NHL deputy commissioner hints at future All-Star Game or draft in DC originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
WASHINGTON — In attendance for the Capitals’ ceremony to celebrate Alex Ovechkin moving into second place on the all-time goals list Tuesday, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told reporters that Washington, D.C., could host an upcoming All-Star Game or NHL Draft.
“Those events are awarded on a variety of factors,” Daly said in a scrum in the press box during the first intermission. “But as I said before, this town has a hockey market in particular. It’s off the charts now. So it’s just a matter of time.”
The Capitals have hosted the All-Star Game once, in 1982 when they played at the Capital Centre in Landover. They’ve never hosted the NHL Draft. Washington’s prominence as a hockey market has grown ever since Ovechkin’s debut in 2005-06 with a surge in attendance that began in 2008-09 — the first season they broke 100 points with No. 8 manning the left wing.
With the league already announcing the Nashville Predators’ Bridgestone Arena as the site for the 2023 NHL Draft and the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Scotiabank Arena for All-Star Weekend, the earliest the Capitals could host either event is 2024.
Ovechkin has three years remaining on his contract with the team after 2022-23, so the NHL still has time to capitalize on the 37-year-old’s presence before his deal is up. Daly said he expects Ovechkin to pass Wayne Gretzky’s goals record of 894, though he doesn’t expect him to do it until the 2024-25 season at the earliest. He also added that Commissioner Gary Bettman plans to follow the Capitals around once Ovechkin pulls to within four of five goals of the mark.
When asked how soon D.C. might host an All-Star game or draft, Daly told local beat reporters, “I think you guys will all be working.” Given that some of the beat reporters have a few years on yours truly, a D.C. All-Star Game or NHL Draft may not be in the too-distant future.
