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NHL Has Postponed the 2021 Winter Classic and All-Star Weekend

On Thursday, the NHL announced the postponements of the 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic and 2021 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend.

On Thursday, the National Hockey League announced the postponements of the 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic and 2021 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend. It’s a decision that makes a lot of sense considering the uncertainty surrounding games, travel, attendance and other issues that would greatly affect both traditions.

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They note:

“Because of the uncertainty as to when we will be able to welcome our fans back to our games, we felt that the prudent decision at this time was to postpone these celebrations until 2022, when our fans should be able to enjoy an celebrate these tent pole events in-person as they were always intended. We are also considering several new and creative events that will allow our fans to engage with our games and teams during this upcoming season.”

The league added that the announcement does not impact the joint declaration by the NHL and (NHLPA) to start next season on or around January 1 of 2021. The league is still very much shooting for the season to start as planned.

Probably the Right Call

Considering these events are polarizing at the best of times, the only reason to really have them is for the fans. The Winter Classic is a money-maker for the NHL, mainly because it gets a boost in television viewership, but also because of the increased attendance.

The All-Star Game is one that some players like and others try top opt out of. The fans get the biggest kick out of the tradition, but interest in the festivities has waned in recent years.

At the end of the day, with a condensed schedule and uncertainty surrounding games, there was no good reason to hold these games. For the Minnesota Wild (who were set to host the Winter Classic), they didn’t want to play in front of a half-empty arena, assuming the NHL could even sell that many tickets.

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