NHL : League Cancels All-Star Game in San Jose

The annual NHL All-Star game, scheduled for Jan. 21 at San Jose, is the latest victim of the lockout.

The league on Thursday canceled the game, which was to kick off its five-year, $155-million deal with the Fox TV network. The dispute with players “makes it impossible to go forward,” Stephen Solomon, the NHL’s chief executive officer, said.

As consolation, San Jose will play host to the 1997 game. The 1996 game already has been awarded to Boston.

Whether the season can be saved remains unclear. Commissioner Gary Bettman and the league’s Board of Governors will meet Monday in New York, where they are expected to draw up a final proposal and deliver a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum to the players’ union.

Bettman and union chief Bob Goodenow have not spoken since Tuesday, but a source indicated they might talk before Monday’s league gathering.

The All-Star game has been played annually since 1947, when it matched the Stanley Cup winner against a team of players from the rest of the league. The format changed to East vs. West in 1969. The game was played before the season until 1967, when it was moved to midseason.

Fox, which acquired the NHL’s over-the-air TV rights in September, issued a statement saying it regretted the cancellation.

“But our broadcast agreement with the NHL is a long-term commitment, and we fully understand the more pressing issues needed to be resolved that are necessary to insure the future growth and stability of the game of hockey,” Fox added. “We look forward to televising NHL hockey in 1995.”

Players who participate in All- Star games are paid by the league, but the NHL Players Assn. does not benefit from the contest.