The NHL announced that the New York Islanders, rather than host the 2026 NHL All-Star Game at UBS Arena next February, will host a “kickoff going to the Olympics” event instead. The game will not take place. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman made the announcement at the NHL offices in Manhattan last week.
“We’ll have an event at UBS before we go to the Olympics but then we’ll do something that’s more focused on a major hockey event for the following year,” said Bettman, “We have a little bit of time to finalize what we’re doing.”.
Bettman did however say the “kickoff going to the Olympics” event would not be a hockey competition. What would a non-hockey competition event look like is anyone’s guess. Players skating on the ice with their prospective country’s jersey over their street clothes for a lap then heading back to the locker room while some c-list band that no one has ever heard before performs would be my prediction. This is basically a glorified “Olympic layover,” as JFK airport is just a few miles away.
The timing of the announcement that the Islanders would host the 2026 game was curious. Just two weeks prior, the league announced that NHL players would return to the 2026 Milano Olympics for the first time since the 2014 Sochi games in Russia.
Every year the NHL was involved in an in-season international event, whether it was the Olympics or this year’s 4 Nations Face-off, the all-star game was not held.
Monday, Governor Kathy Hochul sent an open letter to the commissioner over his decision to cancel the All-Star Game next season.
Dear Commissioner Bettman:
I am writing to express my disappointment regarding the NHL’s decision to cancel the 2026 All-Star Weekend at UBS Arena and replace it with a Winter Olympics kick-off event. This decision was made without consultation with the State of New York, which has been a critical partner in supporting this facility and the NHL’s presence on Long Island as well as the entire State.
Through a public-private partnership with New York Arena Partners, New York State invested more than $100 million to build the first new LIRR station in nearly 50 years, supporting UBS Arena as a world-class venue. We made this investment not only for the local community and the New York Islanders but also in support of the league itself. We acted in good faith based on commitments that were publicly celebrated and on the belief that this was a true public-private partnership.
The cancellation of the 2026 All-Star Weekend, an event expected to bring millions in economic activity to the region, is deeply disappointing. While we understand the significance of the Winter Olympics, the conflict was foreseeable and could have been addressed through early coordination. This decision overlooks the efforts by New York State and sends the wrong message to every public entity that has supported the NHL.
Therefore, we request that the NHL revisit this matter immediately. Given that Long Island’s 2026 NHL All-Star Weekend has been canceled, the NHL should bring a hockey event with equal or greater economic activity and cultural value to the region in 2027.
New York, home of three NHL franchises and the league’s headquarters, has always been and will continue to be a proud hockey state, and mutual respect is essential in any partnership. We are prepared to be constructive, but we also expect the NHL to honor its commitments to the people of New York.
Sincerely,
Governor Kathy Hochul
It’s always a little dicey or sometimes comical when politicians interfere in sports. Remember the time former Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy invited the Islanders to play in Hartford.
Hochul is 100% percent right in this situation. The NHL was never going to have the All-Star Weekend in an Olympic season, so why schedule it.
Bettman did not say that the Islanders would host the 2027 game, but would host an event that year. That leads to speculation that UBS Arena could host the 2027 NHL Draft. This announcement will provide obstacles with the Islanders ticket department, since the next year’s game was a big selling point in trying to recruit new and keeping current season ticket holders.
Perhaps Bettman will now announce the 2027 All-Star Weekend to the Islanders now that Governor Hochul is involved.
Meanwhile, the Islanders had a stroke of good luck on Monday night. The organization won the 2025 Draft Lottery . New York now owns the first pick of the Draft.
