The NHL has announced that the 2021 All-Star Game will be held at the BB&T Center, home of the Florida Panthers. This will be the second time the Panthers have hosted the event in their arena and the fourth time All-Star festivities will have taken place in Florida. The Panthers held the 2003 game, while the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted the 1999 and 2018 events.
Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck thinks that players around the league will be ecstatic about this announcement.
“An All-Star Game on the beach? That is awesome,” said Trocheck. “With the sun and our weather, it is a vacation destination already.”
“This would be huge for our city, our organization and for our fans. They would love it. They make the game so much fun for everyone even if you can't get to the game. They'll turn downtown into a hockey town.”
Since coming into the league, the Panthers have mostly struggled with attendance. Some blame it on the location, however their in-state rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning, currently ranks sixth in the entire league for average attendance this season. With that being said, it appears more likely that the Panthers' low numbers are more likely related to the team not having much success.
Thankfully for the Panthers, the team is headed in the right direction. Winners of five straight, they find themselves sitting third in the Atlantic Division with 59 points. They also find themselves tied with the Colorado Avalanche for most goals scored in the entire league with 179. With the team starting to trend in the right direction, it seems likely the attendance will begin to pick up. The announcement of the 2021 All-Star Game will help that out as well.
Source: TSN
