Following a week where over 10 million people were watching elite players from Canada and USA square off — the largest audience in 30+ years — there’s a hockey game coming up on Sunday that will be more widely distributed perhaps than any game in history.
In partnership with the NHL, the LA Kings will host a celebrity filled event titled “Skate For LA Strong” at Cryto.com Arena. The event, labeled as “A Celebration to Support the Fire Recovery Efforts in Los Angeles,” will be broadcast live across multiple media platforms, including: ESPN2, ESPN+, Disney+, Hulu, truTV, Sportsnet, FanDuel Sports Network, KCAL-TV, Pluto TV and Samsung TV Plus.
Four teams will skate in an All-Star type of format, with honorary coaches like Danny DeVito, Snoop Dogg, Will Ferrell, Al Michaels, and Vince Vaughn handling coach responsibilities.
Hall of Famer Mark Messier leads a long list of former NHL stars who are scheduled to participate. Mayor’s Manor had a chance to catch up with six-time Stanley Cup champion to capture a few of his thoughts heading into Sunday.
“With the LA Kings and NHL putting the benefit together to help the people affected by the fires, you do anything you can to help,” said the former New York Rangers captain.
Like most people across the world of sports and entertainment, Messier is impressed by the list of big-name people who will be involved in Skate for LA Strong.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” he said. “I think when tragedy strikes the way it did, and something like that with the fires, everybody grabs an oar and starts to row together. The NHL and Luc Robitaille are doing a great job with this. When Luc asked me if I’d come play, I said, ‘Sure!’ I think everybody is doing the same; lending a hand, bringing attention, raising some money for a good cause.”
When I jokingly suggested it may not be that enjoyable having Paul Bissonnette there, Messier laughed and responded, “I’m sure it’ll be fun.”
On a more serious note, the man often cited as being one of the NHL’s all-time best leaders, circled back to his love and respect for a city he never actually called home during his 25-year NHL career.
“LA has always been a great spot,” Messier said, beaming with a surprising amount of pride. “I grew up on the West Coast. I spent many years as a kid up and down the Pacific Coast Highway and into LA and Beverly Hills. I have a long history with LA, so I’m really happy to get out there and help.”
Full rosters for the Skate for LA Strong teams can be found below, followed by a link to our interview with AEG and Kings COO Kelly Cheeseman about the big charity event.
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