Renovations to the Honda Center include building an outdoor terrace and installing a new scoreboardGETTY IMAGES
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said that there is "no particular issue" keeping Honda Center or the city of Anaheim from being selected to host the league's All-Star Game or first-year entry Draft, according to Eric Stephens of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. The Ducks have "never been tasked" with staging either event, leaving them as "one of four franchises never to have hosted either event in its city." Meanwhile, San Jose was awarded next year's ASG and Vancouver was chosen to host the '19 Draft, cities which have both "hosted those respective events multiple times." Bettman said, "It's just a question of prioritization from the club's standpoint and our standpoint." Asked if there are any "arena issues that impact" the Ducks' "hosting ability, Bettman said there are none." Stephens notes Ducks co-Owners Henry and Susan Samueli have "invested millions in keeping Honda Center at the level of other newer arenas, most notably building an outdoor terrace and installing a new scoreboard." But the venue "does have its drawbacks." There is "no entertainment area with hotels and restaurants that is adjacent to the facility in the vein that Staples Center has L.A. Live next door." The Coyotes, Jets and Golden Knights are the "only other teams to never host" either NHL event. Every other team "born in the league's expansion boom" in the '90s has "held at least one of the two showcase events" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 3/9).
