The Sphere in Las Vegas, constructed and run by Knicks’ owner James Dolan’s Madison Square Garden Company, has played host to a lot of concerts so far. Those have included U2, Phish, and Dead & Company, with the Eagles set to play there this fall. But the venue took a sports turn Friday night to host the NHL Draft, and that drew a lot of comment. Here’s what the Sphere X/Twitter account put out to introduce this:
Tonight, history will be made as the 2024 @NHL Draft takes place at @Sphere – the first-ever sporting event to be hosted in the venue. #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/Ai8UG67Pqs
— Las Vegas (@Vegas) June 28, 2024
Here are the U.S. (ESPN) and Canadian (Sportsnet) opens to those networks’ draft broadcasts:
Here’s the ESPN open of the 2024 NHL Draft, live from Sphere in Las Vegas. 🏒📺🎙️🔵 pic.twitter.com/zD8Elk1qoL
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 28, 2024
Welcome to the 2024 #NHLDraft! 🎰@thekillers set the tone ahead of a big night in Vegas live on Sportsnet. 🎶 pic.twitter.com/YjGcLzwG4U
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 28, 2024
The actual draft included prospects’ images being displayed on the Sphere’s curving walls, which many remarked upon:
Bettman opens the draft with headshots of prospects wrapping around the inside of Sphere. Incredible. pic.twitter.com/zftJTCKtAm
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) June 28, 2024
Not gonna lie, that’s a really cool shot #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/aBas0dHysW
— Ben Ross (@BenRossTweets) June 28, 2024
As expected, the draft opened with the San Jose Sharks selecting Macklin Celebrini first overall. And that included cool visuals, but also a screaming Sharks’ fan:
The San Jose Sharks selected Macklin Celebrini with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, and one Sharks fan in the background loved everything about it.
Here’s how it looked and sounded on the ESPN broadcast. 🏒🦈🎙️📺🗣️ pic.twitter.com/SSjdYOzTxC
See AlsoPhish Returns To Dayton's Nutter Center: Night 1 Recap, Setlist & SkinnyDay Trips in Vermont: Lakeside adventures, rural curiosities and plenty of creemeesInside Look at How Sphere, NHL Collaborated To Make the 2024 NHL Draft a Must-See Event : Sports Video Group : International Broadcast NewsHow to Watch Phillies vs. Padres: TV Channel & Live Stream - June 18— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 28, 2024
Celebrini poses for maybe the most amazing photo any No. 1 pick ever has. pic.twitter.com/gNAxFTXvxK
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) June 28, 2024
There were some other odd moments, including No. 2 pick Artyom Levshunov not knowing what to do with a microphone (Ricky Bobby style) in his post-draft interview:
Artyom Levshunov — the No. 2 overall pick by the Chicago Blackhawks — got some help holding the mic during an interview with ESPN’s Leah Hextall. 🏒📺🎙️ #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/SHA68rFJls
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 28, 2024
There were lots of unusual visuals beyond that as well:
Flying through the draft at the Sphere with a drone is WILD 🤯🔮 pic.twitter.com/yMafxeEDan
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 28, 2024
Not gonna do this all night, but I could. pic.twitter.com/DUUVps4tTB
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) June 28, 2024
And that drew a lot of comment, mostly in praise of the venue:
The visuals for tonight’s NHL draft at the $2.3 billion Las Vegas Sphere look incredible 🤯 pic.twitter.com/FHJRKgCl2H
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 28, 2024
Hold every draft at the Sphere. 👏@BET99Sportsbook pic.twitter.com/W625WqFoaM
— Covers (@Covers) June 28, 2024
Draft at Sphere. Very cool experience pic.twitter.com/VEhmE5FUuD
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 28, 2024
NHL Draft at the Sphere gives us a huge screen for highlights which is awesome. pic.twitter.com/0nOZAz0ALD
— Meghan Angley (@megangley) June 28, 2024
I might be in the minority, but I love the centralized NHL Draft, and this looks sweet at The Sphere.
I’ll miss the show and the shoutouts to viewing parties when the league abandons this next season.
— Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) June 28, 2024
This was certainly an unusual move for both the NHL and the Sphere. But it seems to have largely been well-received.
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