NEW YORK -- Comedian Matt Friend will host the 2024 NHL Awards™, the National Hockey League announced today. The celebration of the League’s best regular-season performances will be broadcast live from Fontainebleau Las Vegas on Thursday, June 27 on ESPN and Sportsnet in the U.S. and Canada, respectively, beginning at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET. Tickets to the show are available here.
Friend and his career as a comedian and impressionist have been on the rise since the beginning of 2024. He has appeared on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, conducted viral interviews on the Golden Globes Red Carpet, performed at the White House Correspondents Dinner and headlined the Netflix Is A Joke Festival as part of his nationwide standup tour. Later this summer, Friend is launching his own late-night talk show-inspired podcast on Bill Maher’s Club Random Studios.
“Growing up, all my heroes were hockey-obsessed comedians. I am so thrilled to join the list of my heroes like Will Arnett and Kenan Thompson as host of the NHL Awards, especially as someone who grew up a Chicago Blackhawks fan during the dynasty,” said Friend. “I am so grateful to Steve Mayer, Michael Dempsey, and Gary Bettman for the opportunity to fulfill my lifelong dream of hosting the Golden Globes… of Hockey! Hopefully I’ll win them over when I debut my Gary Bettman impression!”
“We can’t wait to be back in Las Vegas to celebrate the best players in the NHL and cap off a monumental season for the league,” said NHL Chief Content Officer and Senior Executive Vice President Steve Mayer. “Vegas has a unique energy and we’re thrilled to have Matt Friend join us as host this year. Matt is a versatile comedic talent unlike any other and we know the show will be in great hands.”
The event marks the 11th time the NHL Awards™ will be presented in Las Vegas, and the first time since 2019. Past winners of each award can be accessed here. The 2024 NHL Awards™ will 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), will also be awarded.
Fans who would like to join the celebratory evening can purchase an exclusive Fontainebleau Las Vegas room package, which includes a special room rate and two tickets to the NHL Awards™. To learn more about the room offer, visit fontainebleaulasvegas.com/nhl-awards-2024/.
The 2024 NHL Awards™ is the first of two marquee NHL events in Vegas this June. The NHL will stage the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft™ at Sphere, the next-generation entertainment medium that is redefining live entertainment, over two days: Friday, June 28 (Round 1, televised on ESPN, ESPN+, Sportsnet and TVA Sports, starting at 4 p.m. PT) and Saturday, June 29 (Rounds 2-7, televised on ESPN+, NHL Network, Sportsnet and SN1, starting at 8:30 a.m. PT). Tickets to the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft™ are available for purchase here.
NHL Network™, NHL.com and NHL Social™ will provide comprehensive coverage of the 2024 NHL Awards™. Fans can follow the festivities across the NHL’s social media channels via the official hashtag #NHLAwards.
