The National Hockey League called off the 2021 Winter Classic outdoor game and NHL All-Star Game on Thursday, both events planned for January being wiped out by Covid-19 uncertainty. The Winter Classic was set for January 1 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with the Minnesota Wild playing host to the St. Louis Blues. All-Star Weekend activites were to be hosted by the Florida Panthers Jan. 29-30 at Sunrise, Florida. Both events were listed as "postponed due to the ongoing uncertainty resulting from the coronavirus" with the NHL saying it intends to return to Minnesota and Florida for editions of the events "in the near future." "Fan participation, both in arenas and stadiums as well as in the ancillary venues and events that we stage around the Winter Classic and All-Star Weekend, is integral to the success of our signature events," NHL chief content officer Steve Mayer said. "Because of the uncertainty as to when we will be able to welcome our fans back to our games, we felt that the prudent decision at this time was to postpone these celebrations until 2022 when our fans should be able to enjoy and celebrate these tentpole events in-person, as they were always intended." The NHL and its players union continue to target the start of a 2021 campaign on or around January 1. js/rcw