All Mighty Hockey Talk

I had the privilege of attending Day 1 of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft at Sphere Las Vegas, and it was an experience that I will never forget. The presentation was unlike anything I had ever seen before. When it comes to the event itself, it was a relatively run-of-the-mill draft. There were some trades, some interesting picks, and, of course, some booing of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. But the Sphere gave us some insane graphics and some incredible cameos to dress it up as only Vegas could.

I am going to take you all through my experience at the Sphere using timestamps, photos, videos, and notes to give you a taste of the wonderful day I had. Let’s get started:

2:42 – First Impressions

I step out of my Uber and into the 105 degree heat, but all that’s on my mind is how enormous this thing is. How did somebody even conceive the idea to build it? The graphics on its exterior (they call it the Exosphere) are quite visible, even on a bright day. It’s really a marvel to look at.

2:50 – Getting in Line

Alright, my curiosity is over for now. My only goal right now is to get to the doors and out of the sun as fast as I can. I’m over an hour early, but there are so many people here already. I’m instructed to go through a very windy line of barricades to get to the doors of the building. Thankfully, they were smart enough to make this line run through the shade of the building.

2:52 – Entering the Building

As soon as I get near the front door, I can feel the glorious air conditioning caressing my face, beckoning me to come inside. I get through the first layer of security, but of course I’m selected to get a secondary scan. They really want me to earn that AC.

2:58 – Walking Through

After getting through security, I went up an escalator to reach the main concourse. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this nightclub-y dreamland that I walked in to. I don’t think I had ever felt so lost when walking into a building, but that was more due to the moment and the crowds rather than the building itself.

3:00 – Visiting the Lower Level

Before going up to my section in the nosebleeds, I had to go see what the draft floor looked like from up close. I walked through the short hallway and saw the humongous screen for the first time. I don’t think I had ever felt smaller. The draft floor itself always baffles me. These teams stuff a dozen or more personnel at a single table, and there isn’t more than a few feet between each table. How do you keep anything a secret down there?

3:09 – Finding My Seat Up Top

I wanted to sit in the upper deck because I had read that you get the best view of the entire Sphere from up there. And I am here to tell you that is 100% true. Your neck will be getting a workout in this building.

4:00 – Here We Go

Leading up to the start of the draft, there was a rectangular screen on the facade playing videos, not unlike a movie theater screen. However, right when the clock struck four, a wild graphic transition took over the entire Sphere, nearly 360 degrees around. That got a big reaction from the audience, and it was just a taste of things to come.

4:09 – Bettman Kicks Things Off

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

4:10 – Sharks Pick Celebrini

Everyone knew San Jose would pick Macklin Celebrini, so how did they make it interesting? They brought up Jumbo Joe Thornton to make the pick. I also have to give some credit to Sharks fans, because there were a lot of them there, and they were making noise.

4:24 – Hawks Pick Levshunov

The prevailing rumor was that Chicago would take Artyom Levshunov with this pick, and they did. Like the Sharks, they brought up a special guest to make the selection: Not-So-Jumbo Connor Bedard.

4:29 – Ducks Pick… Sennecke?!

Oh boy, now the Ducks are on the clock. For the longest time I assumed it would be Russian giant Anton Silayev, then we were hearing that it might be San Diego native Zeev Buium, but it wound up being the dynamic Beckett Sennecke (what a great name). This pick definitely got the biggest reaction out of the crowd (and even Beckett, himself) in the first round.

4:42 – Picks Taking Too Long

Alright, can we please be stricter with the pick timer? There is no way these teams only have three minutes.

4:43 – Céline Dion???

Alright Montreal is up, they must be picking Demidov. Oh, they are going to have someone make the pick for them? Who could it be? Well, I would have gone through about 1000 guesses before even considering Céline Dion. That was pretty random and cool. I have to be honest, I did not ever think I would hear Céline Dion say the name “Ivan Demidov.” Cross that one off the bucket list.

4:52 – Utah’s 1^st Pick

The first ever pick for the Utah…. Hockey Club. Who could be announcing it? It has to be the owner, Ryan Smith, right? Yup, I guess he’s earned it. And apparently he’s earned some boos from the crowd, too.

Smith announces the pick: Tij Iginla. The Calgary Flames fan next to me is distraught seeing the son of Jarome Iginla taken just three spots ahead of Calgary.

5:15 – Team Finland?

Throughout the draft, they announced the first six players named to each country participating in the 4 Nations Face-Off. The names had been previously revealed… except for one. Instead of announcing Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros as one of Team Finland’s representatives, we learned that apparently his teammate, Swiss defenseman Roman Josi, is on the team. Congrats Roman!

5:17 – Down Goes Silayev

Anton Silayev is finally picked at number 10! What a great moment for the towering Russian. Wow, he’s tall. That was a great pick by New Jersey, he’s going to be such a good… aaaaand he trips going up the stairs to the podium! I take it all back.

5:30 – We Have a Trade to Announce!

Out of nowhere, we get a loud horn and a giant “Trade Alert” graphic pops up on the screen. I think that startled just about everyone in there, probably even the staff members at the draft tables.

Anyway, what could the trade be? Necas? McGroarty? Nope, just Minnesota moving up exactly 1 spot in the draft. They wind up taking Zeev Buium, who should have probably gone much earlier. I’m sure Minnesota never thought they had a shot to draft him before today.

5:41 – Michael Buffer???

Ok, Philly is picking. Who could they possibly pick for their selection announcement? Vegas legend Michael Buffer, that’s who. This seems like a cliché choice from Philly though, right? Ohhhhh, Buffer is from Philadelphia. Now I get it. I have to say, even though I knew Buffer was a big deal, I didn’t realize how good he is at building hype. That was epic.

5:48 – Who Broke the Sphere?

Don’t think for a second that I didn’t notice this egregious mistake, Bettman. You desecrated the Red Wings logo in cold blood. My immersion has been ruined.

5:56 – Norway!

Ok fine, I’m over the malfunctioning light panel, who are the Wings going to take? A Norwegian! As a proud half-Norwegian, I was super happy to see Michael Brandsegg-Nygard become the first Norwegian picked in the first round. And props to the Wings staff for fitting that last name on the back of the jersey!

6:15 – Food Time

Alright, it’s been over two hours and we are just about halfway through the draft. I need to eat something. There is a concession stand right outside my section. I go with the tried and true chicken tenders and waffle fries. Naturally, they were $17. To be fair, they were sweet potato fries.

6:45 – A Ducks Trade?!

The Leafs are up… wait no, they are trading the pick! To the Ducks?! Now I’m really interested to see who the Ducks liked enough to trade up from pick 31 to pick 23. Thinking about it some more, I’m pretty sure I have a good idea who Anaheim is taking here…

6:47 – Norway Again!

I KNEW IT! Stian Solberg, the second Norwegian ever drafted in the 1st round, is now an Anaheim Duck! I assumed he would be gone in the teens, so I never even considered him an option, but I am so glad he lasted long enough for the Ducks to pounce on him. He will be a fan favorite one day.

7:14 – A Well-Timed Interruption

We have another pick trade, but this one is different. Bettman is trying to make the trade announcement, but the “Trade Alert” horn cuts him off and starts blaring repeatedly. Even the arena is finding a way to boo Bettman.

7:48 – The Final Trade

I saw this trade break on Twitter/X, so I got my phone out and recorded the moment that the alert popped up. Of course we had to see a trade on the final pick of the four hour round!

7:50 – That’s a Wrap!

Nearly four hours later, the Edmonton Oilers make the 32nd pick, concluding the 2024 NHL Draft! It was seriously the greatest arena experience I have ever had. It boggles my mind trying to understand all of the technology packed into this thing, and it works so well (except for that one light panel, which was unforgivable). There were a couple of hiccups with the presentation throughout the night, but it didn’t have to be perfect to be a resounding success. And to top it all off, the Ducks added two great prospects who should be contributors to the team for a long time. Thank you to the NHL and Vegas for putting on a legendary show!