Miami Vices on the beach in Cancun? Also, yes.
So, what player, knowing they have that busy schedule, is going to want to take a couple of extra days away for a hastily thrown-together send-off on Long Island?
None of them.
Credit to the NHL for reading the room and not forcing something like this, because this could have been embarrassing as hell.
But fear not, Islanders fans. As Kaplan mentioned, UBS Arena will play host to the All-Star Game in 2027.
Then in 2028, we’re likely to see the latest incarnation of the World Cup of Hockey, which was last held in 2016.
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