2018 NHL All-Star Game to be held in Tampa Bay

More proof that the NHL really is skipping the 2018 Winter Olympics.

The 2018 NHL All-Star Game will be held at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, commissioner Gary Bettman announced Monday. The news came as part of Bettman’s press conference prior to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Predators and Penguins.

This is the second time that the All-Star Game has ever been held in Tampa Bay. The first time came in 1999 when the Lightning’s arena was known as the Ice Palace. North America defeated the World team, 8-6, in that exhibition contest behind the effort of game MVP Wayne Gretzky, who would retire at the end of the season.

The announcement is significant not just because it confirms the location for 2018, but because it reaffirms that the NHL will not be attending the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. The league had skipped All-Star Games in 2006, 2010, and 2014 as a result of its participation in the Olympics each of those years.

But the NHL has already announced it’s pulling out of the 2018 Winter Olympics after extended negotiations, much to the dismay of players and fans. And with the 2018 All-Star Game moving forward in Tampa Bay, that doubles down on the idea that the NHL expects its best players to be in Florida, not South Korea, at that time.