New York (AFP)
The NHL on Thursday canceled the All Star Game and the Winter Classic, outdoors, two highlights of the hockey season scheduled for January and swept away by the Covid-19 health crisis.
"Due to the uncertainty as to when we will be able to welcome our fans again for our matches, we felt that the most prudent decision at the moment was to postpone these festive times until 2022," said Steve Mayer, NHL Content Director.
"The participation of the fans, in the enclosures and the stadiums as in the places and side events organized around the Winter Classic and the All Star weekend, is essential to the success of these key moments", he estimated.
The All Star Game festivities were scheduled to be hosted by the Florida Panthers on January 29-30 in Sunrise, Florida.
The Winter Classic was scheduled for January 1 in Minneapolis between the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues.
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