NHL Awards in Las Vegas

[slacker76 3]

I'll be in Vegas this week. I know the NHL awards are Weds night at the Palms. Anyone have any experience going to the awards or what hockey related stuff(besides the awards show) is going on in Vegas this week?

[puckhoggy 0]

had some former classmates of mine doing seat-filling in past award ceremonies. said it was a blast and all the players were kind enough to sign autographs, even when you weren't suppose to ask.

[Chadd 916]

Talked to Jason while he was on his way to the airport, I'm sure he will fill us in when he gets back. I'm going to have to try and score a ticket for next year.

[RiSeOnFiRe 0]

Calder-----> Myers

Selke---->Datsyuk

Ted Lindsey-> OV

Btw, I was defending Kane in the Parade thread, but him holding onto the bunny was just dumb. She did not look into it at all.

[coldshoulder 0]

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[Jason Harris 31]

Talked to Jason while he was on his way to the airport, I'm sure he will fill us in when he gets back. I'm going to have to try and score a ticket for next year.

I wish I had mentioned this to you earlier, Chadd, because Toni started handing out the tickets, then said, "Why do I have two extra??" Rather than let the tickets be unused, Kerry sold them to a father/son and wrote a receipt for the guy for his charitable donation to Shoot For A Cure.

I definitely had a blast, although there isn't as much stargazing at the after party as you might imagine. It seemed like most of the current players went elsewhere, and I only recognized a few former players, although ten to twenty years later it's easy for them to slip by. We spoke to Ted Lindsey, a former Maple Leaf named Stu that Kerry appeared to know well, Sean Burke (very nice guy), Dan Bylsma, and briefly to Brett Hull, who came by to say hello to the Shot For A Cure spokesman (Aaron, who broke his neck playing hockey). There could have been more older players, but I didn't recognize them, and I had just as much fun chatting with the people in my vicinity.

However, we did speak with Shane Doan for a short while, and he too is a very nice guy. He was standing near us and constantly posed for pictures. We joked that he reminded us of Barbie at the end of Toy Story 2: Goodbye. Goodbye. Thank you. Bye. Are they gone yet?? Oh, good, cuz my cheeks are killing me!"

But here's the interesting thing about Doan, particularly in lieu of the "Stay Classy, Patrick Kane" thread. Doaner must have taken thirty pictures while he was nearby, and he smiled in every one like he was taking a picture with good friends. Earlier, someone had asked to take a picture with Kane, which he did, but it struck me how uncomfortable Kane appeared to be with the people. He had a very wan smile. Now, I understand that none of these guys really want to sign autographs or take pictures, but it was obvious the Doan accepted the responsibilty much more graciously. It seemed to illustrate why one of the players is thought to be a great leader, while the other is still young and needs to grow into his skin.

There were some actors there. I suddenly realized I was standing in line next to Sean Astin, so I told him, "One of the greatest sports movies ever." We started chatting about his other movies, when this girl behind us joined the conversation and got on my bad side by telling me the Bourne movies weren't good. Nonetheless, sadly, Astin was WOEFULLY out of shape. I mean woefully, which makes no sense when you're in an industry where the pay is quite good just for looking good.

Finally, the ladies and I are big fans of the Justice League animated series, since it appealed to both adults and kids. I walked around the pool twice before I found Michael Rosenbaum and told him, "Hey, I just gotta say that I'd be remiss as a father if I didn't tell you that you did a fantastic job as the Flash." It was obvious he wasn't expecting someone to say that, because the guy actually hugged me and said, "Wow, that was very nice of you to say that. A bit obscure, but thank you!"

Anyway, that was the extent of an overall fun evening.

[Chadd 916]

I wish I had mentioned this to you earlier, Chadd, because Toni started handing out the tickets, then said, "Why do I have two extra??" Rather than let the tickets be unused, Kerry sold them to a father/son and wrote a receipt for the guy for his charitable donation to Shoot For A Cure.

Another couple hours notice and I probably would have made it. Glad to hear that they ended up benefiting a charity though, something good came out of the spares.

[Jason Harris 31]

I forgot that I had taken this picture, although I was slightly late with the camera. The Cup had been sitting on the cement square in the middle of the pool at the Palms, which seemed to be a safe place because who'd try to steal it in front of everybody. Suddenly, these kids jumped in and went straight for the Cup. It was somewhat shocking that they would be so brazen, or that they might be so drunk to go for this dare.

Obviously, they turned out to be part of the Palms' security, but at first glance it was a bit of a clash to Phil Pritchard's HHOF suit and white gloves.

I wish I could have snapped the picture seven seconds earlier, because the guy had the Cup straight over his head, which was quite a sight given his artistic epidermis....