NHL All-Star – The NHL and NHL Players’ Association announced a revamped All-Star weekend for 2027: the game returns Feb. 5–6 at UBS Arena with an every-other-year schedule, a three-on-three international round-robin, and new event rules. Commissioner Gary Bettman also pushe
When the Stanley Cup Final began. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stood at a news conference and set the tone for what comes next. Less than 24 hours after the league’s top teams finished another season run. Bettman’s focus shifted to a different kind of spotlight: an All-Star weekend designed to look new. move fast. and arrive on a new cadence.
The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association announced the All-Star Game will return in 2027 with a new format. The league will hold the All-Star weekend on Feb. 5-6, 2027, at UBS Arena, the home of the New York Islanders.
The plan changes more than the on-ice structure. The NHL says the All-Star Game will be staged every other year, while an international tournament takes place in the even years. The league also pointed to a World Cup of Hockey in 2028 and NHL players participating in the 2030 Olympics.
There is also an international question hanging over the calendar: Russian players will be allowed in the All-Star Game. But the NHL and NHLPA have not decided whether Russian participation will extend to the World Cup of Hockey. They said they will follow the lead of the International Ice Hockey Federation. which recently said it would decide Russian eligibility in 2026-27 on a tournament-by-tournament basis.
On Feb. 6, 2027, the NHL All-Star Game will feature five teams: Canada, Finland, Sweden, the United States, and a World team made up of international players from countries outside of the other four teams. Each team will consist of 11 players—nine skaters and two goaltenders.
The selection process blends fan involvement with league and player union control. The NHL and NHLPA will select 30 players from each participating team for the 2027 NHL All-Star Fan Vote. which will open in December. Fans will then use that list to select eight players from each team. The remaining three roster spots—one forward. one defenseman and one goaltender—will be selected jointly by the NHL and NHLPA.
The game itself is built around three-on-three action, set up as a three-on-three, round-robin exhibition tournament. Each team will play four five-minute games during the round-robin tournament. There will be no overtime period and no shootout in the event of a tie.
Scoring will reward each result with a simple point system: teams will get points for a win, one point for a tie, and zero points for a loss. The top two teams from the round robin will then advance to a 10-minute final, with the winning team claiming a $2 million prize.
The weekend’s second day is a skills competition on Feb. 5, 2027. It will feature 10 young stars—players age 25 or younger—competing across eight events. The NHL and NHLPA will jointly select the players.
Each player will take part in four of the first six events: Fastest Skater, Hardest Shot, Passing Challenge, One Timers, Stick Handling and Accuracy Shooting. Players will earn points based on their placement in each event.
As the field narrows. the top four players will advance to a shootout. where they will face one of four All-Star goaltenders. The top two performers from that shootout will then compete in the last event, the Obstacle Course Finale. The player with the highest cumulative score will be named All-Star skills champion and take home a $1 million prize.
Bettman used his remarks to address a different storyline altogether: questions about his leadership path. He responded to a report that a succession plan for him has been discussed, saying there have been discussions over the last couple years but that nothing is imminent.
“Reports of my demise − or retirement − are greatly exaggerated,” Bettman said.
He also defended the current playoff format as speculation swirls around alternatives. In response to suggestions of moving to a 1 vs. 8 style format, Bettman said the current format leads to longer series and more competitive games.
For fans, the timing is striking: as the league’s postseason culminated in a Stanley Cup Final spotlight, the NHL used the moment to map out a new All-Star identity—internationally themed, tightly scheduled, and built around fan voting and short, high-intensity games.
The structure also sets up a recurring debate of its own: who gets in. and under what rules. as international tournaments and player eligibility decisions evolve year by year. The All-Star Game will allow Russian players. but the World Cup of Hockey will hinge on decisions the International Ice Hockey Federation plans to make in 2026-27. tournament by tournament.
NHL All-Star Game 2027 UBS Arena Gary Bettman NHLPA international tournament World Cup of Hockey 2028 2030 Olympics Russian players eligibility fan vote Stanley Cup Final