NHL Awards get awkward when card trick meant to celebrate Kings’ Kopitar falls flat

Kings center Anze Kopitar took home his second Frank J. Selke Trophy at Wednesday’s NHL Awards show. The award recognizes the best defensive forward in the league.

It was a night of mixed emotions for Kopitar and other hockey players in attendance who were honored. However, there were some preplanned tricks before players and coaches took the stage that did not necessarily come off as planned, the most awkward involving Kopitar.

Magician Darcy Oake, who is the son of Canadian hockey broadcaster Scott Oake, was enlisted to host the event, which was fitting since the ceremony took place in Las Vegas. He would perform tricks throughout the event and most were executed well. However, when it came to the Selke award, things got a bit awkward.

Oake decided to perform a card trick to announce the winner of the award. As the magician laid down cards in a grid pattern on a table, they were supposed to reveal an image of Kopitar. But the cards were out of order, and the resulting reveal was a puzzling mess.

In video from the moment, Oake looks as if he’s trying to rearrange the cards into their proper places before Kopitar rises from his seat. Things got even more awkward.

Oake tried to move on from the gaffe by trying to shake hands with Kopitar, but Kopitar went straight to the stage. Oake was not adept enough with that sleight of hand either.

Kopitar was not the only King who took home an award. Goalie Jonathan Quick accepted his second Jennings Trophy for fewest goals allowed.

Twitter: @edmgonzalez

eduardo.gonzalez@latimes.com