Celebrities visiting NHL practices are nothing new, actually. |
This week, two major figures in pop culture, Michael Buble and Justin Bieber, practiced with NHL teams: the Canucks and Maple Leafs, respectively. While I'm not sure if Jake Gardiner personally requested to meet Bieber, I can tell you that celebrities and hockey teams have mixed in the past. Take a look and you'll see what I mean.
New York Rangers - Some claim he plays hockey professionally, but either way, the New York Rangers have invited fashion superstar Sean Avery to many of their practices. He's even made it into the Rangers' lineup a few times.
Los Angeles Kings - The Kings reportedly invited Leonardo DiCaprio to one of their practices, however the players and DiCaprio seemed to bond when the topic of never winning a major award was brought up.
Carolina Hurricanes - As training camp began for the Hurricanes last fall, a rumor was floating around the locker room that the Jonas Brothers had been invited to their camp, judging by the spike in teenage girls surrounding the team. Then Jeff Skinner arrived and it all made sense.
Washington Capitals - President Obama met with the locals, the Washington Capitals recently, since he hasn't met with them over a Stanley Cup celebration. At the end of the day, most people agreed that Obama and Alexander Semin have something in common: people want them out of town next year.
Detroit Red Wings - Wings management decided to invite the Dos Equis popular figure "The Most Interesting Man in the World" to watch a Red Wings practice. Unfortunately, Pavel Datsyuk was a lot more interesting than him.
Chicago Blackhawks - The popular mobile game show, Cash Cab: Chicago's host, Beth Melewski, visited Chicago Blackhawks' practice during the pre-season. The players showed her around the arena, but she hesitated to meet Patrick Kane. Weird.
Boston Bruins - Tom Brady paid a visit to Bruins practice during the Patriots' bye week. The Bruins players kept telling Brady how easy it was to score, but Brady couldn't score on Tim Thomas. Thomas apparently studied film from Superbowl XLII before the game.
Vancouver Canucks - Having noticed their impact and popularity throughout the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks invited the "Green Men" to sit in a Canucks practice. After the on-ice session was finished, the Green Men showed the players some of their own moves. Sami Salo attempted to do one, but injured himself.
New Jersey Devils - The Devils thought it would be a good idea to loosen up a practice and invite the cast of Jersey Shore to the arena. At the end of the day, the entire team agreed that Eric Boulton would fit in perfectly with them, since nobody's sure why they're even employed.
Nashville Predators - The Predators invited star singer Carrie Underwood to join the team for a practice. The players seemed to enjoy it, but Mike Fisher looked unusually uncomfortable during the practice.
New York Islanders - NASCAR Champion Tony Stewart attended an Islanders practice just to see what was faster: Stewart's car or Michael Grabner.
Phoenix Coyotes - Steve Nash of the Suns was invited to Coyotes game one night. He didn't get along with management after he asked if the arena was always that empty for practice.