Robin Thicke and Chaka Khan among star headliners of 2009 NHL Awards

June 15, 2:54 PMLuxe Life ExaminerRobin Leach

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Robin Thicke at The Pearl in the Palms in Las Vegas.
Photo: Erik Kabik

A glittering galaxy of sports superstars, Hollywood celebrities and ice hockey legends begin arriving in Las Vegas today for Thursday’s spectacular celebration of hockey at the 2009 NHL Awards. Singers Robin Thicke and Chaka Khan, who will perform at the awards show, will lead the stars on the red carpet, including heartthrob singer Michael Buble, Entourage star Kevin Connolly, William Fichtner of Prison Break, Battlestar Galactica’s Tricia Helfer and Colin Ferguson of Eureka.

I plan to talk with Hollywood mogul and The Pirates of the Caribbean director Jerry Bruckheimer, who because of his annual visits to Las Vegas for an all-star celebrity ice hockey challenge, has long been rumored to want a NHL franchise here. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman also will talk with me about the possibility of an NHL team here.

The red carpet and show at The Pearl Concert Theater in the Palms will be broadcast live in high-definition on Versus in the U.S. and on CBC in Canada. Fans are invited to line the red carpet for the festivities starting at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday for the 4:30 p.m. live broadcast to meet the 7:30 p.m. primetime East Coast telecast.

NHL Awards finalists include the Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin, the Detroit Red Wings’ Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom, the Chicago Blackhawks’ Kris Versteeg, the Boston Bruins’ Zdeno Chara and Tim Thomas and the Philadelphia Flyers’ Mike Richards. The NHL legends who will be appearing include Tony Esposito, Sergei Fedorov, Doug Gilmour, Kelly Hrudey, Pat LaFontaine, Igor Larionov, Brian Leetch, Reggie Lemelin, Mark Messier, Stan Mikita, Andy Moog, Joe Nieuwendyk, Luc Robitaille, Jeremy Roenick and former NHL coach Pat Burns.

Las Vegas gets its first taste of the ice tomorrow when a synthetic rink will be set up at the front of Caesars Palace. Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin will skate against Vancouver Canucks’ all-star Ryan Kesley. Randy Hahn, who is the play-by-play commentator for the San Jose Sharks, will emcee as cameras roll. Alex’s moves on the ice will be filmed for a new video game, and the public is invited to watch and make up the filmed audience.

Vegas Deluxe will post any late-breaking additions to the lineup, and then we’ll be on the red carpet and at the awards show Thursday for our overnight coverage. This is the first time the NHL Awards have been held in Las Vegas.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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