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In honor of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, we’ve identified a starting lineup of celebrity fans for all 16 NHL teams in the postseason.

Here is how they stack up.

Atlantic Division

The roster: Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Conor McGregor, Bill Burr

This is easily the funniest collection of celebrity fans, which is no surprise given Boston’s legendary stand-up scene.

Carell is one of the better hockey players on this list. The Massachusetts native played at several levels and confirmed his rooting interests during the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. Speaking of “The Office,” Krasinski enlisted David Denman (who played Roy on the show) to troll co-star Jenna Fischer in a video from Game 7 of that year.

Massachusetts native Burr tweets about the Bruins regularly.

McGregor, one of the most famous MMA fighters, visited the Bruins locker room and dropped the puck at a game in 2019. That’s good enough, at the least, to be the enforcer on this squad.

The roster: Justin Bieber, Drake, Will Arnett, Mike Myers, Chris Hadfield

The Leafs have no shortage of celebrity fans. They also have the high-end edge on this list, with Bieber and Drake, two of the most famous human beings on the planet. Bieber has released tributes to the Leafs. Drake was once visited by Mats Sundin at one of his concerts in Stockholm.

Myers is one of the longest celebrity Leafs fans, naming characters in “Austin Powers” after former Leafs Doug Gilmour and Nikolai Borschevsky. “The Love Guru” includes the Leafs in the plot of the film.

Toronto native Arnett also makes the starting five because he’s hilarious and “Arrested Development” still rules.

Finally, we have astronaut Hadfield, the first Canadian to walk in space. He also dropped the puck at a Leafs game from space, perhaps the biggest flex in recorded history.

The roster: Dick Vitale, Hulk Hogan, Charles Barkley, Stephen King

One commonality among Lightning celeb fans is their positive reactions to Lightning coach Jon Cooper. Cooper has been shouted out by Barkley and Dickie V.

We’re not sure how King became a Lightning fan, but he flew his flag in a reply to actor Kim Coates’ tweet. As for the Hulkster, he’s been an icon on the Tampa sports scene for quite a while and displays his Lightning fandom proudly.

Metropolitan Division

The roster: Stephen Colbert, Petey Pablo, John Isner, Evander Holyfield

Former heavyweight boxing champion Holyfield makes the list because of this incredible Storm Surge:

North Carolina, come on and raise up! Pablo has to be included, thanks to his anthem being the goal song.

Tennis pro Isner makes the list as a fan and as one-time tennis coach for Martin Necas and Teuvo Teravainen. And Isner knows about multiple overtime sporting events, having participated in an 11-hour match at Wimbledon.

Colbert is a native of Charleston, South Carolina. Not only did he celebrate on “The Daily Show” when the Canes last won the Cup in 2006, but he had Canes emergency goalie David Ayres make an appearance on “The Late Show.”

The roster: Kevin Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, Patrick Warburton, Edge, Jay Weinberg

Smith is a natural fit since he regularly fashions hockey jerseys and loves to rep his Devils (including a Devils section at his Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash comic store in Red Bank, New Jersey, a must visit).

Wrestler Edge is an interesting one — he certainly reps his Leafs, having grown up outside of Toronto. However, he fell in love with the game, and goaltenders in particular, watching Chico Resch play for the Devils. He’s attended games repping the red, black and white, so he definitely makes the cut.

Warburton will forever be connected with “Puddy” from “Seinfeld” (“gotta support the team!”). It would be a miss if we don’t get Puddy drinking from the Stanley Cup if Jersey wins. O’Neal was born in Newark and certainly doesn’t hide his love for the Devils. Weinberg of Slipknot rounds out the list, bringing the head-nodding, heart-pounding beats.

The roster: Margot Robbie, Liam Neeson, Tim Robbins, Eli Manning

The Rangers also have no shortage of celebrity fans — my personal favorites are Rick Moranis and Michael J. Fox — but the ones listed above are regulars to MSG and often seen on the JumboTron cheering the team. Liam Neeson even reenacted his famous scene from “Taken” for the team.

East wild cards

The roster: Kevin Connolly, Ralph Macchio, Chloë Grace Moretz, Billy Joel

Connolly has done plenty with the Isles, from making a pick at the NHL draft to making an ESPN 30 for 30 film on John Spano’s infamous efforts to buy the team. He was the easiest pick on this list.

Long Island native Macchio — star of “Karate Kid” and “Cobra Kai” — has been spotted at Isles games and had an Isles bobblehead in his honor.

Fellow screen star Chloë Grace Moretz is also frequently spotted at games rocking an Isles jersey. She also trolled Caps fans on social media.

Despite his famed sellout streak at Madison Square Garden, Joel is a Long Island native and has been around for the team’s big moments, including the announcement of UBS Arena and postseason games at the Coliseum. He also has had a bobblehead night dedicated to him.

The roster: Ariana Grande, Josh Gad, Lexi Thompson, Tua Tagovailoa

Grande has one of the best celebrity hockey origin stories. Well before she became a megastar, she rode the Zamboni as a kid at a Panthers game. She also has the dubious honor of being the first person struck by a puck in the stands at the Panthers arena. Her fandom didn’t waver, though.

Star of the stage and screen — and, importantly for a sport played on ice, the voice of “Olaf” in the “Frozen” movies — Gad is a South Florida native and counts the Panthers among his favorite teams.

One of the team’s newer celeb fans is Miami Dolphins quarterback Tagovailoa, who celebrated his birthday with the Panthers. Sticking in the realm of athletes, LPGA tour member Thompson has also attended Panthers games.

Central Division

The roster: John Elway, Larry Walker, Trey Parker

We’ve got some great former Colorado athletes on this list, including Broncos legend Elway, who has golfed with Avs GM Joe Sakic and wished the team well on social media. Baseball Hall of Famer and Rockies legend Walker once served as the Avs’ honorary emergency goaltender.

Perhaps the most passionate celebrity Avs fan is “South Park” co-creator Parker, who has featured the Avs in the series.

The roster: Pantera

Members of the group Pantera might be some of the best celebrity fans of any NHL team — their goal song, specifically written for the Stars, has endured for decades. The team also partied with Pantera after the 1999 Stanley Cup win.

The roster: Richard Dean Anderson, the Hanson brothers, Prince, Nick Swardson

We start with the original “MacGyver” himself, Anderson. MacGyver can solve any problem, with seemingly any objects at his disposal; that sounds like a useful trait in a hockey player. Anderson is also renowned as a ringer in celebrity hockey games.

Next up are the Hanson brothers, from the greatest hockey movie of all time, “Slap Shot.” The Carlson brothers, who portrayed Steve and Jeff Hanson, are from Minnesota, while the third brother, David Hanson, is from Cumberland, Wisconsin.

Prince makes the list posthumously, as he deserves to be on any rundown of famous Minnesotans.

Another famous Minnesotan is comedian Swardson, who has been vociferous on social media about his fandom.

Pacific Division

The roster: Bryce Harper, Lil’ Jon, Wayne Newton, Gordon Ramsay, Daniel Negreanu

There’s no shortage of celebrities in Vegas. But it starts with Philadelphia Phillies star Harper, a Vegas native and huge Golden Knights fan.

Then there’s Lil’ Jon, who has served as hype man at T-Mobile Arena, as has Newton. The pair even performed a collaboration for the Golden Knights, which is the most random but most Vegas thing in recent memory:

Ramsay has joined Lil’ Jon at VGK games, donning the Golden Knights threads, so we’ll include him here too.

Then there is Toronto native Negreanu, one of the greatest poker players and a Golden Knights season-ticket holder. He is a die-hard hockey fan and been vocal about having a team in Vegas long before the Golden Knights arrived.

The roster: Jordan Buhat, Brett Kissel, Todd McFarlane, Kurt Browning, Kevin Smith

Buhat is an actor on the show “Grown-ish,” a spinoff of the show “Black-ish.” He is an Edmonton native and a die-hard Oilers fan.

Famed comic book writer McFarlane, who worked on “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “Spawn,” among many other projects, once owned part of the Oilers, despite being a Calgary native.

Country singer and Alberta native Kissel had a famous moment when a faulty mic turned into a memorable anthem rendition by a packed house of Oilers fans.

We’ll also include Browning, who was one of Canada’s more prominent figure skaters. He was an honorary captain when the NHL appointed celebrity captaincies in 1991.

The roster: Taylor Swift, Will Ferrell, Snoop Dogg, Zac Efron, Channing Tatum

Of course, L.A. is going to have the most star power. Swift alone would have dominated this whole thing, but add Ferrell, perhaps the most vocal of the bunch, along with Snoop, who hilariously has done Kings commentary, Tatum, who’s been sighted at games, and Efron, and you have a starting five fit for Hollywood.

West wild cards

The roster: Chris Jericho, Doc Walker, Fred Penner, Neil Young, Burton Cummings

The obvious choice here is Jericho, who grew up in Winnipeg. His father, Ted Irvine, played in the NHL mostly for the Rangers, later skating for the Kings during their first three seasons in the NHL. Jericho is an avid Jets fan and this video of him doing hockey highlights (including his dad fighting Bobby Orr) is definitely worth a watch.

The Jets celebrity fan group includes people whom Canadians would know pretty well:

  • Country music group Walker, who once wrote a parody song cutting up the Nashville Predators

  • Children’s show star Penner, who every Canadian who grew up in the 1980s knows extremely well

  • Singer and Winnipeg native Cummings

The legendary Young has deep roots in Winnipeg, particularly early in his career, which definitely qualifies him for this group … as does this video of him welcoming the Jets back to Winnipeg.

The roster: Sue Bird, Macklemore, Marshawn Lynch, Rainn Wilson

A strong group for the young Kraken. They’ve got Bird, one of the best athletes of her generation; Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute on “The Office,” and rapper Macklemore and Seahawks legend Lynch, who are both part-owners of the team.

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Sullivan earns ‘humbling’ first win with Rangers

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October 10, 2025

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Sullivan earns 'humbling' first win with Rangers

  • Associated Press

Oct 9, 2025, 11:51 PM ET

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Mike Sullivan has another souvenir to add to an already large personal hockey collection after being presented the game puck following his first victory as coach of the New York Rangers.

It might not match the two Stanley Cup titles he won during his 10-year tenure as the Pittsburgh Penguins coach, but the significance of the 4-0 victory over Buffalo wasn’t lost on Sullivan on Thursday night.

“It’s humbling,” said Sullivan, who is from Massachusetts and the only U.S.-born coach to win at least two Cups.

“I’ve said this on a number of occasions since I got the job that it’s an incredible honor to be the head coach of the New York Rangers, a franchise that has such history to it,” Sullivan added. “It’s just a privilege that I don’t take for granted.”

The victory was the 480th of Sullivan’s career and came two days after the Rangers opened with a 3-0 home loss to the Penguins. Sullivan was fired by Pittsburgh after missing the playoffs for a third straight season, before almost immediately landing in New York after the Rangers fired Peter Laviolette.

For Sullivan, he’s getting a fresh start in a familiar place after spending four seasons as a Rangers assistant under John Tortorella. And he’s tasked with the responsibility of providing structure and discipline to a team that unraveled both on off the ice in missing the playoffs last year.

The win over Buffalo was but a start for Sullivan, who got in a laugh recounting how newly appointed captain J.T. Miller presented him the puck.

“[Miller] made a joke about how long our video meetings are,” Sullivan said. “But they’ll continue to be long until we get on the same page.”

Though there’s still much to work on, Sullivan was impressed by his team’s response after a lackadaisical outing against Pittsburgh, which was sealed by two empty-net goals.

On Thursday, the Rangers outplayed the Sabres through much of the first period in building a 1-0 lead on Alex Lafreniere’s goal 11:43 in. Coupled with Igor Shersterkin’s 37-save outing, the Rangers closed strong with three goals in the final five minutes.

“I’m excited about the group of players that we have here. I think there’s a certain enthusiasm around the team right now since Day 1 of training camp,” Sullivan said. “It’s tangible, we can feel it. And I think we’re building a relationship with the players right now that will be meaningful moving forward.”

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Isles praise Schaefer after ‘really good’ NHL debut

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October 10, 2025

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Isles praise Schaefer after 'really good' NHL debut

  • Associated Press

Oct 9, 2025, 11:15 PM ET

PITTSBURGH — Matthew Schaefer jumped onto the darkened ice at PPG Paints Arena and, along with New York Islanders teammate Maxim Shabanov, took the traditional solo lap every player makes before his NHL debut.

It’s the only time the 18-year-old Schaefer looked like a rookie all night during New York’s 4-3 loss to Pittsburgh.

Confident and poised from the opening faceoff, the top pick in the June draft wasted little time showcasing why the Islanders coveted him after the balls bounced their way during the draft lottery.

Schaefer needed all of 12 minutes to collect the first point of his career, making a deft pass from the half wall to Jonathan Drouin in the slot. Drouin’s knuckler fluttered by Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry to pull New York even.

“Our team is so easy to make plays with, everyone is in the right spot,” Schaefer said with a shrug. “I found [Drouin] there, and it was an easy pass to him and of course he puts it in the back of the net.”

Islanders coach Patrick Roy didn’t hesitate to go to Schaefer, who played more than seven minutes in the opening period alone. Schaefer finished with 17:15 of ice time in all, including some with the New York net empty late as the Islanders tried to tie it.

“I thought he was really good,” Roy said of Schaefer. “He was good at the end. Throwing pucks at the net. I thought that he seemed very comfortable, very confident out there. So I’m very pleased with him.”

Schaefer, who had around 30 friends and family in attendance, admitted there were some jitters during his first couple of shifts, but he didn’t exactly genuflect in the direction of Penguins icons Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. The club’s big three are entering their 20th season playing alongside each other, a run that began before Schaefer was born.

Although Schaefer isn’t entering the league with the same external expectations that followed Crosby two decades ago — when Crosby himself arrived in the league at 18 as the top pick in the draft — Schaefer understands how important his arrival and development are for a team that hasn’t won a Stanley Cup in more than 40 years.

Yes, it’s cool that he made the club out of training camp barely a month after turning 18. He’s not here to sell tickets and generate interest, but to help the Islanders take a step forward in the competitive Metropolitan Division sooner rather than later.

Near breathless as he talked after becoming the second-youngest NHL defenseman to make his debut in 70 years, Schaefer wasn’t as interested in trying to put the moment in perspective as he was regretting the result.

The Islanders controlled the game for extended stretches and threw 38 shots at Jarry. Save for a couple of costly breakdowns in front of their own net — which allowed Malkin and Crosby to work their magic — the Islanders played with speed and purpose, which they hope offers a blueprint for what’s to come, the new kid included.

“I thought we brought it tonight,” Schaefer said. “Wish we could have got the win. Hate losing. Now we know and we’re going to learn from it and focus on our next game. But I thought it was a great first game for us. I just wish we got the win.”

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Miller scores twice in ‘exceptional’ Canes debut

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October 10, 2025

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Miller scores twice in 'exceptional' Canes debut

  • Associated Press

Oct 9, 2025, 11:34 PM ET

RALEIGH, N.C. — K’Andre Miller didn’t need preseason game action to get a fast start with his new Carolina Hurricanes teammates.

The defenseman twice found the net in Carolina’s 6-3 season-opening win against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night, showing a glimpse of the potential that enticed the Hurricanes to acquire him from the New York Rangers and sign him to a long-term deal.

“It was amazing, I loved it,” Miller said.

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Miller spent much of preseason wearing a yellow noncontact jersey in what coach Rod Brind’Amour called a precautionary move before he shed that to ramp up in the final week or so of camp. He was in a pairing with Jalen Chatfield, working 19-plus minutes of ice time with a team-high 31 shifts.

“I thought he was exceptional,” Brind’Amour said. “Take the goals away, even — just impactful.

The Hurricanes saw the 25-year-old former first-round pick as an ideal fit for their aggressive system with his size and skating ability. He had shown flashes of his potential with the Metropolitan Division foe Rangers, including posting 17 goals and 56 assists for 73 points over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

But his play fell off last season as he went from building block to expendable in a rough finish to his time in New York. So the Hurricanes made the trade on the first day of free agency, then gave him an eight-year contract paying an average annual value of $7.5 million through the 2032-33 season.

Carolina has won a series in seven straight postseasons, including reaching the Eastern Conference final twice in the past three seasons before falling to two-time reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida each time.

The Hurricanes looked to Miller and the signing of free agent Nikolaj Ehlers as part of their next steps to playing for the Cup. And they are looking for Miller in particular to bolster a system that relies on an aggressive forecheck to pressure opponents, get control of the puck and keep it to maintain pressure in the offensive zone.

He just decided to bring the offense to his Carolina debut, too, on a night when the Hurricanes repeatedly rang the post against Jacob Markstrom.

His first goal was unexpected. He took a puck from William Carrier along the boards and flicked it toward Markstrom from the slot. The puck appeared to deflect off Devils forward Nico Hischier, then slip past Markstrom as a hopper for a 2-1 lead midway through the second.

His third-period goal was far different: a powerful blast from near the left circle that sent the puck slamming off Markstrom’s glove, skittering off his arm and behind him into the net.

“Two quite different goals there,” said forward Seth Jarvis, who had the go-ahead deflection late in the third followed by an empty-netter from beyond the blue line. “But you could tell from the first time he stepped on the ice in practice at training camp that he’s a special player. And he’s still young, so I can only imagine what level he’s going to get to.”

Miller’s second goal sent the Hurricanes home crowd into a roar, with Miller kicking up his leg and yelling in celebration then motioning for more noise from the crowd before heading to the bench.

“I think that was one of the biggest things, just making a good first impression,” Miller said of his debut. “I think the guys have done an amazing job of getting me caught up to speed. And this adjustment period has been honestly very simple. Very easy, and all the guys are pushing me in the right direction.”

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