For the third time in team history and second at Staples Center, the Los Angeles Kings will host the NHL All-Star Game as announced by Gary Bettman yesterday.
In 2017 the Kings will celebrate their 50th anniversary and the All-Star Game will head to a Western conference city for the second consecutive year after being in the East for five straight occasions.
Since opening in 1999, Staples Center has helped transform downtown Los Angeles into a destination for sports, nightlife and entertainment. In addition to hosting the Kings, Lakers, and Clippers, Staples Center and the adjoining LA Live complex has hosted numerous award shows and other events where Hollywood’s celebrities meet.
Staples Center has also hosted the 2010 NHL Draft in addition to the Kings winning Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014.
Former Kings star Luc Robitaille, who is now the club’s president of business operations, said how important hosting the Al-Star Game was to their fans their their support over the last 50 years. “We have had tremendous support for the Kings for a long time now. We’ve always had support from our fans, they have never given up. You look at other teams that when they have lost for a few years in a row, they never average the same gate as us. We felt it was important to give our fans a big event and no better way to thank them to give them the best players in the world.
“We kept pressing the League about how important this was to us and I think they understand that everything that we try to do is to grow the game.”
The All-Star Game will take place January 28-29, 2017.
