Justin Bieber celebrates Toronto Maple Leafs' Game 1 victory: 'This the yearski'

National Post

06-05-2025

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Bieber was quiet during Toronto's first-round series against the Ottawa Senators, who the squad beat in six games. But periodically over the years, the Peaches singer, who is pals with Leafs captain Auston Matthews, has fearlessly cheered on Toronto on social media.
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His 2021 song Hold On (a track he said was a 'love letter to the Maple Leafs') was dedicated to the group and he even co-designed one of the Leafs' alternate 'Next Gen' jerseys.
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During the pandemic-shortened NHL season back in 2021, the London, Ont.-born pop star took his fandom to a whole new level when he picked the Leafs to win the Stanley Cup.
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After Matthews, Mitch Marner and Joe Thornton combined for seven points (three goals, four assists) for a 3-2 road win over the Ottawa Senators, Bieber shared an image of the Leafs' logo to his Instagram page with the words, 'This is the year.'
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Bieber regularly posted about the Leafs that season on his Instagram, but after the club blew a 3-1 series lead to lose in the first round against the Montreal Canadiens, some fans wondered if the singer had jinxed the team by his overzealous boasting.
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Prior to that series, Bieber was spotted on the Jumbotron during a Game 6 defeat at the hands of the Washington Capitals back in 2016. With the team then eliminated from the NHL playoffs, he took to Instagram to jab the Habs.
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View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber)
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Following the team's Game 7 defeat to the Bruins in 2019, fans lashed out at the Baby hitmaker and Toronto rapper Drake, who were spotted cheering on the team in person throughout the series, prompting then-Leafs coach Mike Babcock to weigh in on allegations of a curse.
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'I've heard lots of things since I've come here,' Babcock said at the time. 'But that's one of the craziest things. The game is played on the ice by us. There's no curse whatsoever.'
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After the 2021 debacle, Bieber kept his Leafs social media mentions to a minimum. But the father of one did manage to pop up in person at Scotiabank Arena once in a while, most notably dressed as 'Willy Wonka' during a December 2022 tilt against the Los Angeles Kings.
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During one surprise appearance in 2023, Drake spotted Bieber's social media post and playfully asked why he wasn't invited to tag along.
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When he spoke to ESPN during Team Matthews' first round match against Team Hughes, Bieber called his All-Star experience 'unbelievable.'