Las Vegas Weekly

June 24, 2010 · 12:41 PM

Photos and videos: Another three years of NHL Awards at the Palms?

By Robin Leach

Sidney Crosby and Mark Messier at the 2010 NHL Awards at the Palms on June 23, 2010.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

The ice hockey stars shined as brightly as the Hollywood celebrities during last night’s 2010 NHL Awards at The Pearl Concert Theater in the Palms. It’s the second consecutive year that the show has been held here.

If Palms head honcho George Maloof has his way, he’ll happily add another three years to the contract that is set to expire after next year’s third show. George told me that he’d love to see the event as an annual fixture here in the Entertainment Capital of the World.

“It’s doubled last year’s debut intensity. We’ve ramped it up a lot,” George said. “The telecast is now a real showbiz spectacular along with the awards. Fan interest has been phenomenal. My phone has rung off the hook. We were totally sold out weeks before the show, whereas last year we still had a few tickets left over at the last minute.

“I think the interest has grown incredibly because of the Olympics and Team USA, plus the rivalry in the Stanley Cup Finals between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers. It really exploded this year. I checked our hotel reservations and ticket sales for NHL against some of our biggest concerts of the year, and they are all up there together.”

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was just as enthusiastic about the possibility of staying on at least through 2014. He told me: “Las Vegas has been wonderful for us. We’re a few months away from discussing the possible renewal. I don’t see any hindrances. Let me put it this way: Barring any problems or unexpected changes, we love the Maloofs, and everybody in the NHL from owners, players, coaches and the fans love everything about us being here in Las Vegas.”

The red carpet was packed with NHL greats and Hollywood celebrities including host Jay Mohr, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jamie Kennedy, Natasha Henstridge, D.B. Sweeney, George Stroumboulopoulos, John Slattery, Mark Messier, Guy Lafleur, Luc Robitaille and Jeremy Roenick. Members of Cirque du Soleil’s Love at The Mirage, Shinedown, Snoop Dogg and Travis Barker performed on the show.

Contributing photographers Tom Donoghue and Erik Kabik were on the red carpet and in the awards room after each presentation, and former Playboy Playmates turned Las Vegas residents Kelly Carrington and Lindsey Roeper handed out the trophies onstage. Photographer Denise Truscello also shot, and Richard Corey and Christopher Rauschnot @24kMedia on Twitter posted their videos on YouTube.

NHL superstars Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Martin Brodeur won the loudest cheers on the red carpet. Patrick Kane of the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks walked the Stanley Cup through the thousands of fans with his teammates Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp and coach Joe Quenneville. The commissioner and 2010 Miss Nevada USA Julianna Erdesz happily posed for photos.

Alex, of the Washington Capitals and with a missing tooth from a rival’s hockey stick, won the Ted Lindsay Award for most outstanding player selected by the NHL Players Association but missed out on a third consecutive MVP Award. Sidney, of the Pittsburgh Penguins, also had been tipped to win MVP but won two other awards, including the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award. Surprise of the night was the win by Vancouver Canucks’ Henrik Sedin of the Hart MVP Trophy and also the Art Ross Scoring Leader Trophy. Our Las Vegas Sun colleagues’ coverage includes the full list of winners.

I chatted with Sidney and Alex on the red carpet. Sidney, one of the most popular stars of the NHL, told me: “I think there’s a lot of guys here who can bring even more excitement to the sport and its recognition. If I’m in that category, it’s fine. It’s a compliment. Fame does go with the territory. I think I am ready to handle it, even though sometimes it surprises me. That’s life, and you learn.

“To be recognized like this is pretty nice, but we’re far more concerned about winning games than the awards. I haven’t seen a lot of Las Vegas on my first visit here so far, but I’m staying on so I can experience the nightlife.”

I asked Sidney about the stitch marks on his chin: “That’s one of many. I got a stick across my chin in the playoffs. I’m probably no longer friends with Dominick Moore, who put it there. There are a lot of scratches and bruises across my body and obviously more to come, too.”

Alex pointed out a missing tooth when he smiled for me. “That was also from a stick, not a puck. I was at the dentist just last week. I have a temporary plastic one to fill in, but I prefer grinning without it. We’ll put the permanent replacement in when I get back home from Las Vegas.”

Alex summed up for everybody: “We love it here. Everybody has a great time in Las Vegas when we come here. We will be back next year, and hopefully many times again after that.”

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.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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