The NHL All-Star Game will be held in Toronto in 2024, as announced by league commissioner Gary Bettman on Saturday.
The announcement was made at a press conference ahead of this year’s All-Star Game in Sunrise, Fla.
It will mark the first time the NHL’s midseason showcase is in Canada since Ottawa hosted in 2012. Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena last hosted in 2000.
“We are thrilled to bring the Honda NHL All-Star Game back to Toronto for the ninth time, and to shine a spotlight on our current stars in a setting that evokes over a century of League history,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “Toronto fans are among the most knowledgeable and passionate in our game and the city’s rich hockey history dates back to the creation of the sport. What better place to play host to our annual midseason celebration of the best and brightest in the NHL?”
Over the past decade, the league’s top players have flocked to sunny destinations – Las Vegas, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles and Nashville – and this season was no different, with the Florida Panthers hosting the event.
The postponement of the 2024 World Cup opened the door for an All-Star Game next year.
In Olympic and World Cup years, the NHL traditionally does not hold an All-Star Game.
“We are excited and honored to announce the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto,” Maple Leafs president and alternate governor Brendan Shanahan added in the release. “We very much look forward to welcoming the game’s biggest stars and treating our fans — and fans from around the world — to a premiere event that showcases all of what Toronto has to offer.”
It will be the first men’s professional sports All-Star Game in Toronto since the Raptors hosted the NBA All-Star Game in 2016 – an event most remembered for the frigid weather in the city.
The Toronto Blue Jays are bidding to host the 2027 MLB All-Star Game.
The Premier Hockey Federation women’s league held its 2023 All-Star Game at Toronto’s Mattamy Athletic Centre on Jan. 29.
