Norfolk to host ECHL all-star game
Scope will be the site of January 2023 event
The 2023 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic will be held at Scope Arena in Norfolk, the league and Norfolk Admirals announced Saturday morning.
The game will be played on Jan. 16 and mark the second time Norfolk has hosted the event. The 1994 contest, the second year of the event, was also in Norfolk.
An All-Star Fan Fest and the 15th class of the ECHL Hall of Fame induction ceremony will also be part of the festivities.
“Bringing the annual ECHL celebration of professional hockey to Norfolk for the generations of Hampton Roads hockey fans is an early highlight of the new-look Norfolk Admirals,” team owner Patrick Cavanagh said via the team’s website. “Norfolk is a wonderful, highly cultural destination city. The Admirals are excited to bring the eyes of the hockey world to our hometown with the 2023 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic.”
Norfolk becomes the second two-time host in ECHL All-Star Classic history. Reading was the first, hosting in 2005 and 2009.
“Norfolk proudly serves as the cultural and economic hub of the region, and hosting the 2023 ECHL All-Star Classic further solidifies Norfolk as Hampton Roads’ home for sports,” said Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander. “Over the 33-year history with the Admirals’ organization, the city continues to build on our strong partnership with the team’s leadership, players and fans, and we look forward to welcoming ECHL hockey’s most skilled and accomplished players to Norfolk in 2023.”
The Admirals have been in the ECHL from 1989-2000, winning three titles, and since 2015. They were members of the American Hockey League in between.
The ECHL all-star classic has produced 70 future NHL players, including 54 since 2002 when the format was changed to feature younger prospects.
“The Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic is about bringing our players, fans and staff together for a celebration of hockey,” said ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin. “To be able to bring this showcase to Norfolk nearly 30 years after the city originally hosted the event, we are really looking forward to bringing the festivities back to one of the original ECHL markets and honoring Tidewater’s deep hockey history.”