The economic benefits of L.A. hosting the ’17 NHL All-Star Game and its related events around Staples Center “added up nicely,” according to Tom Hoffarth of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. Data from the L.A. Sports & Entertainment Commission and AEG shows that All-Star weekend generated more than $20M in visitor tourism. Attendance at the three-day Fan Fair, Friday’s NHL 100 ceremony at Microsoft Theater and Staples Center “holding not just Sunday’s exhibition but also Saturday’s Skills Competition and Celebrity Exhibition totaled more than 70,000.” While all that “might be the bottom line by some accountants, it’s just as easy to account for the visual impact and access convenience that occurred.” LASEC President Kathryn Schloessman: “It really made downtown fun again.” AEG President & CEO Dan Beckerman said of the weekend, “It’s unique in a major market to be able to control this much real estate in the heart of a city.” Hoffarth notes the NHL All-Star Game might “refocus attention on winter-month events that should be more attractive for the region as leagues and institutions consider what other viable options there are around the country this time of year.” Schloessman: “The NHL weekend showed how downtown comes together. It wasn’t that way even five years ago, and the NHL got the real opportunity to see it” (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 1/31).
WHAT DO YOU MEAN? One of the more memorable moments from the weekend was Hockey HOFer Chris Pronger checking Justin Bieber into the boards during Saturday's celebrity game and smiling while doing so. ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser said the moment "seemed so promising," as the 6'6" Pronger was "about to smash the 5’ 6’’ Canadian into bite-sized pieces." However, Pronger "held back, settling to smush the Biebs into the glass." Kornheiser: "Opportunity lost” ("PTI," ESPN, 1/30). SNY’s Jon Hein said, "I was hoping Chris Pronger would do the classic Pronger hit, which would put Bieber into the 8th row. But give Bieber credit. He can skate, he was a decent hockey player, and I’m glad he was out there” (“Loud Mouths,” SNY, 1/30). Meanwhile, ESPN's Bomani Jones said, "I just think we should stop and take a moment to ask ourselves, 'Are celebrities and old-timers and former players on the same rink a good idea?' Because that seems like a recipe for broken bones” (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 1/30).
