Gary Bettman addresses Islanders fans' concerns after hinting at changes to 2026 NHL All-Star game

There was no NHL All-Star Game in 2025. Instead of the usual weekend festivities that include the skills competition and games, commissioner Gary Bettman and the NHL created the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The best-on-best tournament turned out to be a smashing success, and the Canada-USA rivalry games drew similar viewership to the Stanley Cup Finals. This has led to speculation that the NHL All-Star game could be drastically changed moving forward.

The New York Islanders were awarded to host the 2026 NHL All-Star weekend at their brand-new building, UBS Arena, in 2024. With the uncertainty surrounding the event's future, fans are questioning what will come next.

Bettman was asked about the future of the game during his media availability at the GM meetings in Florida on Wednesday. The Athletic's Michael Russo and Chris Johnston shared his comments in their recent article.

"We're reevaluating how we want to do things because I think we've raised the bar about as high as you can for an All-Star game in any sport," Bettman said.

“I don’t want to start speculation. We’ve promised the Islanders an event, and Islander fans deserve events that we’ve promised, so we’re focused on what we need to do," Bettman added.

Deputy Commissioner of the NHL, Bill Daly, later said a final decision on the 2026 All-Star weekend must be determined prior to the start of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The NHL All-Star game is a showcase for the host city

While players and fans may be tired of the NHL All-Star Game, the host city and its fans won't feel that way.

The New York Islanders organization and the fanbase are certainly excited and looking forward to the opportunity to host the event. Bringing the league's best players together is always an exciting time and something that fans rarely get to witness live.

Hosts over the years, including Nashville (2016), St. Louis (2020), Vegas (2022), Florida (2023) and Toronto (2024), have had great success welcoming the hockey world to their city for the weekend.

As Gary Bettman said, he promised the Islanders an event, and they deserve that promise to be kept. It remains to be seen what exactly the event they will be hosting.