NHL to host all-star style event at Islanders' UBS Arena in 2027

It appears that the UBS Arena is going to be a popular hockey destination in the coming years.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke to media on Wednesday before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final and noted that the league will host an all-star style event at the home of the New York Islanders in 2027.

This news comes after the UBS Arena was originally slated for an event in 2026, one that was supposed to resemble a traditional All-Star Weekend. But that seemingly changed in early May when it was reported that the NHL would instead plan an international event in lieu of the usual festivities.

The league's decision stemmed from the proximity of the event to the start of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. The thought was always to use New York as a jumping-off point for Milan, with players leaving from there to participate in the Olympics for the first time since 2014.

"We've concluded that whatever we do for (2026) needs to take into account that the players are going to be very focused on getting to Milan and playing in the Olympics, and we want to respect that," Bettman said Wednesday.

And not everyone was pleased by that decision, namely New York governor Kathy Hochul who wrote a letter to Bettman expressing her disappointment about the choice to hold a Winter Olympics kickoff event in place of an All-Star Weekend, adding it was made without consulting with the state and requesting the league “bring a hockey event with equal or greater economic activity and cultural value to the region in 2027.”

It's safe to say that message was received. The NHL now intends to hold events at the UBS Arena in back-to-back years, still planning to host an Olympics kickoff in 2026 and then an all-star style event in 2027.

“We’re going to make sure we do something," Bettman said in an April meeting with Associated Press Sports Editors in New York. "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.”

As for how things may look for the festivities in two years, that's yet to be determined, according to Bettman.

Following the success of the 4 Nations Face-Off during the 2024-25 season, the NHL is open to exploring more non-traditional formats for a mid-season experience.

"We set a pretty high bar for All-Star weekends in all sports ... in response to the success that we've had," Bettman said. "So there will be an event (in 2027) at UBS, and we're still trying to figure out what we can do that will do justice to the level of interest and authenticity that we and the players created at the 4 Nations, so that's still a work in progress."

— With files from the Associated Press