NHL All-Star Game 2024: Toronto awarded as host city

With the NHL All-Star Game festivities wrapping up in the sunshine state this weekend, the NHL was quick to announce the future site for the league’s annual All-Star event. Announced by Gary Bettman in his annual state of the league address, the commissioner confirmed that the All-Star game would be heading back to the home of the Maple Leafs in Toronto, ON. for the 2024 season.

“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,”

The NHL All-Star Game returns to the Si

The All-Star Game will be making its return to one of the most storied locations in the history of the league for the ninth time. The last time the All-Star game was in Toronto was in 2000.

The awarding of the game to Toronto bucks the trend in recent years of the NHL All-Star game being scheduled to play in warmer climates like Homestead, FL, Nashville, TN and Las Vegas, NV. The location also marks the first time the All-Star game will take residence in a Canadian city since 2012 in Ottawa.

The event will also be the first time the city of Toronto will host a major professional league All-Star game since 2016 when the Toronto Raptors of the NBA hosted the NBA All-Star Game. The Toronto Blue Jays are currently in the process of making a bid for the 2027 MLB 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 stated in a release regarding the All-Star assignment. “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.”

The assignment of the game to Toronto will also have a large amount of historical meaning. The 77th All-Star game in league history will take place in the birthplace of the All-Star Game, as Toronto was the very first host city for the event back in 1947 at the old Maple Leaf Gardens.

The event will also be the third All-Star game at a separate venue. The first seven occurred between 1947 and 1968 at the old Maple Leafs Gardens All-Star game in 2000 that occurred at the Air Canada Centre. Finally, the 2023 event will be headed to ScotiaBank Arena for the first time.