All-Star Game revamp a promising change
The NHL All-Star Game is kind of like an old, classic car. If you want it to keep working, you’re going to have to tinker with it, and maybe even replace some of its parts every now and then. About a decade after the NHL replaced the traditional three-period All-Star Game with a 3-on-3 mini tournament comprising teams representing each of the league’s four divisions, the NHL is now introducing an international flair to the event.
Following the resounding success of the NHL’s 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, and NHL players’ participation in the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, the 3-on-3 tournament at the 2027 All-Star Game will now have players representing their countries of origin rather than divisions. The United States, Canada, Sweden, Finland, and a fifth Rest of World team will compete for the $2 million prize.
On Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton shared their thoughts on the NHL’s new All-Star format.
Tyler Yaremchuk: One of the big pieces of news yesterday is a revamped All-Star weekend format for the NHL, including a 3-on-3 tournament that will feature an international component. Team U.S.A, Canada, Sweden, Finland, and a Rest of the World team that will feature the Russian NHLers, that will be a 3-on-3 tournament. There’s a $2 million pot. The NHL is going to do fan voting or whatever they do to determine which players are going to be on each team. But this is kind of exciting. I think it’s a cool format. There are mini five-minute games for the round-robin, a 10-minute final, a $2 million put, your country’s flag on your chest, I think guys will actually get up for this, Hutts.
Carter Hutton: I think it will be interesting how they draft the teams, or who makes the All-Star Game because traditionally it would be based on what team you’re on, so now you’re trying to figure out exact numbers of getting enough people from each country to play on each team. But I love the idea, I think it’s going to work. The only downside of it in my opinion as a player, and I felt this way when I was playing, when it’s incentivized to get guys to play hard and be part of something that’s such a way to grow the game and there’s so many kids involved, I think back to (Nikita) Kucherov being booed in Toronto when he wasn’t trying and it was for $1 million, I think it gives us a little bit of a black eye when you’re saying we have to be incentivized. That being said, if it creates a better game that is not just laid back, I think it’s for the best to actually show what kind of talent these players have.
You can catch the full discussion and the rest of Wednesday’s episode here…