Justin Bieber Makes Rare Public Appearance at 2026 NHL Draft

Hockey fans were surprised there Justin Bieber dropped by the 2026 NHL Draft to help announce the first pick at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York on Friday, June 26.
Bieber, 32, is an avid hockey fan and lifelong supporter of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who had the No. 1 pick. As expected, Justin announced Toronto's choice of Penn State's Gavin McKenna to start the repair night.
“It's an amazing night,” Bieber said as he sat down. “The kid in me is so happy right now. I've been a Leafs fan since I was a little boy. Tonight is special. I'm so thankful to be here.”
Maple Leafs fans should be no strangers to Bieber coming up big time. He and his wife, Hailey, 29, sat behind the Toronto bench in Game 7 of the 2025 Eastern Conference semifinals, his clothes and behavior drawing the ire of the former Maple Leafs defenseman. Carlo Colaicovo.
“Who really thought this was a good idea?” Colaiacovo, 43, wrote about X at the time, sharing a GIF of Justin, wearing sunglasses, a white hat, and a red and pink zip-up.
Justin, on the other hand, did not seem to care that others might be disturbed by his costume or his dancing to the music of the stadium. He shared a selfie from the game using Instagram, captioning it, “I'm a whore for these guys.”
That performance came just days after she skipped the Met Gala, sending Hailey alone, so she could watch Game 1 of the series.
After Game 7, a 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers, Justin reflected on the season and reaffirmed his fandom.
“I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't hold myself to leafssss,” he wrote in another post on Instagram. “This year we went further than we have in a long time and I'm happy about that.”
He added, “I can be patient because I know this is the team that will do that.”
While Justin waits for Toronto to lift the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1967, he seems to be passing his love on to his son, Jack. Last June, she shared dozens of photos of Jack, now 22 months old, on Instagram, some of which show the baby in a dress. Auston Matthews a sweater.
The Maple Leafs finished the 2025-26 season with the second worst record in the Eastern Conference at 32-36-14. They did, however, win the draft lottery to ensure they were selected high on Friday night, despite only having a fifth chance to do so.





