Connect with us

Calgary Flames

2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic & All Star Weekend Postponed

The Coronavirus pandemic has claimed part of the 2021 NHL season.

Published

on

Were you planning on going to Minnesota for the 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the Wild and St. Louis Blues? Were you going to head to Florida for the 2021 NHL All Star Game? Well, we hate to bust your bubble, but neither of those events are happening this season. Unfortunately, with the uncertainty surrounding what the Coronavirus pandemic will turn into during the 2021 NHL season, the league has decided to shelve both events for the upcoming season. Read the full press release below to get full details on where the NHL is coming from.

NEW YORK (Oct. 22, 2020) — The National Hockey League today announced the postponements of the 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic and 2021 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend.

The 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, featuring the Minnesota Wild facing the St. Louis Blues at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minn., was originally scheduled for Jan. 1, 2021. The Florida Panthers were to host the 2021 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., originally scheduled for Jan. 29-30, 2021. Both events have been postponed due to the ongoing uncertainty resulting from the coronavirus. The League intends to return to both Minnesota and Florida for these signature events in the near future.

 “Fan participation, both in arenas and stadiums as well as in the ancillary venues and events that we stage around the Winter Classic and All-Star Weekend, is integral to the success of our signature events,” said NHL Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Content Officer Steve Mayer. “Because of the uncertainty as to when we will be able to welcome our fans back to our games, we felt that the prudent decision at this time was to postpone these celebrations until 2022 when our fans should be able to enjoy and celebrate these tentpole events in-person, as they were always intended. We are also considering several new and creative events that will allow our fans to engage with our games and teams during this upcoming season.”

 Today’s announcement does not impact the joint declaration by the NHL and National Hockey League Players’ Association on Oct. 6 that we are targeting on or around Jan. 1 as the start date for the upcoming NHL season.

by Mark Parkinson