On Thursday, June 27, starting at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET, ESPN and Sportsnet in the United States and Canada will stream live from Fontainebleau Las Vegas in honor of the league’s top regular-season performances.
The NHL Awards will be given in Las Vegas for the eleventh time, and for the first time since 2019.
“Comedians who were passionate about hockey were my childhood idols,” Friend said in a statement to Deadline. “As someone who grew up a Chicago Blackhawks fan during the dynasty, I am overjoyed to be hosting the NHL Awards alongside my heroes, Will Arnett and Kenan Thompson.” I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Gary Bettman, Michael Dempsey, and Steve Mayer for giving me the chance to realize a lifetime ambition of mine: hosting the Golden Globes of hockey! Hopefully when I premiere my Gary Bettman impression, I’ll win them over.
Steve Mayer, Senior EVP and Chief Content Officer of the NHL, said: “We are thrilled to be returning to Las Vegas to honor the league’s top players and celebrate an incredible season for the league. We are excited to have Matt Friend join us as host this year because Vegas has a special atmosphere. We are confident that Matt will be a fantastic host for the show because he is an incredibly flexible and funny talent.
As a master impressionist with accurate portraits of everyone from Jeff Goldblum to Rami Malek and Timothée Chalamet, Friend has become well-known on social media in recent years. With more than a million social media followers, the 25-year-old has amassed more than 250 impressions overall. As part of his national stand-up tour, he has headlined Netflix Is a Joke Fest, performed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, appeared on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, and given viral interviews on the Golden Globes red carpet. He’ll debut his own late-night talk show-inspired podcast on Club Random Studios, hosted by Bill Maher, later this summer.
The greatest players from the regular season in a variety of categories, such as most valuable player, excellent goalkeeper, outstanding defenseman, and outstanding rookie, will be recognized with the 2024 NHL Awards. Additionally, the National Hockey League Players Association’s Ted Lindsay Award, which is given yearly to the “most outstanding player” in the NHL, will be given out.
If the Florida Panthers are able to defeat the Edmonton Oilers at home in Game 5 of their series, the Stanley Cup might be given out tonight. In the Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers have a three-game lead.
