2022 NHL Awards to share stage with presenters

Five NHL award recipients will share the spotlight with their trophy presenters at the 2022 NHL Awards on Tuesday, and that's exactly how the team organizing the event has planned it.

"What will make this show even more compelling and interesting is having these presenters in the house," said Steve Mayer, NHL chief content officer and senior executive vice president. "They'll absolutely become the focus of the show, perhaps even more than some of the winners."

The 2022 NHL Awards will be held live at Armature Works in Tampa on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS) between Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Steve Mayer, NHL Chief Content Officer and Senior Executive Vice President, speaks before the 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series game in Nashville.

Five awards will be presented during the one-hour show that will be hosted by Emmy Award-winning actor Kenan Thompson:

The Hart Trophy (NHL most valuable player); Vezina Trophy (top goalie); Norris Trophy (top defenseman); Calder Trophy (rookie of the year); and the Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player as voted by the NHL Players' Association).

The winners of nine previously announced 2021-22 NHL awards will be recognized during the show, as will Noel Acton, winner of the 2022 Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award presented by MassMutual, and the winner of the E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence, given to the draft prospect who best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism.

Seattle Kraken fan Nadia Popovici and Vancouver Canucks assistant equipment manager Red Hamilton.

Additionally, the three finalists for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award will be revealed, the winner to be announced midway through the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft on July 7 at Bell Centre in Montreal.

"It will be nice to have this award presented to the winner in front of his peers," Mayer said, with every NHL GM to be attending the draft.

The NHL Awards were presented the past two years in televised productions that clipped together highlights in taped programs, the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic taking the show out of neon-splashed Las Vegas.

"This year is a completely different format," Mayer said. "We're going to be as close as we can be to the Vegas shows that we've done."

Calgary Flames assistant general manager Chris Snow.

Where pre-pandemic award shows rode the entertainment rocket of Las Vegas with flashy productions featuring show-business stars, presenters this year will be much more representative of the grassroots, their inspirational stories having stirred the emotions of the NHL and beyond.

Presenters this year include:

Seattle Kraken fan Nadia Popovici, who from behind the glass discovered a cancerous mole on the neck of Vancouver Canucks assistant equipment manager Red Hamilton. Popovici and Hamilton will reunite as part of the show;

Calgary Flames assistant GM and ALS survivor and advocate Chris Snow, appearing with his wife, Kelsie, and their children, Cohen and Willa;

Milton Academy (Massachusetts) player Jake Thibeault, who was paralyzed by an injury in September 2021;

Emergency backup goalie Thomas Hodges, who overcame blindness in one eye to play in a game for the Anaheim Ducks this season.

Martin Lafleur speaks at the May 3, 2022 Montreal funeral of his father, Guy Lafleur.

Martin Lafleur, son of the late Montreal Canadiens icon Guy Lafleur, also will present an award, following a tribute to the many who were lost in the past year.

ESPN SportsCenter anchor Ashley Brewer, ESPN and NHL Network's Kevin Weekes and Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada host David Amber and analyst Elliotte Friedman also will take part.

Mayer's ambitious plan this year was to stage a live awards show in the city of the Stanley Cup Final's second-seeded team, between Games 3 and 4. That the New York Rangers and Lightning went six games in the Eastern Conference Final put his back, and those of his events team, against the wall, juggling different scenarios.

"All along the playoffs, we had to go into cities and do our discovery," Mayer said. "Where were we going to do our show -- in Edmonton, New York? Earlier on we were thinking it could be Carolina. That was one of the fun parts but it was also tough, doing all that research, finding all the great places along the way, just in case. When Tampa finally won, boom, we started signing on the dotted line."

Milton Academy player Jake Thibeault and New England Patriots running back Damien Harris at TD Garden in Boston on May 12, 2022.

The show will be held at Armature Works, "a great open space, beautiful, brick inside," Mayer says. "We're going to bring in table seating, it won't be theater seating. It's going to feel a lot more like the Golden Globes than the Tony Awards.

"This will be very different, unique, an intimate setting. We wanted to give this a try. We've always done the show either in an arena or a theater. Now for the first time we're going to do it in this format."

Some 350 people will attend. The finalists for each of the five awards to be presented are expected to be on hand with their families, as well as members of players' teams, NHL senior executives and those of the NHLPA and League partners and sponsors.

The Tampa Sports Commission dove in head-first, pulling out all the stops to help organize the event.

"They've been incredible, wonderful in making all these things come to life in such a short period of time," Mayer said. "Without them, I don't know. They just understand. They've got the police involved to get the streets closed, they've got local vendors to provide everything from food to flowers. They've been extremely helpful."

Anaheim Ducks emergency backup goalie Thomas Hodges in action against the Dallas Stars on April 29, 2022.

Even with the great NHL talent that will be in attendance, Mayer might be most excited about the presenters and the stories they will share.

"All of these incredible people and their stories made some of our biggest headlines of the year," he said. "It got me thinking that it would be really cool to bring these people in to be our presenters. Those who are coming to Tampa are so inspirational. I'm excited just thinking about them being able to come onto the stage and tell their stories.

"I think this will absolutely be the takeaway from the program -- these people presenting awards to our great players. I'm exhilarated just thinking about how those moments will play out and how emotional they will be."

Mayer's hope is something much larger than trophy presentations will be conveyed and that the show will not just entertain, but inspire.

"The idea for us in a show like this is to stir emotions," he said. "Whether Kenan Thompson makes you laugh, or whether you cry because of the incredible stories you'll hear, we hope viewers will be inspired to be better, to help these causes, to see these incredible people who haven't taken what's happened to them lightly. They just want to tell their stories.

"That's where we at the NHL win. You'll have five players who will leave with trophies and you've got so many more who will leave having been inspired by the program."

Trophies to be presented at 2022 NHL Awards:

Hart Trophy, most valuable player as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association
Finalists: Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs; Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers; Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers

Vezina Trophy, goalie judged to be best at his position, voted by NHL general managers
Finalists: Jacob Markstrom, Calgary Flames; Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators; Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers

Norris Trophy, top defenseman, as voted by the PHWA
Finalists: Roman Josi, Nashville Predators; Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche

Calder Trophy, rookie of the year, as voted by the PHWA
Finalists: Michael Bunting, Toronto Maple Leafs; Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks; Moritz Seider, Detroit Red Wings

Ted Lindsay Award, most outstanding player as voted by NHLPA
Finalists: Roman Josi, Nashville Predators; Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs; Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

Awards previously presented:

Art Ross Trophy, most regular-season points: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

Rocket Richard Trophy, most regular-season goals: Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs

Selke Trophy, forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game, as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association: Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins

Masterton Trophy, player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey: Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens

Lady Byng Trophy, player judged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability, as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association: Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets

William M. Jennings Trophy, awarded to the goalie(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it: Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta, Carolina Hurricanes

King Clancy Memorial Trophy, player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community: P.K. Subban, New Jersey Devils

Jack Adams Award, the NHL coach judged to have contributed the most to his team's success, as voted by the NHL Broadcasters' Association: Darryl Sutter, Calgary Flames

Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award, player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team on and off the ice during the regular season and who plays a leading role in his community growing the game of hockey: Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings

Willie O'Ree Community Award, recognizing an individual who best utilizes hockey as a platform to teach teamwork, humility, respect and respect and build strong inclusive communities: Noel Acton, Baltimore, Maryland