The Road to Stanley is a Celebrity Affair

Written by Alyssa De Rosa, AllHabs.net

MONTREAL, QC. — The LA Kings have caught fire and the stars have noticed. When David Beckham came to town on May 11 to play versus the Montreal Impact, he stopped Habs fans in their tracks during a press conference when he said that he thought LA was “the hockey town at the moment.” He isn’t the only one.

While Montreal remains the most passionate city for hockey, the American teams are giving fans a run for their money. The last time the Kings were competing in the finals was back in 1993 when superstar Wayne Gretzky led them there. They lost to Les Glorieux in five games. But, even then superstars supported their mighty Kings. A-list celebrities include Goldie Hawn, Sylvester Stallone, Jerry Seinfeld and more. And now, with social media websites like Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest, stars are taking to their smartphones and laptops to show their teams some support.

Former WWF wrestler Bret Hart tweeted, “Stanley Cup finals tonight! My prediction: LA Kings in 6.” Famous TV/Radio host Ryan Seacrest tweeted, “go time @lakings #wewantthecup.”  With respect to the other finalists from New Jersey, Rex Ryan, NFL head coach of the NY Jets was seen in a Devils jersey.

Before there were two teams left, many celebrities were spotted at arenas cheering their home teams on. The Staples Center in LA saw the likes of Zac Efron, James Gandolfini, Rachel McAdams and Kristen Bell. The New York Rangers had support from the fun girl herself, Cyndi Lauper and Glee star Lea Michele with boyfriend Cory Monteith to name a few.

In a city like Los Angeles where hockey is often on the back-burner, celebrity attendance is helping ticket sales. According to an article from The Guardian, tickets at the Staples Center are “trading at inflated prices.” In Montreal, win or lose the stands are always full, and the city has its share of celebrities attending games too. But, how much does it really affect the game? Montreal comedian Sugar Sammy says “celebrity attendance adds a spotlight and coolness factor to the game,” but he thinks that when the puck does drop, players focus on the game and not who’s watching, just as “[he] forgets when [he’s] on stage.”

Some may see celebrities as endorsements, but the truth is they love their hockey. Hockey players too have reached celebrity status over the years, and the more appearances they make, the more people love them. The number of celebrities that use Twitter nowadays is huge, and hockey clubs are using it too. Celebrities tweet, and their followers listen and watch. Hockey has always been a Canadian past-time like baseball is in the U.S, but now Stanley is becoming very popular among Americans and they want it just as bad as us Canucks do.