The NHL originally awarded the Islanders as the 2026 All-Star Game's hosts on February 18, 2024, during the
2024 NHL Stadium Series. This game would have been the first time since
1994 in New York City that the state of New York hosted the game. This would have been the Islanders' second time hosting the NHL All-Star Game, after the
1983 game at the
Nassau Coliseum, and the first time that
UBS Arena would have hosted the game, after its opening during the
2021–22 season. As originally scheduled for 2026, the All-Star Game would have returned after a one-year hiatus, as in 2025 the NHL held the
4 Nations Face-Off as a preview for the league's return to
Olympic participation at the
2026 Games in
Milan and
Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, as well as the next
World Cup of Hockey in
2028. The All-Star Game would have thus been the first held in the same year as Olympic participation since
2002. Commissioner
Gary Bettman further stated that the league planned to use the 2026 game as a "send-off" to the Olympics. this event itself was later canceled in October 2025, with Long Island now scheduled to host the 2027 game. ==References==