The NHL is facing a bit of a conundrum.
Following the highly successful inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off in February, the league is now under pressure to maintain that level of competition and investment for future mid-season showcases.
Plans to feature more international-level play every few years between Olympic competitions have already been announced, including the World Cup of Hockey's return in 2028.
However, there’s less clarity on what comes next for the more traditional All-Star games in other years, as both player and fan interest has waned over time.
Speaking to media at the general manager meetings on Wednesday, league commissioner Gary Bettman was asked about next season's All-Star weekend, which is set to be hosted by the New York Islanders at UBS Arena.
"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, and so we want to make sure whatever we do is up to the standards that we've created," Bettman told reporters.
When asked to further elaborate on what their options could look like for the event, Bettman replied, "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."
The 4 Nations Face-Off averaged 6.5 million viewers across North America, a 256 per cent increase from the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
The championship game between Canada and the U.S. drew 16.1 million viewers, with 9.3 million in the U.S. and 6.3 million in Canada. It became the second-most watched hockey game of the past decade, behind only Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
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