NHL All-Star Draft Turns into Bublé Show
The NHL All-Star Draft took place on Thursday night in Toronto, and it was anything but ordinary. The star of the show? None other than crooner Michael Bublé. However, Bublé’s post-draft press conference revealed that he may have had some assistance from magic mushrooms.
In a departure from previous years, the NHL opted for a fantasy draft-style format, with each of the four teams being led by a celebrity captain. Comedian Will Arnett, singer Tate McCrae, popstar Justin Bieber, and the aforementioned Bublé took on the role of captains.
The draft itself was a bit cringe-worthy. The NHL seems to have overlooked the fact that most NHL players are not comfortable with public speaking. This meant that the celebrity captains had to step up and fill in the gaps. Bublé, a die-hard Vancouver Canucks fan, did his best to embrace the challenge.
Bublé, affectionately known as Mikey Bubbles, seemed to be in high spirits. Following the draft, he revealed that a “dietary decision” prior to the event may have contributed to his enthusiasm. In a moment that resembled a conversation with someone under the influence of mushrooms, Bublé made this revelation while discussing fantasy hockey.
When questioned about his claim of being in first place in his fantasy league, Bublé found himself defending his position against hockey writer Matt Larkin. It was during this exchange that Bublé mentioned his unexpected detour through the Mushroom Kingdom.
“My buddy told me this was just a microdose of mushrooms…and he lied. So, I’ll be honest, I thought I was in Blades of Glory for most of the time that I was out there until it settled down and I realized, ‘Holy s–t, I’m at the NHL All-Star Game.'”
While I have no personal experience with mushrooms beyond cooking them, I can’t imagine that being at center ice in the Scotiabank Arena with cameras focused on you is an ideal setting for such an experience. It sounds like a recipe for what fans of the band Phish would call a “freakout.”
Only time will tell how Bublé’s team, Team Hughes, led by captains Quinn and Jack Hughes, will fare on Saturday night. Perhaps Bublé’s “microdose” was the secret ingredient for success.
