Las Vegas Weekly

April 7, 2009 · 7:23 AM

NHL’s Stanley Cup and annual awards are coming to the Palms

By Robin Leach

Joe Maloof, George Maloof, Mayor Oscar Goodman, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Gavin Maloof with the mayor's showgirls and The Stanley Cup.

Photo: Denise Truscello/WireImage

One of the most recognized, if not the most recognized, sports trophies in North America -- the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup -- was proudly displayed on Ghostbar’s open-air rooftop patio at the Palms yesterday.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and our Merry Mayor of Mirth Oscar Goodman joined Palms owner George Maloof and his brothers Joe and Gavin Maloof, who own the Sacramento Kings and are ice hockey fans, at Ghostbar.

It was the official confirmation of a three-year contract among the NHL, the Palms and the City of Las Vegas that Vegas DeLuxe had reported earlier last week. It will be the first TV special to be produced for the league’s annual awards ceremony and festivities to be broadcast from The Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms each summer to the U.S. and Canada.

Gary told me that he expects a large contingent of celebrities from Hollywood to join the biggest ice hockey stars in the world. “We're too close to Hollywood to not get them all involved. There are a lot of Canadian-born stars there who love our game and are ice hockey enthusiasts.”

We’ll have our full interview with Commissioner Bettman posted later this week, so check back here at Vegas DeLuxe as Gary discusses the proposed new arena to be built in Vegas and plans for poker and golf tournaments for the players during their visit here for the awards.

Gary says there are no plans for an NHL expansion team in our desert playground, but he's hoping that if not this summer, then definitely next time to organize an all-star ice hockey game at one of our indoor arenas.

Blinking from the sunshine, he joked: “The weather is so fantastic in Vegas, I just don’t think we could do an open-air all-star game here in the middle of the summer. It’s great for vacations and tanning, but bad for trying to stop the ice from melting!"

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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