The NHL announced on April 21 that the league’s annual awards will once again be handed out in Las Vegas, Nevada this year.The awards ceremony will take place at the Encore Theater at the Wynn Hotel on Tuesday, June 24 and will be broadcast live on television in America by NBCSN and in Canada on CBC. The NHL Awards will be hosted by Canadian journalist and TV interviewer George Stroumboulopoulos.
This will mark the fifth time the league has taken the awards show to Las Vegas to honor the best players in the NHL, and the second time the ceremony will be taking place at the Wynn.
Stroumboulopoulos was recently announced as the new host of Canada’s famous Hockey Night in Canada program following a new broadcasting deal between the NHL and Rogers Communications n Canada.
It will be the first time Stroumboulopoulos has hosted the program and the NHL Awards. He will take over as the host of Hockey Night in Canada from current host Ron MacLean in October of 2014. He will also host various other regular NHL programming and games on the Rogers network.
The 2014 NHL Awards will honor the league’s best regular-season players in a variety of different categories. These include handing out silverware such as the Hart Trophy for the league’s most valuable player, the Vezina Trophy to the most outstanding goaltender, The Norris Trophy to the most outstanding defenseman and the Calder Trophy for the top rookie.
The Ted Lindsay Award will also be handed out to the league’s most outstanding player, which is voted on by the player’s peers in the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA).
The finalists for each of the awards will be announced in April. The nominees for one award will be revealed on a daily basis beginning on April 22 with the Lady Byng Trophy, which is awarded to the player who best combines ability and sportsmanship. The final trophy nominees will be announced on May 6 for the Jack Adams Award which goes to the NHL’s coach of the year.
In addition, the winners of the league’s regular-season statistical awards will also be announced in Las Vegas.
Center Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer for the second time in his career while right-winger Alexander Ovechkin won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the NHL’s top goal getter for the fourth time in his career.
Goaltender Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings will take home the William M. Jennings Trophy for the first time in his career for allowing the fewest goals against in a minimum of 25 games played.
The NHL Awards show will also feature a full line up well-known entertainers and trophy presenters.
