Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Maloof’s latest power play at the Palms: The NHL Awards show

George Maloof-Mark Messier

TVT

Palms mogul George Maloof and NHL legend Mark Messier at the Palms in June 2009, when the Palms is hosting the NHL Awards for the first time.

NHL Awards at the Palms

The NHL Awards were held Thursday at the Pearl inside the Palms. Launch slideshow »
Click to enlarge photo

The cast ofPawn Stars at Vegas' seventh anniversary party at Surrender in Encore on June 19, 2010.

Click to enlarge photo

Carrot Top at Encore Beach Club and Surrender on May 28, 2010.

Click to enlarge photo

Hotel General Manager Rajesh Jhingon makes a toast to the 400 newly hired colleagues during the "Day of Delight" event hosted Saturday at the Mandarin Oriental.

"This thing is blowing up!" Palms owner George Maloof said Monday afternoon.

He wasn't speaking of the hotel.

Maloof, the resort's consistently hip overlord, was talking of the kinetic energy surrounding the NHL Awards. The hottest show on ice is taking over the resort this week. The event began Monday afternoon with an unveiling of 16 NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup and Hart Memorial Trophy (awarded to the league MVP) at the Palms.

All this ace hardware is to be displayed through the award show, which is set for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Pearl Theater. The event is scheduled to air live on cable channel Versus, and the host is comic Jay Mohr, who conveniently kind of resembles former NHL star Jeremy Roenick. Travis Barker and Snoop Dog (who is known more for blowing out than blowing up) open the show with a taped take on Snoop's, "I Wanna Rock."

Mark Wahlberg, Jacksonville, Fla. rockers Shinedown, and members of Cirque du Soleil's "Love" are among those appearing and performing, though I expect not all at once.

For the awards night, a "Fan Pit" area will be cordoned off near the hotel's entrance beginning at 3 p.m. The idea is to organize the NHL devotees hoping to catch a glimpse of the stars entering Pearl Theatre.

The "Fan Pit" was a hit last year and organizers are encouraging any fan on site to practice his or her fandom in that pit. Controlled chaos is the aim here.

Among the awards to be doled out are the Art Ross Trophy for the league's top scorer, the Bill Masterson Trophy (for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the sport) and the Calder Memorial Trophy for the leagues' top rookie.

There was a time when these types of awards in pro sports routinely were announced via news releases sent to media companies. No more. In the NHL, it's all Vegas now. The NHL Awards Show debuted at the Palms just last year, but the relationship between the league and the Maloof family dates back more than 15 years.

"My family was interested, years ago, in buying the Tampa Bay Lightning," Maloof said during a phone conversation Monday afternoon, prior to the unveiling of all those trophies at the hotel. "We developed a relationship with (NHL Commissioner) Gary Bettman at the time and Phil (Maloof) became a friend of his. The deal never came off. It didn't make financial sense for us at the time, and this was in 1994 and 1995, right as we were opening the Fiesta." (Those new to Las Vegas might be surprised to know that the Maloofs did once own Fiesta Rancho, selling it to Stations Casinos for $185 million in 2001.)

Over time, Phil Maloof continued to "hit up" Bettman, as George Maloof puts it, during casual conversations, pitching the Palms as a place where the league would enjoy a shot of widespread Vegas-style attention. The officials agreed to bring the show to the Palms last year. Given that the event had no history or track record, Maloof says he was surprised at its success.

"Everyone was a little timid about it at first, but we just had waves and waves of fans and a great experience here," he said. "This year, it's just off the hook. I think with the success (Team USA) had in the Olympics, and the fact that the Stanley Cup involved two very popular teams (the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks), the sport is enjoying a real surge right now."

Maloof has become a fan very recently. Since about last year.

"I watched the Olympics, and every game of the Stanley Cup finals," he said. When asked if that meant he could identify the crease, or accurately define icing, he laughed and said, "Is that the question? I'll say yes to that."

• The soft opening for "Vegas! The Show" at Saxe Theater at Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood has been pushed back once more. Originally slated for June 1, then June 12, then last Friday, then Tuesday (today, if you're reading this Tuesday), the first night of ticketed performances are set for Saturday, Saxe Theater spokeswoman Shelley Bruner says. Saxe is still perfecting the show, is the word from the theater. With no "preview" ticket prices set — the show costs $79 and $99 per ducat, absent fees — the show won't enjoy a true "preview" period to kink out the works. Work out the kinks, I mean.

• Thursday I met a very good singer at Stirling Club at Turnberry Place, performing any number of rock classics to an acoustic guitar accompaniment. Sunday I saw a fine performance by "Tina" in "Tony N' Tina's Wedding" at V Theater at the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood (whew). On July 10, Starship starring Mickey Thomas plays a concert at Eastside Cannery's Casablanca Events Center.

These events are all connected by a single individual: Vocalist Stephanie Calvert.

While Calvert was performing with guitarist Betsy Holm at Stirling Club before the Turnberry Place talent show, she spoke of singing with Starship. Calvert is a good singer; she has to be to cover Grace Slick's vocal parts. Then she said something about "Tony N' Tina's Wedding," and there she was again Sunday night, onstage in her white gown drinking from a bottle of Bud Lite and performing a manic interpretation of Beyonce's "Single Ladies."

Also on Calvert's performance resume: The '80s tribute act Love Shack. She's got it covered, every which way, an entertainer both under the radar and all over the place.

• The "Pawn Stars" have hit Slate magazine. In a story published online Sunday on the Slate.com, author Troy Patterson penned this great description of Richard "Old Man" Harrison. "... (Harrison) dresses like some kind of mortician in a Johnny Cash song. It's hard to tell if The Old Man is merely gruff or also doddering, but in any case he emits low rumbles of semicomic skepticism at a steady rate." Low rumbles, indeed ...

• Scott "Carrot Top" Thompson canceled his show at the Luxor on Monday night after a trip to the hospital. He drove himself on this trip, suffering from what his publicist Steve Flynn termed a case of food poisoning. Flynn received an early morning call (or a very late-night call, depending on what schedule you're working) from Thompson that he'd been in and out of the hospital.

Thompson cancelled a scheduled TV appearance at Palazzo, and postponed the debut of his new drink Heat Miser at Minus5 Ice Lounge at Mandalay Place. Flynn sought to cut off any "fishy" speculation as to Thompson's condition (anytime a celebrity falls ill unexpectedly the gossip culture goes a-twitter with rumors) and stresses it was indeed food poisoning.

Thompson himself sent a text message saying, "I'm home from the hospital now. That was a rough night."

Thompson should be back onstage as scheduled Wednesday night (the show is dark Tuesdays) in good repair and good red hair.

• Speaking of bad reactions to food, Monday I began what is to be a summer-long escapade under the working title My Vegan Summer. I've told most of my friends, and many perfect strangers, about this idea: I'm spending the summer as a vegan.

That's it. I'm spending the summer as a vegan. That is the idea.

Never have I been so ill-prepared for something so important. But I am staying away from animal-derived food products from Monday through the end of the summer, which is either Sept. 21 or in two weeks, depending on how my body responds. A sample of responses from some of the individuals I've spoken with about going vegan:

"I am buying stock in this idea!" — Mandarin Oriental GM Rajesh Jhingon.

"I'll visit you in the hospital," — Wayne Newton.

"Oh, John ... Well, remember to make sure you're getting all the essential amino acids," retired veterinarian and my dad, Dr. George Katsilometes.

"Are you going to stop wearing leather?" practically everyone else.

This is a diet change. A consumption adjustment, if you will. I will not alter my wardrobe or my hair products, or the stuff I rub on my face after I shave.

My cats will not go vegan.

But I will try to, and so far I can tell you it is tough. A few months ago I put nearly four days together. On that fourth day I was at a Wranglers hockey game, visiting with team president Billy Johnson. In walked a group of people, one of whom thought it would be a nifty idea to hit Capo's on East Tropicana after the game.

We did, and my vegan diet was blown away about 23 seconds upon arrival, when I devoured a meatball before even being seated. So it'll be a challenge, but I will give it my best shot.

Oh, and the person whose idea it was to eat at Capo's that night? Carrot Top. No kidding. The world is one big vegan circle ...

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at twitter.com/JohnnyKats.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy