In photos: A-list celebs DJ Khaled, Ariana Grande & Charles Barkley spotted at Stanley Cup Final Game 2 in Florida
The Florida Panthers hosted the Edmonton Oilers for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night. The game featured some renowned faces in the crowd, including DJ Khaled, Ariana Grande and Charles Barkley.
DJ Khaled, who grew his career in Miami, got the audience excited with a performance before the game outside Amerant Bank Arena. He sang a few of his songs and urged the Florida fans to cheer loudly for their team. "Let's go, Florida!" he yelled to the crowd. "All I do is win, win, win!"
Following his performance, Khaled had the opportunity to chat with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
Ariana Grande, the pop singer born in Boca Raton, Florida, was spotted wearing a Panthers jersey to cheer on the home team.
NBA icon Charles Barkley unexpectedly showed up on the ABC broadcast during the first break. Barkley, alongside P.K. Subban, Steve Levy and Mark Messier contributed to the studio commentary.
He humorously recounted an encounter that took place more than two decades ago, claiming that Messier owes him $5,000. Barkley also met with DJ Khaled.
Having these A-list celebrities at the Stanley Cup Final shows the excitement and popularity of hockey in South Florida.
Fans react to celebrity appearances at Stanley Cup Final Game 2
The celebrity sightings at Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final created quite a buzz among hockey fans.
Many of them were excited to see the stars showing their support and quickly took to social media to share their thoughts:
One fan commented:
"Lucky charm. Fly Ariana to Canada for games 3 and 4."
Another fan wrote:
"Panthers were never losing this game, that’s some serious motivation right there"
One fan commented on DJ Khaled's performance:
"Another one...DJ Khaled...All I do is win win win no matter what...." on X.
Here are some more fan reactions:
"Hahahha who cares about them the queen is theeeere," one fan wrote on X, refering to Ariana Grande as "the queen."
"Charles is the best!! Just so darn funny and genuine," another fan wrote.
"Good thing that's news worthy!" a user wrote.
The presence of A-list stars such as these three have brought more widespread attention to the NHL's championship series. The Florida Panthers won 4-1 against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final.