Justin Bieber, Steve Carell, and hockey legends like Rob Blake, Mark Messier, Cammi Granato, and Jeremy Roenick hit the ice on Sunday to support relief efforts for the Los Angeles wildfires. The event, called “Skate for LA Strong,” was organized by the Los Angeles Kings and the National Hockey League (NHL) at the Crypto.com Arena. The Palisades Fire, the most destructive in LA’s history, inspired the fundraiser.
“We’re here to have fun and show that when we come together, good things happen,” said Bieber.
The idea for the four-team exhibition tournament came from Hockey Hall of Famer and Kings President Luc Robitaille. Each team had 15 skaters and one goaltender, featuring a mix of celebrities, former NHL players, and local first responders.
“We’ve all been affected by the fires last month. Many of us have friends or family who were impacted. This is our chance to make a difference and raise as much as we can,” Robitaille explained.
The team coached by actors Vince Vaughn and Cobie Smulders won both of their games, taking the tournament title. Roenick scored two goals during the event and even playfully “fought” Bieber during one of the games.
“This was an amazing celebration of hockey and first responders. It was great to see so many people show up, including some LA firefighters playing on the ice,” Roenick said.
Other teams were coached by Will Ferrell and Snoop Dogg, Danny DeVito and Al Michaels, and Hannah Stocking and Andrew Whitworth. Actor Skylar Astin, who joined the event, shared his personal connection to the cause.
“When the Kings asked me to participate, I said yes immediately. I live in Malibu, and I’m so grateful to the firefighters for their efforts. Driving here, I saw the destruction for the first time, and it was chilling. It will take time to rebuild, but LA is resilient, and we’ll get through this,” Astin said.
The game was broadcast locally in Los Angeles and nationally on ESPN2. Instead of selling tickets, the Kings distributed them to first responders and those displaced by the fires. A total of 12,167 fans attended the event.
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