Comedian Will Ferrell brought his signature humor to the ice when he attended last week’s NHL matchup between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Los Angeles Kings.
Dressed in a full referee uniform complete with a black-and-white striped shirt, NHL logo, orange armband, and helmet, Ferrell enthusiastically played the part from his seat behind the boards.
The part? Faux coach of the actual officials on the ice.
“I’ve always been in support of the NHL referees,” Ferrell said during an in-game interview with FanDuel Sports Network West. “In fact, I trained two of the guys out here. They’re two of my prize students, Brandon and Francis. They’re calling a heck of a game.”
Ferrell at one point shouted toward the ice, “Great job, Francis!”
Will Ferrell Says He’s Ready to Step In
Even beyond simply “training” the officials in the game, Ferrell suggested that he could fill in should the need arise. You know, like if there’s an injury to one of the refs or something.
To demonstrate, he was heard making various calls throughout the contest.
“I’ve got it all ready to go at a moment’s notice, because you never know if one of these guys go down, I may have to put on the skates and go out there,” he said.
Ferrell, in an interview on Travis and Jason Kelce’s podcast New Heights, said he grew up a hockey fan and, being from California, played it in the streets.
“I remember I grew up in Southern California, and there was a kid who moved into my neighborhood from Connecticut, and we would play street hockey,” Ferrell said. “We didn’t have ice, so it was just with a little ball and running around a parking lot, and I followed the Kings way back [in the 1980s].”
Other Humorous Game Appearances
This isn’t the first time Will Ferrell has shown up at a Kings game and caught fans’ attention with his brand of comedy. Last season, he showed up dressed as Buddy the Elf from the holiday classic, Elf.
Except, there was something off about Buddy.
Usually an exuberant, naive, and overly cheerful character who spreads joy and holiday exuberance with his childlike wonder and boundless energy, this version looked a little more like the dude Chazz Michael Michaels from Blades of Glory when he’s working the local ice show.
Behold, drunk Buddy. A Buddy bitter about his life choices.
Despite his appearance as Buddy the Elf at the Kings-Flyers game, a sequel to the movie Elf does not appear to be in the works.
Ferrell has publicly stated multiple times that he would not return for a sequel. He turned down a $29 million offer, citing issues with the script and his personal reluctance to reprise the role, especially as he gets older, believing it would not be faithful to the character’s essence.
As for the game he officiated? The Kings lost, 5-3, dropping their record to 16-14-9.