Report: NHL to announce Nashville as 2016 All-Star Game host Friday
We've sort of known this was going to happen since early April, but the news Nashville will serve as the host city for the 2016 NHL All-Star Game will reportedly be officially announced Friday.
Friday, the NHL will announce Nashville as host city of the 2016 All-star Game.
— John Shannon (@JSportsnet) October 15, 2014
The league has scheduled a press conference featuring Gary Bettman and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean for Friday at 11 a.m. ET at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
As a result of 2013 lockout and the 2014 Winter Olympics, the NHL hasn't hosted an All-Star Game since 2012, when the Senators hosted the event at Scotiabank Place in Kanata, Ont.
The 2016 All-Star Game in Nashville will be the 61st such star-laden exhibition, with the 60th to be played in 2015 in Columbus, Ohio.
It'll be interesting to see where the All-Star game lands thereafter, although it's expected that the Toronto Maple Leafs will host the game (and the Winter Classic) as a celebration of the franchise's 100th birthday in 2017:
NHL announces presser in Nashville Friday morning. Chatter about Preds continues to be 2016 All-Star Game, with Toronto a good bet for '17.
— Mike Harrington (@BNHarrington) October 15, 2014
In a recent press conference NHL commissioner Bettman told hockey fans in Glendale, Ariz., that the league would play an All-Star game in Deer Valley in the near future.
"I don't have a date, but we owe you a game," Bettman said.