NHL Draft Will Likely Be Held At Sphere, Gary Bettman To Get Booed At One Of The Most Technologically Advanced Venues On Planet

Las Vegas' Sphere has gotten a lot of attention in recent months thanks to the incredible technology it puts on display. Now, the venue has already hosted U2 and was a prominent landmark during the inaugural Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. Now, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will get booed there as the league prepares to host its draft there.

The commissioner himself revealed that the league is in the final stages of securing the venue for the 2024 NHL Entry Draft scheduled for June 28 and 29.

"I think it'll be pretty dramatic," Bettman said after Day 2 of the NHL Board of Governors meeting. "It will the first sporting event in the Sphere and I think it'll be a pretty-well-viewed event both in terms of the draft itself and the viral use of the Sphere inside and outside using the globe.

"We think it'll be fun. We think it'll be dramatic and compelling."

It will certainly be some of those things.

The 18,600-seat theater is known for its incredible technology, but will it be enough to liven up the NHL Draft enough to get people to show up or tune in?

...Maybe?

It looks like Las Vegas' Sphere will play host to the 2024 NHL Draft. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Sphere Could Liven Up The Draft... Or Flop

Let's be honest: the NHL Draft is not the most exciting event in the world. It's also not a huge draw the way the NFL Draft can takeover a city and hilariously ruin bachelorette parties.

Will the prospect of catching the draft make more people show up or tune in? I think a few will, but I don't think it will prove to be an overwhelming success.

Vegas Golden Knights fans tend to show up. However, if the building looks conspicuously empty, that's not a good look for the league.

However, credit to the NHL for trying something new and attempting to liven up a sometimes dull event.

I'm just excited to see what it's like when Gary Bettman walks on stage and gets the obligatory welcoming boo.

The acoustics in The Sphere are probably pretty great.

Representatives from all 32 teams will be in attendance. It is likely that from 2025 onward the draft will be decentralized with personnel remaining in their home markets.

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