NHL will give All-Star Game international flavor in 2027 - ESPN

RALEIGH, N.C. — The NHL All-Star Weekend will have an international hockey flavor after the success of the 4 Nations Face-Off and the Winter Olympics.

The 2027 midseason classic, scheduled for Feb. 5-6 at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, will feature teams representing Canada, Finland, Sweden, the United States and a «World» team comprising international players from countries outside of those four.

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed that Russian players will be permitted on the World team, despite an uncertain status for other international hockey events.

«We're extremely excited to bring this event to New York. We think the format we've created will be fun. It'll be entertaining. It'll be great for the players and the fans,» NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday at his state of the league address before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. «We know there have been some fits and starts on this, but we think together we figured this out.»

UBS Arena was scheduled to host the 2026 NHL All-Star Game. That was changed to an «international event» as the league decided to allow its players to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. That event was eventually scuttled due to travel considerations for players.

Each All-Star team will have nine skaters and two goalies. They'll compete in a 3-on-3, round-robin exhibition tournament. Each team will play four 5-minute games, with a win earning it 2 points, a tie earning it 1 point and zero points for a loss. The winning team will claim a $2 million prize.

The NHL and NHLPA will select 30 players from each of the participating teams for the 2027 NHL All-Star Fan Vote, which will open in December. From that list, fans will have the opportunity to select eight players from