The NHL All-Star Game is heading back to Toronto next season. On Saturday, the NHL announced that the Toronto Maple Leafs will host the 2024 festivities.
The NHL midseason showcase will take place at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario. It will be a two-day event with the NHL All-Star Skills taking place on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. The 2024 NHL All-Star Game is slated for Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024.
Toronto has a unique history with the NHL All-Star Game. The city hosted the first official All-Star Game in 1947 at Maple Leaf Gardens. In the years since, Toronto has hosted the annual event eight times.
The Maple Leafs last hosted the 2000 NHL All-Star Game.
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“We are excited and honored to announce the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto,” Maple Leafs president and alternate governor Brendan Shanahan said in a statement. “We very much look forward to welcoming the game’s biggest stars and treating our fans – and fans from around the world – to a premiere event that showcases all of what Toronto has to offer.”
Fans can expect a bevy of skill challenges during the 2024 festivities. Some of the top challenges include hardest shot, accuracy shooting and fastest skater. Another event that could return is the Splash Spot, which made its debut this season.
“We are thrilled to bring the NHL All-Star Game back to Toronto for the ninth time, and to shine a spotlight on our current stars in a setting that evokes over a century of League history,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. “Toronto fans are among the most knowledgeable and passionate about our game and the city’s rich hockey history dates back to the creation of the sport. What better place to play host to our annual midseason celebration of the best and brightest in the NHL?”
The Maple Leafs are among the NHL’s best teams. They have 70 points and are second in the Atlantic Division and third in the league. Stars Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews were named to the 2023 All-Star Game, although Matthews had to pull out because of an injury.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL announces 2024 All-Star Game will be held in Toronto