Justin Bieber, Will Arnett join coaches and players behind the bench at NHL All-Star Weekend
Performer Justin Bieber, second from top left, hypes up NHL All-Star Team Matthews forward Clayton Keller, of the Coyotes, as teammates Alex DeBrincat, of the Red Wings, and William Nylander, of the Maple Leafs, look on during the NHL All-Star Game 3-on-3 tournament in Toronto on Saturday. Credit: AP/Nathan Denette
TORONTO — Yes, NHL All-Stars find it cool to meet famous people.
Pop star Justin Bieber was the co-captain for Team Auston Matthews, which included the Islanders’ Mathew Barzal and the Rangers’ Vincent Trocheck and Igor Shesterkin.
Rangers coach Peter Laviolette was helped behind the bench for Team Connor McDavid by actor/comedian Will Arnett.
Arnett, from Toronto, and Bieber, from London, Ontario, are rabid hockey fans.
“Biebs was vocal back there, telling us not to get comfortable when we were up by two,” Barzal said. “He was saying all the right things. He was involved and he was invested in wanting to win, and I loved it.
“I was a fan of his growing up and I saw him perform the other night. It was sweet to see him live like that, it was my first time. Seems like a really down-to-earth guy. Loved him in warmups today, passing some pucks around.”
Trocheck also was impressed.
“He’s just such a nice, normal guy,” he said. “He was having a blast, too.”
Arnett actually played minor-league hockey in the Toronto area and recalled having a Hockey News cover of Islanders Hall of Famer Mike Bossy — the one with Bossy’s stick on fire — pasted near his bed growing up.
Arnett said his coolest moment during All-Star Weekend was getting to introduce Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky to his father.
“We were all, for the most part, Leafs fans,” Arnett said. “But we were hockey fans, too. I was a Mike Bossy fan growing up. I was obviously a Wayne fan.
“That’s [what] one of the surreal [things] about this weekend is. Last night we were leaving and talking to Wayne and saying, ‘Hey, Wayne, you ever met my dad?’ And my dad being like, ‘No, sorry, you never introduced me to Wayne Gretzky before.’ I’m like a 6-year-old kid. I’m just here as a fan. For me, the novelty has just not worn off. It’s sick.”
Laviolette said Arnett was composed enough around the All-Stars when he needed to be.
“He’s a really easy guy to talk to,” Laviolette said. “He gave a speech before the first game that was right up there with some of the best. A real positive guy. A hockey fan. It’s great for a guy like him, a huge fan who loves the game, to come in and be a part of that.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
