In Raleigh, North Carolina, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly held their customary Stanley Cup final press conference shortly before Game 1 between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights.
During the session, NHLPA Executive Marty Walsh unveiled a new All-Star Game format for the upcoming season, slated to be hosted by the New York Islanders.
Islanders supporters will find particular interest in the skills competition, which will be limited to players under 25, including Calder Trophy recipient Matthew Schaefer.
The game format will differ markedly, with the NHL adopting an international structure comprising five squads of eleven players representing the United States, Canada, Sweden, Finland, and a combined international team.
Daly noted that the international team will feature Russian players.
Russia has been excluded from international competition since the full‑scale invasion of Ukraine, but the IIHF Council is assessing its eligibility on a case‑by‑case basis.
“There is no complete clarity regarding the IIHF’s actions,” Bettman said, adding that they will wait to see how the situation develops.
Bettman and Daly also dismissed rumors that European nations such as Sweden, Finland, or the Czech Republic would boycott the World Cup should Russia be allowed to compete.
Meanwhile, players such as Kirill Kaprizov, Andrei Vasilevskiy and other superstars are eligible for the 2027 All-Star Game, the first international edition since 2002. Walsh observed that all‑star games can become monotonous in any professional sport, and this variation is intriguing. His counterpart concurred.
“We have invested considerable effort into designing the new look and determining the optimal format,” said NHLPA assistant executive director Ron Hainsey. “The inclusion of countries adds a fresh flavor as we progress toward the 4 Nations tournament, the Olympics, and the World Cup.”
The NHL and NHLPA will initially name 30 candidate players for each team, after which a fan vote will determine eight members per squad, while the league and the union will select the remaining forward, defenseman, and goaltender.
Each team will contest four five‑minute games in a round‑robin format, and the two leading teams will advance to a ten‑minute final offering a $2 million prize. The competition will consist of ten round‑robin mini‑games and a single final.
In related news, 74‑year‑old Bettman again remained evasive when questioned about his future as commissioner, offering no indication of a succession plan.