2021 Winter Classic and All-Star Game officially postponed

With the 2021 NHL season set to start in January, the league already announced the cancellation of two annual events.

A couple of weeks ago, the NHL awarded the Stanley Cup to the Tampa Bay Lightning after they defeated the Dallas Stars in six games from the Edmonton bubble. Now, the focus is on when and how the 2021 season can start, as the coronavirus pandemic is far from disappearing. With no proven vaccine available, packing stadiums and arenas just isn’t a feasible option.

Taking that into consideration, the NHL officially announced that the 2021 Winter Classic between the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues has been postponed until 2022. Additionally, the 2021 NHL All-Star Game has been cancelled.

“Fan participation, both in arenas and stadiums as well as in the ancillary venues and events that we stage around the Winter Classic and All-Star Weekend, is integral to the success of our signature events,” said NHL Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Content Officer Steve Mayer, via NHL.com. “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 and celebrate these tentpole 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.”

Both events have been rescheduled for 2022

Target Field, the home of the Minnesota Twins, was slated to host the outdoor extravaganza between the rival Wild and Blues. But, the Winter Classic is made that much more special by the stadium being filled to the brim. With COVID-19 still spreading throughout the United States, a sold out Winter Classic wasn’t going to happen.

As for the All-Star Game, the Florida Panthers were slated to host the event at BB&T Stadium. It’s unknown if the All-Star Game will take place in 2022 because the NHL is slated to compete in the Winter Olympics in Beijing that year.

The NHL’s Stadium Series Game featuring the Carolina Hurricanes at Carter-Finley Stadium is still scheduled to take place on Feb. 20, 2021.

Even with the absence of these two events, the 2021 NHL season is slated to take place on Jan.1.