Three very different worlds – Hollywood, hip hop and hockey – are about to converge in Las Vegas.
The three very star-studded universes will unite on June 18 at the Palms for the 2009 the NHL Awards. This year is the first time the annual awards show will be held somewhere other than Toronto, and the first time the gala event will be open to the public. (Tickets are currently on sale at the Pearl box office.)
Snoop Dogg, Lauren Holly and Michael Bublé are among the growing list of VIPs who will walk the red carpet that afternoon alongside NHL stars more used to the ice than the photographer lined rug.
William Fichtner (Prison Break, Blades of Glory), Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galatica, Burn Notice) and Colin Ferguson (Eureka) will also be there.
The stargazing will start at 3:15 p.m. at the Palms and is also open to the public and sure to be mobbed by fans hoping to catch site of their favorite celebs.
The league announced today that three-time Grammy Award-winning hockey fan Robin Thicke will return to the Pearl to perform at the awards show.
Thicke was in town earlier this month when he and Jennifer Hudson played for a sold-out crowd at the Palms.
Thicke is, of course, the son of former Growing Pains patriarch Alan Thicke, who has had teeth knocked out and required stitches playing post Dr. Jason Seaver hockey.
Other musical acts set to perform at the awards include 10-time Grammy Award-winnersChaka Khan and Canadian buzz band, the Arkells.
Meanwhile, the awards' house band will be led by Saturday Night Live bandleader Katreese Barnes.
Unsurprisingly, a collection of NHL legends will also descend upon the Pearl at the Palms for the show.
Sergei Fedorov, Doug Gilmour, Pat LaFontaine, Igor Larionov, Mark Messier, Joe Nieuwendyk, Luc Robitaille and Jeremy Roenick are just some of the big names already confirmed.
Tony Esposito; Ron Francis; Kelly Hrudey; Brian Leetch; Reggie Lemelin; Stan Mikita; Andy Moog; and former coach Pat Burns will also be there.
Current players who will walk the carpet include Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green; Pittsburgh Penguins Evgeni Malkin; Detroit Red Wings Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom; Chicago Blackhawks Kris Versteeg; Boston Bruins Zdeno Chara and Tim Thomas; and Philadelphia Flyers Mike Richards.
Richards, who is up for the Frank Selke Trophy this year,was recently in town to do a little pre-awards preview.
In addition to the awards show itself, the NHL has a handful of other events planned for its time in the desert.
A player poker tournament, which is also open to the public, is being planned for June 17; a golf tournament is in the works; and an exclusive post-awards party will be held at Rain. (Admission to the post party is included in the awards show ticket price, but partiers have to be at least 21 years old to attend.)
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