Skate for LA Strong: Celebrity Hockey Game Supports Fire Relief Efforts

Image credits: AP Photo/Eric Thayer

The Los Angeles Kings, in partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL), hosted "Skate for LA Strong," a celebrity hockey game to support relief funds for the Los Angeles fires. The event took place at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, February 23, and featured four teams playing in a single-elimination format. Each team's roster included a mix of celebrities, NHL Alumni, and local first responders from LAFD, LAcoFD, and LAPD. Headlining the player participants were Justin Bieber and Steve Carell, as well as former NHL greats and Hockey Hall of Fame members Rob Blake, Cammi Granato, Mark Messier, and Jeremy Roenick.

The teams were coached by notable celebrities, including Danny DeVito, Snoop Dogg, Will Ferrell, Al Michaels, Cobie Smulders, Hannah Stocking, Vince Vaughn, and Andrew Whitworth. The event also featured musical performances by Kaskade, Jordan Davis, and Lauren Spencer-Smith. The game was broadcast live on multiple national and local media platforms, including ESPN2, ESPN+, Disney+, Hulu, truTV, Sportsnet, FanDuel Sports Network, KCAL-TV, Pluto TV, and Samsung TV Plus. The NHL legends and celebrities came together to support a great cause, and the event was a huge success, with 12,167 fans in attendance.

The team coached by actors Vince Vaughn and Cobie Smulders won both of its games to take the exhibition tournament. Jeremy Roenick had two goals on the day and even playfully dropped the gloves with Justin Bieber during one of the games. The event was supported by generous contributions from various organizations, including Mercury Insurance, Delta Air Lines, Iron Bow Technologies, Blue Shield of California, DICK's Sporting Goods, ABM, Yaamava' Resort & Casino, Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, Alterra Mountain Company Community Foundation, Big Bear Mountain Resort, Venbrook, Lucas Oil, Vivid Seats, First Round's On Me, Toshiba, and SoCalGas. The "Skate for LA Strong" event was a celebration of hockey and first responders, and it was a lot of fun for everyone involved.

Here are the match scores:

• Team Blue vs. Team White: 5-3
• Team Black vs. Team Red: 4-2
• Team Blue vs. Team Black: 6-4

The event raised a significant amount of money for the Los Angeles fire relief efforts, and it was a great example of how community can come together to support a great cause. The Los Angeles Kings and the NHL should be commended for organizing such a successful event, and the celebrities and NHL legends who participated should be praised for their generosity and support.

The "Skate for LA Strong" event was a huge success, and it will be remembered for a long time. The event showed that even in difficult times, people can come together to support a great cause and have a lot of fun doing it. The Los Angeles Kings and the NHL have set a great example for other sports organizations to follow, and it will be interesting to see what other events they have planned for the future. With the support of the NHL and the celebrity participants, the "Skate for LA Strong" event was able to make a significant impact on the Los Angeles fire relief efforts, and it will be remembered as a great example of how sports can bring people together to support a great cause.

skate bieber relief hockey fire strong justin effort carell roenick