Weekend need-to-know: NHL All-Star weekend takes over Toronto

The streets of Toronto will be crawling with NHLers this weekend as All-Star festivities take over the city. There will be events happening at several different spots offering chances for fans to check out their favourite hockey players.

NHL All Star Weekend

There will be lots of events this weekend to celebrate the NHL All-Star weekend, culminating in the All-Star Skills competition on Friday and the All-Star game on Saturday, both at Scotiabank Arena.

The weekend kicks off with NHL All Star Player Draft and the PWHL 3-on-3 Showcase, kicking off at 6 p.m. on Thursday night.

The NHL Fan Fair at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre is happening from Thursday at 2 p.m. until Sunday when it closes down at 4 p.m. and features family-friendly interactive games, NHL Mascots, NHL All-Stars & Hall of Famers and a chance to take a picture with the Stanley Cup. Tickets are available now for $24 per day or $64 for the weekend.

Nathan Phillips Square will be open all weekend from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. to skaters of all ages this weekend with more than 20 hours of public skating time and free skate rentals for the Hockey for All Rink event.

NHL’s Esports All-Star Open is happening at the Hockey Hall of Fame at 1 p.m. on Friday and the All-Star Youth Hockey Jamboree Celebration will be happening at St. Michael’s College School Arena from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. are among other events happening over the weekend.

For all the details, you can head to the NHL’s website.

Toronto Golf & Travel Show and the Toronto Home Show

If hockey is not your jam, the Toronto Golf Show is back at the International Centre this weekend. There will be opportunities to take lessons from Canada’s top golf instructors, bid on golf rounds and win prizes.

The event kicks off on Friday at noon and runs the entire weekend. Tickets are available now for $20.

Next door will be the Toronto Home & Backyard Show for everything you need for home improvement. Over 250 vendors will be there with everything from building products and services, to landscapers and gardening experts.

Parking is free at the event and tickets can be purchased for the Home Show here.

TTC/GO closures

• No service on TTC Line 2 between Warden and Kennedy stations for track work on Saturday and Sunday. Shuttle buses will be running and service is expected to resume at 6 a.m. Monday morning.

Road closures

Ongoing city closures

• University Avenue will be reduced to a single lane between College Street and Queen Street West to complete several infrastructure projects for the next seven months.
• Southbound Bayview Avenue is closed from Parkhurst Boulevard to Eglinton Avenue E from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. until Feb. 9.
• Broadview Avenue, between Gerrard Street East and Danforth Avenue, will be closed to southbound traffic and reduced to one northbound lane until November to replace TTC streetcar tracks.
• Teston Road in Vaughan will be closed between Pine Valley Drive and Weston Road until the end of the year for road reconstruction and bridge work.
• Queen Street is fully closed to traffic between Bay and Victoria Streets to accommodate work on a new station for the Ontario Line subway. The closure is scheduled to last for at least four-and-a-half years until 2027.
• Lake Shore Boulevard West, from Rees Street to Spadina Avenue, is reduced to two lanes until May 31, 2024, for Enwave construction.
• Northbound Yonge Street is reduced to one lane between Wellington and King Streets for TTC construction. The project is scheduled to continue into 2024.
• On Avenue Road from Yorkville Avenue to Elgin Avenue, the northbound lanes blocked due to emergency valve replacement.
• Two northbound lanes of Yonge Street from King Street to Wellington Street for TTC construction until Sept. 30, 2024.
• Two westbound lanes of Lake Shore Boulevard East from Cherry Street to Carlaw Avenue are closed until April 10, 2024.
• Finch Avenue West from Dufferin Street to Wilmington Avenue westbound and eastbound lanes are closed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for sanitary truck sewer improvements until March 31, 2024.
• Eglinton Avenue West from Royal York Road to the NB 427 Ramp eastbound and westbound lanes will be occupied from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. until June 1, 2024