A Year Without Concerts

It's hard to believe that the vast majority of us have gone a full year without seeing a live event whether it be sports, theatre, or a concert. While people are being vaccinated with the hope of returning to a somewhat-normal life, I'm not sure anything will feel normal again after this year. The one thing that I've use to remain relatively sane is music, and it's through music that I've found new bands, new sounds, and new tracks and albums that are shaping my musical tastes going forward. Being that this is a hockey blog, though, let's mashup a little hockey and music as we take another fun look at musicians with hockey jerseys!

We'll start with the late, great Eddie Van Halen who passed away on October 6, 2020. Eddie was the lead guitarist for the band Van Halen, and certainly earned his place among some of the greatest musicians and guitar players that have ever been seen or heard. The fun part is that Eddie Van Halen had worn some hockey jerseys in his time. He sported a Flyers jersey in Phildelphia and added a Whalers jersey while playing in Hartford. Rest in peace, Eddie. You were gone far too soon.

Snoop Dogg is back in this article as he sports a couple of Canadian major junior hockey jerseys today. He's Snoop Dogg in an OHL Peterborough Petes jersey. He also wore a WHL Saskatoon Blades jersey! Look good, Snoop, while repping the OHL and WHL clubs!

I have to admit that I'm not well-versed in the rap scene, but Palestinian-born Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer Belly seems to be a bit of a big deal. In 2007, he wrote and released a single called "Bandwagon" during the Ottawa Senators' playoff run that saw a second version released following the playoffs that featured then-Senators netminder Ray Emery. He earned a Juno Award at the 2008 Junos for Rap Recording of the Year, so it's pretty clear that Belly has some talent. Being that he's from Ottawa, here's Belly performing at a rally for the Senators while wearing a Senators jersey!

Speaking of rappers, it's no secret that Li'l Jon is a hockey fan. Here he is sporting an Atlanta Flames jersey. He also shows some love for the Anaheim Ducks!

Continuing on the rap/hip hop scene, here's Kanye West showing off his Winged Wheel as a member of the Red Wings army.

We get a glimpse of Method Man in a Pittsburgh Penguins jersey as he performs. I believe this was from an MTV performance.

The late DMX must have been a Georges Laraque fan because the rap star had an Oilers jersey with Laraque's number!

Again, I don't know his music, but German-born American rapper J. Cole has been called "one of the most influential rappers of his generation". He also appears to be a Tampa Bay Lightning fan!

Cheryl James, better know by her stage name "Salt", was one of the three influential women who made up Salt-N-Pepa. While she called New York City home after being born there and growing up there, she may have rattled a few cages when she showed off her New Jersey Devils jersey at The Espys!

Tupac Shakur isn't someone whose music I got into back at the turn of the millenium, but his hockey choices will never be questioned. Tupac showed up at Club Expo during Fashion Week 2002 sporting a New York Rangers jersey!

These articles never feel right unless I post a few uniforms from people we commonly see on these lists. One of those people is Justin Bieber, and we have the Biebs making appearances in an OHL Owen Sound Attack jersey, an AHL Manitoba Moose jersey, and a Vancouver Canucks jersey. I wonder how many jerseys he actually has at this point. Does he have a separate closet for them all?

I'm never against listening to good musicians perform, and one of the best guitarists on the planet is still Carlos Santana. Back in the 1970s, there were lots of great bands who were looking to change their sound ever so slightly, and they'd ask other musicians to join them. One such band was The Grateful Dead who asked Santana who played with the Dead in 1980 on the songs "Not Fade Away", "Sugar Magnolia", and "US Blues" while sporting a magnificent Minnesota North Stars jersey!

Genesis was a solid rock band for a long time, but they seem to a little disorganized when it came to their fashion. We've seen Phil Collins in hockey sweaters before, but it's almost like there could one be one person wearing a hockey sweater at a time in their photos. Tony Banks, for example, shows up a couple of times wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater and his Vancouver Canucks sweater when no one else is wearing one, and Mike Rutherford is in his own Toronto Maple Leafs sweater in another picture. Regardless of their lack of fashion coordination, it didn't seem to affect their music in any way!

Chris Jericho, the wrestler, front his own band, Fozzy, as you likely know, and his dad is former New York Rangers legend Ted Irvine. As such, Jericho is into hockey in a big way, and he wore a Buffalo Sabres jersey while on the WWE broadcast! Am I bending the rules for this one? I am. I cannot lie.

Shawn Mendes is a pretty well-known musician thanks to his following by generations younger than I, but it seems Mendes enjoys his share of receiving hockey jerseys as well. Among the many in his closet, you'll find a 2017 Chicago Blackhawks Winter Classic jersey, a Dallas Stars jersey, a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey, a Toronto Arenas jersey, and a Team Australia jersey! That last one is pretty cool - I'm kind of envious that Mendes got that one for free!

Again, someone whose music I'm entirely unfamiliar with is Olga Buzova. Reportedly, she is the most-followed Russian individual on Instagram due to her professions as media personality and singer, so I'll just roll with that description. Buzova, however, does have a personalized KHL Traktor Chelyabinsk jersey she can boast!

I was not aware that Charlie Daniels was a hockey fan in any way, but apparently the Nashville Predators have the country/bluegrass musician as a fan! Not only does he have a yellow Predators jersey, but Daniels went all-in for a Nashville Predators military appreciation jersey too! Maybe he's a bigger hockey fan than he lets on?

Cee Lo Green performed on the Jimmy Kimmel show during the Los Angeles Kings' run of Stanley Cups, and he sported a Los Angeles Kings jersey on the program, complete with the Stanley Cup Final patch!

And to end off this look at musicians in jerseys, we have our very first Reverse Retro jersey sported by a musician! Joywave lead singer Daniel Armbruster donned the new Buffalo Sabres Reverse Retro to support the team! It's just too bad that I'm posting this article on the same day that they became the first team eliminated from the 2020-21 NHL Playoffs.

There's a glimpse into a few closets where musicians are keeping their various hockey jerseys they have as wait for the opportunity for in-person concerts and events to return. If you want to see the full list of all the musicians who are wearing your favorite team's jersey, check here. As always, if you have pictures you want to submit, I'll credit you as long as that musician is not on the list already. Send any pictures you want me to include in the next article here, and we'll get your name in lights for at least one day!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!