SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … American Hockey League President and CEO Scott Howson announced today that due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis and the adjustment of the 2020-21 season calendar, the 2021 AHL All-Star Classic will not be held.
The Laval Rocket, who had been selected to host the event, will instead host the 2022 AHL All-Star Classic during the 2021-22 AHL season. Dates for the 2022 event are yet to be determined.
“While we are disappointed that we will not be able to hold our All-Star Classic festivities in 2021, we look forward to continuing the work that is already underway with the Rocket organization and are excited to have the city of Laval and Place Bell host the AHL’s annual showcase event in 2022,” said Howson.
“The All-Star Classic is a signature event of the American Hockey League, and although the decision to postpone it was difficult, it was unfortunately unavoidable given the exceptional circumstances we are currently going through,” said France Margaret Belanger, Groupe CH Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer. “Place Bell remains the perfect place to host an event of this magnitude. We are very grateful to our fans for their loyalty during this difficult time. We also want to thank the American Hockey League for their trust throughout this process.”
The 2022 AHL All-Star Classic will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League: since 1995, more than 94 percent of All-Star Classic participants have gone on to compete in the National Hockey League, including Cam Atkinson, Patrice Bergeron, Jordan Binnington, Ben Bishop, John Carlson, Zdeno Chara, Logan Couture, Connor Hellebuyck, Braden Holtby, Tyler Johnson, Martin Jones, Jonathan Marchessault, Brandon Montour, William Nylander, Kyle Palmieri, Zach Parise, Mikko Rantanen, Tuukka Rask, Pekka Rinne, Eric Staal, Dylan Strome and Mats Zuccarello.
