Toronto's NHL All-Star Weekend Is Much More Than Hockey & Here's What You Don't Want To Miss

The National Hockey League’s top players will be in Toronto for the league’s annual All-Star Game this weekend, and there’ll be plenty to see and do whether you’ve got tickets or not.

Whether you’re a die-hard hockey fan, a casual observer, a Justin Bieber stan or just somebody who enjoys a party, the NHL and its partners are putting on a bunch of events for you to participate in throughout the three-day celebrations.

And who knows? You just might bump into a star or two around the city in between the festivities.

Here's what you need to know about events during 2024 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto, whether you're seeing the main action at Scotiabank Arena or taking in some of the extras around the city.

NHL All-Star Draft

NHL All-Star weekend kicks off on Thursday with the Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Player Draft, which will see Canadian celebs Will Arnett, Justin Bieber, Michael Buble and Tate McRae helping to pick four teams from the pool of players.

Bieber will start with his Leaf pals Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly already on his team, but he'll likely have to compete with fellow Toronto fan Will Arnett for the other two Leafs available.

Arnett is paired up with the Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, while Calgary-born Tate McRae has Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche.

Buble, meanwhile, will start with brothers Quinn Hughes (Vancouver) and Jack Hughes (New Jersey) on his team. Buble is a big Canucks fan so expect him to choose more players from that team on Thursday night.

Leaf fans might remember the first time they did an NHL All-Star draft, when then-Maple Leaf Phil Kessel was left as the last pick. Expect this night to go a little differently as the system has been reworked to avoid that kind of embarrassment.

The event will happen at 6 p.m. on Thursday and you can watch it on Sportsnet or TVA in Canada.

The night is also expected to include a 3-on-3 showcase of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) and a tribute to the 1967 Toronto Maple Leafs -- the last Leafs team to win a Stanley Cup.

NHL Fan Fair

The 2024 Hyundai NHL Fan Fair will run throughout All-Star weekend from February 1-4 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre's South Building.

Expect mascots, collectibles, alumni, photo ops, autograph signings, interactive games and a glimpse of the Stanley Cup if you visit. There'll also be Q&A sessions with the Toronto Maples Leafs' Auston Matthews and William Nylander (paired) and Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly (paired) on the Friday.

Tickets cost $29 and you can expect to see a bunch of events inside the building, including:

• Kids Day (Friday 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.)
• NHL All-Star Pride Cup (Saturday 10 a.m.-11 a.m.)
• NHL STREET ball hockey for kids (all weekend)

NHL All-Star Skills

Select NHL players will compete for a $1-million prize in the NHL All-Star Skills Competition on Friday night at 7 p.m.

The lineup of players will include:

• Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks)
• J.T. Miller (Vancouver Canucks)
• Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks)
• David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins)
• Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)
• Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche)
• Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers)
• Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
• Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils)
• Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning)
• Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)
• William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Expect plenty of shenanigans on this night, which is often the best part of the All-Star weekend. Think of it as the NHL version of the NBA's dunk contest. Players will compete in events such as hardest shot, fastest skater, accuracy shooting and much more.

NHL All-Star Game

Finally, the actual All-Star game will take place on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m., though it’s probably better to refer to it as the all-star games. That's because the four teams will play a series of three-on-three games over the course of the three hours.

Who will win? Honestly, it doesn't matter, because it's really just about seeing the league's top stars all together in one place.

Molson All-Star Fan Bar

If you're looking for somewhere to enjoy All-Star weekend but you don't have tickets to an event, then the Molson All-Star Fan Bar is the place to be.

Molson is taking over the Bottom Line at 22 Front Street West and transforming it into an NHL Mecca for the weekend.

Expect NHL alumni, PWHL stars and plenty more throughout the weekend.

The bar will open at 5 p.m. on Friday and at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

And the best part? It's free to attend.

Hockey Diversity Alliance Winterfest

Head to Trinity Bellwoods Park on Saturday afternoon for the inaugural Winterfest, an event hosted by the Hockey Diversity Alliance. The HDA is made up of several current and former NHL players of colour who have been pushing for years to bring more inclusion to hockey at all levels.

Tickets are free and you can expect to bump into some familiar hockey faces while you're there for the event, which runs from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Musical Performances

The main NHL All-Star events will include musical performances from the lieks of:

• Owen Riegling
• Loud Luxury
• The Reklaws
• Kiana Lede
• Tate McRae
• The Glorious Sons
• TALK
• Chxrry22
• Dinah Jane

The Giant Hockey Glove

Bet you didn't have "gigantic hockey glove covered in Cheetos dust" on your All-Star bingo card, but nevertheless this is a thing.

Bauer and Cheetos have teamed up for the bizarre but eye-catching installation downtown, so if you want to see this or you're still wondering "WTF was that" after walking by, just know that it's a promo for the two brands. Cheetos has been trying to make "Cheetle" a thing, so let's just give them a hand for going big with it.

Hockey at Nathan Phillips Square

Toronto's iconic rink outside City Hall will play host to a bunch of events over the course of the weekend.

PWHL stars Kendall Coyne Schofield, Brianne Jenner, Hilary Knight, Marie-Philip Poulin and Blayre Turnbull will kick things off with some shinny there on Thursday morning at 8 a.m.

The rink will also host events geared toward promoting diversity and youth hockey before things wrap up on Saturday afternoon with a showcase of hockey content creators.

Sherwood Hockey 75th Anniversary

Sherwood, the iconic hockey stick brand, will be running a bunch of activations throughout All-Star Weekend at the Sport Chek in Maple Leafs Square downtown.

Fans can expect a bunch of demos and giveaways plus guest appearances from several Sherwood-sponsored athletes.

Scheduled events include:

• Thursday 12 p.m.: William Nylander appearing live for a taping of The Hockey Guys' podcast, The Fan Club
• Friday 2 p.m.: Alex DeBrincat and Pavel Barber in a shooting contest
• Friday 6 p.m.: Emily Clark and Savannah Harmon Q&A about women's hockey