Hard Rock Hotel & Casino to Host 2018 NHL Awards Presented by Hulu

LAS VEGAS (April 11, 2018) -The NHL Awards™ presented by Hulu will return to Las Vegas this summer at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, the National Hockey League announced today. The 2018 NHL Awards™ presented by Hulu will be held on Wednesday, June 20, at The Joint, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino's state-of-the-art concert and entertainment venue. It marks the second year that the NHL Awards™ will be held at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, home to world-class entertainment, dining and party hotspots, as well as concerts and special events. In addition, Encore at Wynn Las Vegas will serve as NHL® Headquarters for the festivities. NBCSN and Sportsnet will broadcast the event live in the United States and Canada, respectively, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
Additionally, the NHL & Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) announced a multi-year partnership extension, making this the 10th year of a successful partnership between Las Vegas and the League and the ninth time the NHL will honor the best hockey players in the world and the top performances of the season in Las Vegas. Las Vegas venues that have hosted the NHL Awards include Palms Hotel (2009-2011), Encore at Wynn Las Vegas (2012, 2014), MGM Grand (2015), The Joint, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (2016) and T-Mobile Arena (2017).
"Las Vegas has been a tremendous host to the NHL Awards and we are thrilled to be coming back to the city for a ninth time this summer and, for a second time, to the Hard Rock," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "Our players, coaches and fans look forward to coming to Las Vegas each June to honor the Award nominees and winners. This year, for the first time, those honored could include members of the home team, the Vegas Golden Knights. I thank our friends at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for being terrific partners and for making us feel welcome each and every time we've visited."

"In just one thrilling year, Las Vegas has become a hockey town thanks to the remarkable inaugural season of our beloved Vegas Golden Knights. We are thrilled to celebrate this in conjunction with our ten year partnership with the NHL in welcoming the 2018 NHL Awards," said Cathy Tull, Chief Marketing Officer for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
The 2018 NHL Awards™ presented by Hulu will again 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.
A full line up of presenters and entertainment will be announced at a future date. In addition, fans can tweet about the event using the official hashtag #NHLAwards.
Finalists for each award will be announced daily, beginning Tuesday, April 17. Following is the schedule of the finalist announcements. Please note that all announcement dates are subject to change.
Tuesday, April 17
Vezina Trophy (top goaltender)

Wednesday, April 18
Selke Trophy (forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game)

Thursday, April 19
Norris Trophy (top defenseman)

Friday, April 20
Lady Byng Trophy (player best combining sportsmanship and ability)
Saturday, April 21
Masterton Trophy (perseverance and dedication to hockey)

Sunday, April 22
Calder Trophy (top rookie)
Monday, April 23
King Clancy Memorial Trophy (Humanitarian Award)

Tuesday, April 24
Mark Messier Leadership Award

Wednesday, April 25
Jack Adams Award (top head coach)

Thursday, April 26
Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player as voted by the players)

Friday, April 27
Hart Trophy (most valuable player to his team)

The 2017-18 National Hockey League regular season concluded with Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid capturing his second career and second consecutive Art Ross Trophy as the League's scoring champion, Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkinclaiming his seventh career Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the NHL's goal-scoring leader and Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings winning his second career William M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltender who plays at least 25 games for the club allowing the fewest goals.

On Tuesday, June 19, a day before the NHL recognizes its regular season award winners at the 2018 NHL Awards™, the League's first-ever esports World Champion will be crowned when the 2018 NHL Gaming World Championship™World Finals are played at the new EsportsArena Las Vegas at Luxor Hotel and Casino. The Champion will walk away with their share of the $100K cash prize pool, tickets to the 2018 NHL Awards™, the Championship Trophy and 'Chel bragging rights.
Registered players residing in Canada, the European Union and United States began Online Qualifier play in the NHL's first-ever international esports tournament on March 24. Eight total players per Region will meet in their respective Regional Final markets -- Viasat studios in Stockholm, Sweden, on Sunday, May 6; Sportsnetstudios in Toronto, Ont., on Friday, May 11 and NBCStudios in Stamford, Conn., on Sunday, May 20. The two top players per Region will qualify for the 2018 NHL Gaming World Championship™ Finals on June 19.
Fans can follow the conversation using social hashtag #NHLGWC. Schedules and results will be posted in near real-time to the NHL's page on FACEIT,
https://fce.gg/NHL
. To learn more, visit
NHL.com/Gaming
.
NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks and NHL Awards name and logo and NHL Gaming World Championship name and logo are trademarks of the National Hockey League. NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the NHL and its teams. © NHL 2018. All Rights Reserved.

ABOUT THE NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL®), founded in 1917, consists of 31 Member Clubs, each reflecting the League's international makeup with players from more than 20 countries represented on team rosters, vying for the most cherished and historic trophy in professional sports - the Stanley Cup®. Every year, the NHL entertains more than 250 million fans in-arena and through its partners on national television and radio and more than 151 million followers - league, team and player accounts combined - across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube. The NHL reaches fans worldwide with games available online in every country including via its live and on-demand streaming service NHL.TV™. For more information, visit NHL.com.
ABOUT HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is Las Vegas' off-strip playground, just minutes and less than three miles from McCarran International Airport. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino offers an energetic entertainment and gaming experience with the services and amenities associated with a boutique luxury resort hotel. The property is known for its innovative nightlife and music scene where acts such as The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Paul McCartney, Incubus, Foo Fighters, Carlos Santana, Mötley Crüe, Guns N' Roses and KISS have all performed. Features of the property include the newly-remodeled 11-story Casino Tower with 640 rooms and suites, 17-story Paradise Tower with 490 rooms and suites; the 15-story HRH All-Suite Tower with 359 suites, eight spa villas and seven penthouse suites, which has received the AAA Four Diamond Award; 60,000 square feet of casino space featuring Peacock High-Limit gaming and Asian gaming amenities; 110,000 square feet of flexible meeting and convention space, which was named a Smart Meetings 2016 Platinum Choice Award winner; more than $4 million in rare music memorabilia; Reliquary Spa; Kelly Cardenas Salon - a Paul Mitchell® Focus Salon; 4.8 acres of tropical pool paradise, which was voted as the No. 1 "Best Hotel Pool" in the 2015 USA Today 10BestReaders Choice contest; the world-famous pool party Rehab Beach Club; live music/entertainment venues The Joint, Vinyl and Club Domina, the home of Magic Mike Live Las Vegas; restaurants Culinary Dropout, Nobu, Pink Taco, Mr. Lucky's Café, Goose Island Pub, 福Fú Asian Kitchen, Oyster Bar, Pizza Forte, Dunkin' Donuts and MB Steak; a fitness center; trendsetting retailers John Varvatos, Affliction, Hart & Huntington Tattoo Co., Chill by Hudson, Hootenanny, Bezel, Day + Night and Shine. For room availability and additional information call 800.HRD.ROCK (800.473.7625) or visit hardrockhotel.com. Follow Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and updates.
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 nearly 150,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas alone and more than 11 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. Download the virtual reality app, Vegas VR, to experience Las Vegas from your iPhone or Android by visiting
http://www.vrtv.vegas/
. For more information, go to
www.lvcva.com
or
www.visitlasvegas.com
.