Kid Rock Is Playing the NHL All-Star Game and Hockey Fans Are Pissed

The National Hockey League will showcase its biggest stars at the 2018 All-Star Game in Tampa, FL, on January 28. While it's no secret that the NHL is among the more conservative leagues in pro sports, the once-proclaimed "coolest game on earth" became significantly less cool by announcing Kid Rock as this year's halftime entertainment.

The league took to Twitter to make the announcement Tuesday (January 16), where it was met with largely negative reaction. Some mocked the NHL's pick by suggesting that Creed, Limp Bizkit and Vanilla Ice weren't available, while user @OMJason pointed out that "a league desperate to grow its fanbase choosing such a polarizing performer is a really weird choice."

Maybe NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is a really big fan of the "American Bad Ass," or perhaps this is another attempt to bring hockey to American markets that could care less. It's stunning how it took the league six years to go from having Drake perform to thinking fans would want some Sweet Southern Sugar.

Pore over reaction to the announcement below.
 

The 2018 @Honda #NHLAllStar Game will feature @KidRock as the headlining entertainment! pic.twitter.com/rhwYqjr4Em

— NHL (@NHL) January 17, 2018

Were Limp Bizkit and Creed busy that day

— Trusted Hockey Man (@50_MissionCap) January 17, 2018

Why do you make it so hard to love you?

— Jason Mills (@iamjasonmills) January 17, 2018

pic.twitter.com/bC7s5sSl2N

— Kristen (@MishaMishaps) January 17, 2018

you should seriously consider canceling this performance

— Eric J Brantley (@ericjnb) January 17, 2018

Was there really no one else? Seriously?

— Katie (@KatieCJ6) January 17, 2018

I am often impressed at the NHL's ability to find someone literally no one would ever want or ask for.

— Anna Hennessy (@NHLpittPENS) January 17, 2018

artists the nhl could have booked for all star weekend instead of kid rock:
- literally any elvis impersonator
- the jonas brothers
- the ghost of frank sinatra
- a roomba with an ipod attached to it

— aspiring bachelor contestant (@goalietandem) January 17, 2018

NHL: Why don't any women, minorities, or people under 40 watch our sport?

Also NHL: Let's book Kid Rock to be the main entertainment for our biggest event of the year!!

— Mike (@DeetoDC) January 17, 2018

Did the NHL get turned down by 10,000 more prominent musicians of was Kid Rock a first choice? Either way, amazing.

— Travis Yost (@travisyost) January 16, 2018

The NHL picking musical acts at their events. pic.twitter.com/5nTW9k0yS7

— Joey Jo-Jo Junior Shabadoo (@Brendan414) January 17, 2018

Sounds about white.

— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) January 17, 2018

What is wrong with you. Honestly.

— Nick Squires Ⓥ (@meatymcsorley) January 17, 2018

Was Nickleback not available?

— Christopher Boan (@cgboan) January 17, 2018

You couldn't just give auston matthews a kazoo and have kessel play the spoons huh

— hockey hurts (@MyIslanders) January 17, 2018

A league desperate to grow its fanbase choosing such a polarizing performer is a really weird choice.

— Jason (@OMJason) January 17, 2018

NHL fading into obscurity.

— Monitoring Quinte (@QuinteNewsNow) January 17, 2018