The National Hockey League has tapped country superstar Dierks Bentley to host their 2023 NHL Awards.
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The celebration, held at Nashville’s legendary Bridgestone Arena, will air on Monday, June 26. The ceremony will be broadcasted live on TNT, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports at 8 p.m. ET.
“We can’t wait to celebrate the NHL’s best and brightest with the best of country music in Nashville,” said NHL Chief Content Officer and Senior Executive Vice President Steve Mayer in a release. “Dierks has rocked our stage over the years as a headline performer, and we’re so happy to welcome him as host of this year’s NHL Awards.”
Bentley said the honor hits close to home, as he is an avid hockey fan and enjoys the pastime with his son.
“Hockey plays a big part of my daily life,” added Bentley. “I’ve been to rinks all over the country with my travel hockey son. I coach his spring league games and spend hours in the local hockey store, telling him, ‘No, you do not need a new stick!’ We love watching YouTube highlight reels, the whole family loves going to Nashville Predators games and watching the Stanley Cup Final together.”
He continued to mention that he’s also a “proud member” of a beer league in Nashville, Tennessee. According to the Tennessean, Bentley once rented out Bridgestone Arena to skate with his teammates to honor his smash single “Free and Easy,” gracing the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 2007. The affair cost the hitmaker $10,000.
“So basically my beer league (teammates) could skate on Bridgestone ice,” Bentley told the publication. “It was an expensive party for myself, but definitely worth it. The guys in the beer league were so stoked we got a chance to do that.”
The 2023 Awards will kick off NHL activities in Nashville. The show will reveal the winners of 13 regular-season awards, including most valuable player (Hart Trophy), Outstanding Goaltender (Vezina Trophy), Outstanding Defenseman (Norris Trophy), Outstanding Rookie (Calder Trophy), and more.
Music City will also host the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft on June 28-29. Tickets to the 2023 NHL Awards and draft are available HERE.
Photo Credit: Robby Kein / Courtesy Greenroom PR
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