‘Mad Men’ star Jon Hamm added to NHL All-Star celeb lineup
Jon Hamm of “Mad Men” is famously mad for his St. Louis Blues. He called his team’s 2019 Stanley Cup championship run “a nonstop ride.”
“I’m a “Superfan,” Hamm said on the NHL Awards red carpet at the then-Hard Rock Hotel in June 2019.
Hamm, cast in the “Top Gun” sequel “Top Gun: Maverick,” is back among the judges for the NHL All-Star Skills event set for 4:30 p.m. Friday at the Bellagio Fountains and taking over part of the Strip. New York-New York ventriloquial star Terry Fator and hockey greats Paul Coffey and Mark Messier fill out the judging panel for the various events.
Dustin Tavella, the magician star of “America’s Got Talent Live!” at Luxor and the reigning “AGT” champion, is performing what is termed “a hockey-themed trick.”
The Strip is the site of the two newest NHL Skills events, the Discover NHL Fountain Face-Off at the Fountains of Bellagio, and Las Vegas NHL 21 in ‘22. The Face Off calls for players to attempt to shoot pucks into five targets in the least amount of time. Qualifying players move to the head-to-head final. The 21 in 22 event is a game of blackjack where players fire pucks at a truss of 52 playing cards, set up on the Strip.
The league also announced the national anthem singers for Saturday’s NHL All-Star Game at T-Mobile Arena. “O Canada” will be sung by singer-songwriter Faouzia, and top-selling artist Blanco Brown will sing “The Star Spangled Banner.” Previously, the league named Lynnae Meyers and Carnell “Golden Pipes” Johnson would sing the Canadian and U.S. anthems, respectively, at the skills event.
Another magician, Laugh Factory at the Tropicana headliner Murray Sawchuck, is performing close up magic during TV breaks at Saturday’s game. Sawchuck is a distant cousin of famed NHL goalie Terry Sawchuk (the magician added the “C” to his stage surname).
Serving as color guard for NHL All-Star Skills and the NHL All-Star Game are members of the Las Vegas Local 1285 Honor Guard. As earlier announced, Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras, women’s hockey pioneer Manon Rhéaume, three-time Olympic medalist Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and actor Wyatt Russell will participate in All-Star Skills. Canadian comedy star Gerry Dee, ESPN analyst Kevin Weekes and reporter Laura Rutledge host the skills showcase.
Cool Hang Alert
A pioneer in Cool Hangs, the Next Movement R&B vocal group begins its monthly residency at The Nevada Room at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Original members Cornell Haywood, Earl Shelby and Samuel Thomas have been workin’ it since 1971 and playing Vegas since ‘76, when they opened for Redd Foxx at the Thunderbird hotel-casino. The gents sample The Temptations, Jackson 5, The Dells, and The Chi-Lites, among others. Tickets are $20, or $25 for a select group of up-front seats, from which you will likely stand and groove.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.