So Justin Bieber walked into the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo and basically made every hockey fan under 30 lose their minds. The guy has been a Maple Leafs diehard his whole life, and on Friday night he got to step up to the mic at KeyBank Center and announce the No. 1 pick. That’s not something you get to do every day, even if you’re a pop star with 300 million Instagram followers.
Bieber wasn’t just there to read a name off a card. He was genuinely hyped. He shouted out the crowd in Toronto, said his inner kid was going insane, and then dropped the news that Penn State winger Gavin McKenna was heading to the Leafs. McKenna walked out to Bieber’s song Yukon — the one that got a Grammy nomination — and shook hands with the commissioner Gary Bettman like it was no big deal.
But here’s the thing. Bieber didn’t just disappear after the pick. He stuck around for McKenna’s press conference, told everyone how much this moment meant to him, and promised the kid he’d be wearing a McKenna jersey to a Leafs game next season. That’s a pretty solid flex for a rookie who just got drafted.
McKenna’s Weekend Got Even Wilder
McKenna, for his part, handled the whole thing like a pro. He told reporters he was still riding the adrenaline from the night before, called Toronto an amazing place with passionate fans, and mentioned that people were already asking for photos before he was even drafted. So yeah, the kid has some idea what he’s walking into.
But the draft wasn’t the end of his weekend. The next day — Saturday, June 27 — he threw out the first pitch at a Toronto Blue Jays game. That’s a two-sport rookie tour in 24 hours. Not bad for a guy who just turned 18 last month.
What’s Next for Bieber?
On the music side, Bieber just wrapped a headlining Coachella set in April, where he played tracks off Swag and Swag 2, the two albums he dropped last year. Fans are waiting for a tour announcement but so far, nothing. Maybe he’s busy plotting which Leafs games he can crash next season.
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