2015 NHL Awards to Be Held at MGM Grand in Las Vegas on June 24
National Hockey League Continues Successful Partnership with Las Vegas;
Prepares for Its Largest Celebration of Hockey
NEW YORK (April 14, 2015) – The NHL Awards™ will return to Las Vegas this summer at the world-famous MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, the National Hockey League announced today. The NHL Awards will be held on Wednesday, June 24, at the renowned MGM Grand Garden Arena.
It marks the first year that the NHL Awards will be held at the MGM Grand, home to world-class entertainment, dining and nightlife, as well as concerts, championship boxing and premier sporting and special events. When the biggest stars from the NHL® and hockey fans from around the world descend on the MGM Grand in June, it will mark the seventh year of a successful partnership with Las Vegas and the sixth time the NHL will honor the best hockey players in the world and the top performances of the season in Las Vegas.
“The grandeur and excitement of the NHL Awards makes Las Vegas – and MGM Grand’s famed Garden Arena – the perfect backdrop to celebrate and reward the League’s best players,” said Keith Wachtel, NHL Executive Vice President, Global Partnerships. “We’re thrilled to be entering our seventh year with partner Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, who each year have helped us commemorate an unforgettable season in style. This year, the MGM Grand will set the bar high, delivering an amazing show from its renowned venue allowing more NHL fans to attend the event up close and personal.”
“Las Vegas and NHL are two of the most recognizable brands in the world,” said Cathy Tull, Senior Vice President of Marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “This partnership will provide visitors and fans unrivaled excitement during this year’s awards ceremony, proving that no destination matches the passion and energy of the NHL like Las Vegas.”
The 2015 NHL Awards will honor the best regular-season players in a wide range of categories, including most valuable player (Hart Trophy), outstanding goaltender (Vezina Trophy), outstanding defenseman (Norris Trophy) and outstanding rookie (Calder Trophy); the Ted Lindsay Award, which is presented annually to the “most outstanding player” in the NHL as voted by fellow members of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), also will be awarded.
Finalists for each award will be announced beginning Tuesday, April 21, with nominees for each award revealed daily. Following is the schedule of nominee announcements:
Tuesday, April 21
Lady Byng Trophy (player best combining sportsmanship and ability)
Wednesday, April 22
Calder Trophy (top rookie)
Thursday, April 23
Selke Trophy (forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game)
Friday, April 24
Vezina Trophy (top goaltender)
Monday, April 27
Norris Trophy (top defenseman)
Tuesday, April 28
Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award presented by Bridgestone
Wednesday, April 29
Masterton Trophy (perseverance and dedication to hockey)
Thursday, April 30
Hart Trophy (most valuable player to his team)
Friday, May 1
NHL Foundation Player Award (community service)
Monday, May 4
Jack Adams Award (top head coach)
Tuesday, May 5
Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player as voted by the players)
The winners of the NHL’s regular-season statistic-based awards also will be recognized. This season, Dallas Stars left wing Jamie Benn captured his first career Art Ross Trophy as the League scoring champion, Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin claimed his fifth career Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the League’s goal-scoring leader, and Corey Crawford of the Chicago Blackhawks and Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens won their second and first career William M. Jennings Trophy, respectively, as the goaltender(s) who play at least 25 games for the club allowing the fewest goals.
IMG will produce the 2015 NHL Awards™, under the helm of executive producer Steve Mayer.
A full line up of presenters and entertainment, information on broadcasting and tickets, as well as hospitality and travel packages through PrimeSport will be announced at a future date. In what has become an annual tradition, EA SPORTS will be unveiling the Cover Athlete for the upcoming launch of NHL 16. In addition, fans can enter for a chance to win a trip to the 2015 NHL Awards™ at www.NHL.com/Vegas and tweet about the event using the official hashtag #NHLAwards.
ABOUT THE NHL
The National Hockey League, founded in 1917, is the second-oldest of the four major professional team sports leagues in North America. Today, the NHL consists of 30 Member Clubs, each reflecting the League’s international makeup, with players from more than 20 countries represented on team rosters. According to a Simmons Market Research study, NHL fans are younger, more educated, more affluent, and access content through digital means more than any other major professional sport. The NHL entertains more than 250 million fans each season in-arena and through its partners in national television (NBC Sports Network, NBC, TSN, CBC, RDS, RIS, and NHL Network™) and radio (NHL Radio™ and Sirius XM Satellite Radio). Through the NHL Foundation, the League’s charitable arm, the NHL raises money and awareness for Hockey Fights Cancer™ and NHL Youth Development, and supports the charitable efforts of NHL players. For more information on the NHL, log on to NHL.com.
ABOUT THE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA
The MGM Grand Garden Arena is home to concerts, championship boxing and premier sporting and special events. The Arena offers comfortable seating for as many as 16,800 with excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art acoustics, lighting and sound. Prominent events to date have included world championship fights between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson as well as Oscar de la Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather and Floyd Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez; and concerts by The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Bette Midler, George Strait, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, U2, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Jimmy Buffett and the Barbra Streisand Millennium Concert. The MGM Grand Garden Arena also is home to annual events including Academy of Country Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, iHeartRadio Music Festival, Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Championship and the Frozen Fury NHL pre-season game hosted by the Los Angeles Kings.
ABOUT THE LVCVA
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is charged with marketing Southern Nevada as a tourism and convention destination worldwide, and also with operating the Las Vegas Convention Center and Cashman Center. With 151,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas alone and 10.6 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space citywide, the LVCVA’s mission centers on attracting ever-increasing numbers of leisure and business visitors to the area. For more information, go to www.lvcva.com or www.VisitLasVegas.com.
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