The AHL All-Star Game has been canceled for the second straight season due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the sports world, the AHL has decided to cancel the 2022 AHL All-Star Classic:
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 #AHLAllStar Classic, scheduled for Feb. 6-7 in Laval, will not be held.
En raison de la pandémie de COVID-19, la Classique des étoiles 2022, prévue à Laval les 6 et 7 février, ne pourra avoir lieu.
📝: https://t.co/rrIhElqPT2 pic.twitter.com/FjnjYo3YfA
— AHL Communications (@AHLPR) December 22, 2021
Scheduled to be held in Laval, Que., the President of Sports and Entertainment at Groupe CH, France Margaret Bélanger, had this to say:
“This is one of the most prestigious events in the AHL and we look forward to hosting this major event at Place Bell. We are very grateful to our fans and partners for their loyalty during this difficult time. We also want to thank the American Hockey League for their confidence and their collaboration on this project.”
As one of the top teams in the league, the Ontario Reign likely would have had multiple representatives. They have two of the top point-getters in the AHL in Martin Frk (2nd in goals, 4th in points) and T.J. Tynan (2nd in assists, 7th in points). Matt Villalta is also fourth in the league in wins (10) amongst goaltenders, and he is another name that could have been in consideration.
This is the second year in a row that the AHL All-Star Game has been canceled. The last one, in what feels like forever ago at this point, Frk set an AHL and NHL record with his 109.2 mph shot in the hardest shot contest:
Regular season games have been getting postponed throughout the league, including the Reign’s game in Henderson which was supposed to take place this past Wednesday. As things stand right now, Ontario will return to action on Monday, December 27th in San Diego.
While none of us want to see any more postponements, we will continue to update you as news comes in.