TORONTO — Justin Bieber was one of the big stars of NHL All-Star Weekend, performing at a party he threw early in the week and actually getting on the ice prior to the 3-on-3 tournament Saturday.
Bieber was one of four celebrity captains, along with fellow Canadians Michael Bublé, Will Arnett and Tate McRae. He took part in warmups and was mic-ed up for the occasion.
''It's been a minute — it's so fun, though,'' Bieber said while skating. ''This is a dream.''
Bieber took a photo with reigning MVP and skills competition champion Connor McDavid, chatted with Elias Pettersson and got asked by Sergei Bobrovsky if he was actually playing. That would be a bit too far.
''No, just for warmups,'' Bieber said. ''Otherwise, I'll get hurt.''
All-Star 3-on-3 MVP Auston Matthews was a fan of having Bieber out there.
''Everybody enjoyed it — he obviously really enjoyed it,'' Matthews said. ''It was a cool moment for him to get on the ice and snap it around with a couple of the fellas. I think everybody really got a kick out of that, honestly."
Bieber wore a Super Mario Brothers-inspired mushroom coat behind the bench during the game, a nod at Bublé, who said Thursday night after the player draft that he was on mushrooms.
