
Getty Image / Mitchell Leff
It always blows my mind when I see some professional athlete attending their ‘first ever’ game of another pro team in their hometown. I get that these athletes are celebrities and they’re busy as hell.
When they’re not relentlessly training all day every day they’re attending charity events, traveling, or partying. But it’s always seemed like such an easy way for an athlete to build their personal brand in their hometown by supporting the other teams in the area. You’d see this regularly with LeBron James and Ohio sports teams, now he’s doing it in Los Angeles.
Apparently, despite playing in Dallas for the Cowboys for eight years, Dez Bryant had never found time to watch the Dallas Stars play a game at the American Airlines Arena. In fact, Dez had never been to any NHL game before. I only lived in Dallas for less than a year but I still found time to attend close to ten Stars games so I don’t get what the holdup was for him.
Dez Bryant jumped right into the deep end of hockey fandom last night when he went into the Dallas Stars’ locker room before the game to read out the starting lineup and pump up the players. He then sat rinkside on the glass for warmups and watched the Stars lose 2-0 to the best team in the NHL, my beloved hometown Tampa Bay Lightning.
Here’s Dez in the Stars locker room before the game:
"Like coach said, let's be relentless!"@DezBryant gets the guys amped up calling out tonight's starting lineup. #GoStars #ThrowUpTheX pic.twitter.com/BygLinY8nr
— X – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) January 16, 2019
Coach @DezBryant getting too hyped announcing the @DallasStars tonight at his first hockey game. Let’s get this W #DallasStars @NHL #GoStars pic.twitter.com/GFGhadZmEg
— Ryan Totka (@RyanTotka) January 16, 2019
After reading out the starting lineup the Stars hooked Dez up with some sick seats on the glass:
He looks good in Victory Green. We've got @DezBryant at AAC tonight! #ThrowUpTheX pic.twitter.com/O0nabJMzD4
— X – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) January 16, 2019
Later, he moved up to a box so he could enjoy some privacy (and food). He’s a popular man in Dallas, so I get it.
.@DezBryant teaching 'em early to #ThrowUpTheX. @DallasStars | #GoStars pic.twitter.com/UnFItkTV4E
— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) January 16, 2019
Guess who was pregaming the Stars-Bolts at Hooters? Celebrities, they’re just like us.
I met my boy Dez at Hooters Downtown and he's one of us pic.twitter.com/CT7GuP9GhJ
— Pepe Olivares (@PepeOlivares9) January 16, 2019
https://twitter.com/SkinWade/status/1085361306356645890
Was the house DJ throwing shade at Dez with this one?
Dez Bryant is here and the arena plays "all my exes live in Texas"
— Diana C. Nearhos (@dianacnearhos) January 16, 2019
The Stars hooked him up with his own jersey before the game.
New Sport, Who Dis? With the first pick in the 2019 @NHL draft the @DallasStars select @DezBryant from Lufkin, TX #GoStars pic.twitter.com/GAgmxHVs3z
— Ryan Totka (@RyanTotka) January 16, 2019
And Dez acted like every young fan seeing hockey up close for the first time.
#ThrowUpTheX @DezBryant 💚 #GoStars pic.twitter.com/2WMfe54siJ
— X – Jeff K (@jeffk_stars) January 16, 2019
Unfortunately for the Dallas fans, Dez Bryant in the house wasn’t enough to overpower the Tampa Bay Lightning who currently hold a 16-point lead over the Leafs in the Atlantic (74pts to 58) and a 12-point lead over the second best team in the NHL (Flames with 64-points). The Lightning also have the league’s best goal differential with +58.
At least Dez Bryant got to see the best of the best in his first-ever NHL game, right?