The NHL will announce Friday that the Nashville Predators will host the 2016 NHL All-Star Game at Bridgestone Arena, according to Sportsnet’s John Shannon.
It will be the first All-Star Game hosted by Nashville since the Predators’ inaugural season in 1998-99. Included in the All-Star Game festivities are the skills competition held on the Saturday before the actual game and the fantasy draft that separates the all-stars into two teams.
The 2015 NHL All-Star Game will be played in Columbus. The Blue Jackets were supposed to have the event in 2012-13, but it was cancelled due to the lockout. There was no All-Star Game during the 2013-14 campaign because of the 2014 Winter Olympics in February.
The most recent All-Star Game was played in Ottawa in January of 2012. Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara was one of the captains, along with Senators legend Daniel Alfredsson.
Boston last hosted the NHL All-Star Game in 1996 — Ray Bourque won the MVP in a 5-4 Eastern Conference win.
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