Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
facility. Logistics and location. hotel space. A front office capable of taking on major projects.
The Rockford IceHogs can check all of those boxes and then some, which is why they will host BMO presents 2026 AHL All-Star Classic Next February.
“This is truly as iconic an event as the Calder Cup Final in the NHL,” President and CEO Scott Howson said at a news conference Monday at the Bank of Montreal Centre.
The two-day event is televised live across North America and around the world. Since its resumption in 1995, more than 94% of participants have been promoted to the National Hockey League. Next year's celebration will also mark the AHL's 90th anniversary season and the Chicago Blackhawks' centennial.
'This has been a long time coming,' IceHogs president of hockey operations and general manager Mark Bernard said Monday. “This will be a great opportunity to showcase Rockford to the rest of the league.”
As has been the case with past Olympic Games, the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic will take place Tuesday through Wednesday and include the skills competition on February 10, the AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony, and the All-Star Challenge on February 11. In the midst of a lull in the NHL's schedule — the men's hockey championship begins Feb. 11 in Milan — the AHL's annual gathering will receive more attention.
BMO Center, home to the IceHogs and a building known for its incredible views, recently underwent a $27 million renovation of its infrastructure, technology, lobby and premium spaces. Scoreboard, strip board, sound and lighting improvements are among the changes. The upgrades come as the Chicago Blackhawks purchased the IceHogs from the City of Rockford in 2021 in a deal that will keep the club in Rockford until at least 2036. Opened in 1981, it underwent more than $23 million in renovations in 2007.
In addition to hockey, the venue has a solid calendar that includes Disney On Ice and Cirque du Soleil next month alone.
“We put a lot of effort into making this building look like this,” said BMO Center General Manager Gretchen Gilmore said in Monday's announcement. She recalled some of the earliest informal discussions about planning a 2021 event for Rockford. Today our dream came true.
The 2026 AHL All-Star Classic will be the first time the event is held in the Midwest since it was held in Grand Rapids in 2004. Within driving distance of Rockford. There are direct flights to O'Hare International Airport from nearly every AHL market in the United States and Canada, which is just over an hour's drive away.
“These fan bases are traveling really well and hopefully these fans will be interested in coming here,” Mike Parkersaid the team’s vice president of marketing, content and operations. “It’s like everybody’s backyard in the Midwest.”
Those fans — not to mention players, coaches, staff, families, VIPs and thousands of other guests — will need a place to spend a few nights. New hotel space has recently been built and is a must-have for events such as this.
The last thing is having a good front desk. Housen revealed on Monday that the IceHogs' ticket revenue increased 28% year over year, leading the AHL.
“They did a great job,” IceHogs president of business operations Ryan Snyder Speaking of the front desk. “They are the ones who really carry the burden of getting the results. Without them, this event would not be successful.
There is still a lot of work to be done over the next 13 months before the event can begin. Rockford will host this year's All-Star Classic in Coachella Valley on February 2-3. There will be an opportunity to take a closer look at the logistical considerations and demands involved in hosting.
It will then return to Rockford and move full steam ahead until February 2026. But after speaking with colleagues across the league at clubs that have hosted the tournament before, they agreed the extra effort was worth it.
So the AHL will come to Rockford, but people from around the league will leave knowing that first-day employees like Peck and Bernard already know their city.
“The cool thing about coming to a market like Rockford,” Peck said, “is that the town embraces it.”
“I can already feel the energy building,” Howson said.
About two decades in the American Hockey League, TheAHL.com feature writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor for SiriusXM NHL Network Radio . In 2016, he received the AHL's James H. Ellery Memorial Award for outstanding coverage of the league.
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