Brown among gamers in House of Chel competition at Silicon Valley mansion

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- JT Brown could've taken a beach vacation during the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend like many other NHL players. Instead the Minnesota Wild forward spent three days in a Silicon Valley mansion with four of his fellow gamers playing EA Sports NHL 19, shooting a t-shirt cannon in a giant cornhole game and trying to golf with a hockey stick, among other challenges.

The NHL hosted its first House of Chel, a competition for select gamers, Feb. 24-26 at a mansion in the hills of Palo Alto, California, about 25 miles west of SAP Center in San Jose where the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Game took place.

The 32,000 square-foot home belongs to Scott McNealy, a San Jose Sharks board member and Sun Microsystems co-founder, and it housed Brown, FaZe Clan Bass, GlitterXplosion, Nasher, and TDI Hockey for a unique luxury esports experience. MRob and Coach Jeremy served as hosts as the competitors took part in physical challenges and played NHL 19 on the live stream platform Twitch.
"For me, obviously I was really excited just to get the opportunity to kind of come here and do the first House of Chel and be a part of it and meet new people," Brown said. "I wanted to be immersed in the entire situation. Yeah, I could've gotten a hotel but I think it was more fun actually living this experience, to dive right in and I guess that's what's going to make this the best production, is just having that attitude, anything goes kind of thing."
The home, which is
on the market
for $96.8 million, isn't visible from the road that went through wooded areas and nature preserve. But once through the guarded gate, the expansive property and many of its lavish features came into view.

"You don't see anything. You don't really notice where you are and then all of a sudden it's just there and then you're like, 'Wow there's like nothing around," Brown said about his arrival Thursday morning. "The views are awesome and to go out on a golf hole on the property was pretty awesome as well."
Among the house's features, beyond the sweeping views of tree-covered hills, are an ice rink and sports court adorned with autographed jerseys from dozens of pro hockey players, a golf course, movie theater, pizza room, massage room, game room and turf field.

"We drove up and I came in at 8 [p.m] so it was pitch black right until we drove right up to it and it was extravagant," said Nasher, who lives in Columbus, Ohio.

The event took advantage of the amenities and included a putting challenge with a hockey stick, firing a t-shirt gun from a terrace to a corn hole platform, a fastest skater challenge, a mini stick game, and a cook-off. Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen and former NHL player Jeremy Roenick also made appearances at the house.
"Everybody is down to earth," said Brown, who'd only interacted with the other competitors online before. "They're all good guys and girls here. It's been awesome."
The results of the competitions will air on the NHL's digital platforms and in segments on NBC networks closer to the 2019 NHL Gaming World Championship regional competitions in the spring.
"It's unbelievable," Nasher said. "When you first just walk up to the building, you see the ice rink, you see the sports court and how beautiful this entire house is, it's a dream house for us. And to just come here this week has been a dream come true."