Where to park for NHL Awards, Golden Knights draft party at T-Mobile Arena

By Jesse Granger

Tuesday, June 20, 2017 | 2 a.m.

The hockey world will descend on Las Vegas on Wednesday night.

The NHL’s biggest stars like Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Erik Karlsson will be inside T-Mobile Arena hoping to receive honors during the NHL’s annual award show, and the Vegas Golden Knights will announce all 30 of the team’s expansion draft selections.

The atmosphere inside the building will be electric. Getting there will be slightly less exciting.

“T-Mobile Arena is very unique because it’s in the middle of a very dynamic area,” said Gordon Absher, MGM Resorts International spokesman. “The pre- and post-game experience is enhanced by this, but it can make for difficulty getting in and out.”

There are many ways to go about getting to T-Mobile Arena. Some are more expensive and involve less walking, while others are cheaper but require a hike.

“Plan ahead, know where you’re going and have a plan of where to park if you aren’t taking a taxi or Uber,” Absher said. “Fans should plan to come early, stay late and measure their tolerance for sitting in a line of traffic versus their tolerance for parking further away and having a short walk.”

Here are your options this week, starting with the closest to T-Mobile Arena:

T-Mobile Parking at New York-New York and Monte Carlo ($12-15)

The fastest way to get to the event is by parking in one of the two parking garages right next to the arena. Parking spots in these two garages can be preordered online at lasvegas.parkmobile.com for $12. On the day of the event they go up to $15 per spot.

MGM Grand or Excalibur ($10-12)

Just across Las Vegas Boulevard is the MGM Grand, where you can park for $12 for 4-24 hours. It’s the same price as the preordered spots but you can avoid the traffic right next to the arena. Excalibur is across Tropicana Avenue and is $10 for 4-24 hours.

Hooters Casino (Free)

The casino is across Tropicana Avenue from the MGM Grand. Hooters offers free parking, but requires a slightly longer walk than the above options.

Planet Hollywood (Free)

Even further from the arena, those who don’t mind a hike can park at Planet Hollywood for free. The fastest way to walk from Planet Hollywood is to the MGM, then cross Las Vegas Boulevard to New York-New York.

Westgate or SLS ($2)

If you want to avoid the traffic jams all together, this is the option for you. The Las Vegas Monorail runs from the SLS all the way to the MGM Grand and is available for only $1 per ride for Nevada residents. Both the SLS and Westgate are on the route and offer free parking. You still walk to T-Mobile Arena from the MGM Grand, but avoid the parking fees.