NHL cancels Olympic send-off, grants Isles 2027 All-Star Game

Field Level Media|published: 10/22/2025, 12:42pm EDT

Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; NHL commissioner Gary Bettman speaks during the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The NHL has canceled a planned send-off event for the 2026 Winter Olympics in February at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y.

The league, however, plans to hold the All-Star Game and skills competition at the New York Islanders' home arena in 2027.

The initial plan was to create an international event on Long Island to replace the 2026 All-Star Game. That drew the ire of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who expressed her disappointment to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in a letter and requested the league "bring a hockey event with equal or greater economic activity and cultural value to the region in 2027."

League games will pause from Feb. 6-24 to accommodate the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. The last time NHL players competed in the Olympics was in 2014, when Canada won gold in Sochi, Russia.

The league opted against a traditional All-Star Weekend for the 2025-26 season and planned another international event on the heels of the success of the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off.

--Field Level Media