Stamford, CT – As the
Carolina Hurricanes celebrate their nail-biting Game 7 victory over the
Edmonton Oilers, garnering the team its first-ever Stanley Cup, OLN announces that the network will carry exclusive, live coverage of the National Hockey League Awards Show and the first round of the league’s 2006 Entry Draft. The NHL Awards Show, airing live on June 22 at 8 p.m. ET, will take one last look at the season by honoring the accomplishments of players as voted on by their peers, hockey writers and league managers. Two days later, on June 24 at 6 p.m. ET, NHL Clubs begin their quest for next year’s Stanley Cup by selecting promising young talent at the 2006 NHL Draft.
- The NHL Awards Show - June 22 at 8 p.m. ET
The NHL Awards Show, from The Centre in Vancouver, honors the exceptional performances of its best and brightest stars. Individual awards will be presented for various achievements, including the Hart Memorial Trophy (Most Valuable Player) with top three contenders Jaromir Jagr,
Joe Thornton and
Miikka Kiprusoff; the Calder Memorial Trophy (Outstanding Rookie) with top contenders Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, and
Dion Phaneuf; and the James Norris Memorial Trophy (outstanding defenseman) chosen from finalists Nicklas Lidstrom,
Scott Niedermayer and
Sergei Zubov, as well as the announcement of the players voted to the All-Star and All-Rookie Teams.
- The 2006 Entry Draft – June 24 at 6 p.m. ET
The 2006 Entry Draft takes place in General Motors Place in Vancouver and will feature the top 210 skaters and 30 goaltenders from North America, as well as the top 160 skaters and 18 goaltenders from Europe. For 30 years players have been ranked by the Central Scouting Service, which attends 3,000 games to provide the NHL with evaluations of draft eligible players and also a rank order. This year, the top North American prospect is defenseman Erik Johnson of the U.S. National Team Development Program’s Under-18 team. The
St. Louis Blues won the draft drawing and will make their selection first, followed by the
Pittsburgh Penguins,
Chicago Blackhawks,
Washington Capitals and the
Boston Bruins.