2021 NHL All-Star Weekend to take place in Florida

APD NEWS

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A beach in Florida, U.S.

The 2021 NHL All-Star Weekend will go to the south beach of the U.S, and the Florida Panthers will host the event at the BBT Center in Sunrise, according to George Richards of The Athletic.

It will be the second time for the Panthers to hold the All-Star Weekend after 2003 and the fourth time for the event to happen in Florida. The Tampa Bay Lightning hosted it twice in 1999 and 2018.

Players of the Florida Panthers celebrate their 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida, January 16, 2020. /AP Photo

According to Yahoo Sports, the league is also considering other options like Las Vegas or Arizona, but players sound happy with Florida.

"An All-Star Game on the beach? That is awesome. 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," said Vincent Trocheck, center of the Panthers.

Rebecca Johnston of Canada competes in the Gatorade NHL Puck Control at the NHL All-Star Skills at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, January 25, 2019.

The 2020 All-Star Weekend is happening at the Enterprise Center, home court of the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. Like the last time in San Jose, the league will continue to invite female players to attend the event. Moreover, besides the Shooting Stars contest, a 3-on-3 female game between the American and Canadian All-Stars is also arranged to be part of the festival event.

"Every year it's stepped up a little bit, so I appreciate their creativity in finding ways to get women involved. But at the same time, it is a men's event. We don't have men's hockey players at our All-Star event, so to have us to be there and to put on a showcase of women is awesome and special," said Team USA's Meghan Duggan.

(CGTN)