Denis Potvin announces NY Islanders and UBS Arena will host the 2026 All-Star Game

We've come a long way from the dilapidated Nassau Coliseum and Barclays Center!

During the 1st intermission of the New York Islanders Stadium Series game with the New York Rangers, Hall-of-Famer Denis Potvin announced live on ABC during an interview with Emily Kaplan that Long Island and UBS Arena will host the 2026 NHL All-Star Game.

Earlier this week, NHL Chief Content Officer Steve Mayer, in an interview with Peter Schwartz on the Double Chili Podcast, strongly hinted that marquee NHL events would soon be coming to Long Island and UBS Arena. “I think that the Islander fans will hear soon some really big news regarding some events that could be coming your way,” said Mayer.

He wasn't kidding!

“The National Hockey League is thrilled to have the best and brightest of our game hosted at the spectacular UBS Arena for the 2026 NHL All-Star Weekend,’’ NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a press release on NHL.com.

“We have been looking forward to UBS Arena playing host to one of our major League events since before construction of this wonderful arena began.," added Bettman. "We have every confidence that the Islanders organization, led by Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky, will deliver a celebration that will make the greater New York region and the NHL proud.”

It was always a matter of when, not if, the Islanders would host an All-Star Game after the opening of the state-of-the-art arena in November 2022. However, the league, understandably, wanted to see more of a finished product around the arena before it was ready to award a premier league event. With the opening of "The Park" at Belmont at UBS Arena and the opening of the Belmont Park Village later this summer, the NHL obviously felt the timing was right for Long Island.

“Whether our guests will be watching the talented players on the ice in UBS Arena, a building built specifically for hockey, shopping in Belmont Park Village, or enjoying pre and post-game festivities in The Park, the 2026 All-Star weekend will show NHL fans the outstanding destination we have for hockey, shopping, and entertainment," said Malkin.

The Islanders last hosted an All-Star game in 1983 when the Campbell Conference defeated the Wales Conference 9-3 and Wayne Gretzky was named MVP.