Justin Bieber joins Whistler/Squamish hockey practice

Canadian super-star Justin Bieber surprised local minor league hockey players November 23rd by making an unexpected appearance at the Meadow Park Sports Centre in Whistler.

Steve Legge, President of the Whistler Minor Hockey Association (WMHA) says he got a last minute phone call at 11:15 pm from one of the star’s “guys” who said the singer wanted to play with a team at a high level; “We were just fortunate enough to have a practice going on with our, midget A1 team that’s a joint venture between Whistler and Squamish, and the boys had no idea”.

Twelve high school aged players (the whole team, apart from several who were out injured) where able to practice with the singer 4-on-4 for approximately 45 minutes. They also managed to get some photos with the star, who held his own, by scoring a couple of goals during the scrimmage. The WMHA President says the multi-award winning singer was sincere and unassuming; “he was a proper gentleman, it was awesome”. Bieber was in town to snowboard, and had previously spent the day at a local spa.

Even though a select few where aware of the VIP visit the night before, it was still uncertain if the star would actually show as Legge had been informed Bieber had a tight schedule. The final word that the Stratford, Ontario native would be attending training came at 6:40 pm, just 20 minutes before practice. Security checked the venue ahead of time and the musician entered the arena the same way the Canucks do when they practice in town; “He just rotated in and took his own shifts… he was just playing hockey, [that’s] what he wanted” said Legge, who knows the star got a good work out quoting Bieber as saying “wow, these guys can skate”.

Bieber was given a Whistler WinterHawks jersey before he left. The WMHA President said it was a “fun experience for all”.