The National Hockey League (NHL) has done it again, announcing a Stanley Cup Concert Series led by an intriguing pick of performers in DJ Khaled and the Kid LAROI.
Today, the league announced that Grammy-nominated artists will perform for fans attending Games 1 and 2 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, featuring the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers, outside of Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, FL. The former will perform ahead of Game 2, while the latter will take the stage ahead of Game 1.
While we're relieved that the league chose to side-step literal crust punks or the "American Bad Ass" now fully mirroring his nation's decline this time around, here's the tale of the tape between the latest NHL-affiliated musical entertainers.
The Kid LAROI hails from from Australia (a country that has produced only one NHL player) and appeared in music sporting some first-line-level lettuce that he chopped before launching debut album The First Time — the cover of which exudes undeniable Florida Man energy. However, he was spotted earlier this year at the 2024 NHL All-Star game with celebrity captain and rumoured girlfriend Tate McCrae, so when it comes to his burgeoning passion for the game, we'll chalk up a couple of points in the win column.
DJ Khaled, meanwhile, would absolutely be a Hall of Fame hockey executive in an era before the league's salary cap, given how he always succeeds at bringing together the biggest stars in music for his studio albums. "All I Do Is Win" is now an arena staple, no matter the sport, but assembling such talent doesn't always guarantee big victories — and letting Justin Bieber light you up in road hockey doesn't help the cause either.
The NHL notes that "additional musical performers and special guests for the 2024 Stanley Cup Final will be announced in the coming days," meaning there's still a chance that native son Kodak Black could be invited back to Panthers games. Our preliminary guess is that those names could be whoever isn't sitting courtside for the NBA Finals.
In the meantime, we encourage you to press play on Cadence Weapon's newly revised "Connor McDavid (2024 Stanley Cup Version)" — even if you don't consider the Edmonton Oilers to be "Canada's team."