Calgary’s Tate McRae to headline entertainment at NHL All-Star Game

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After being named as one of the celebrity co-captains at February’s NHL All-Star Game, Calgary singer-songwriter Tate McRae has been tapped to headline the second intermission in Toronto next month.

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Last week, McRae, whose single greedy hit No. 1 globally, was chosen as the celebrity captain for Team McKinnon, which will be captained by Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan McKinnon and Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar as assistant captain.

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McRae is one of four celebrity captains named for the NHL All-Star Game, along with global superstar — and Toronto Maple Leafs superfan — Justin Bieber, Toronto-born actor Will Arnett, and Grammy Award-winning musician Michael Buble.

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Bieber will team up with Leafs superstar Auston Matthews and defenceman Morgan Reilly, while Arnett will co-captain with the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Noted Canucks fan Buble will lead a team behind Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes and his brother Jack (who plays for the New Jersey Devils).

Since bursting onto the scene in 2017 with her viral hit One Day, McRae has notched over 7.8 billion career streams, more than 945 million video views, two #1 Top 40 hits and multiple #1 dance hits.

Last month, McRae was spotted wearing a Heritage Classic jersey in the stands at the Saddledome as the Calgary Flames took on the Tampa Bay Lightning.

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The 20-year-old nine-time Juno Award winner is an avid hockey fan. In her music video for greedy McRae is seen driving a Zamboni and dancing in an ice rink.

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In 2022, McRae released her debut album i used to think i could fly which landed at #1 on Spotify’s Global Top Albums Debut Chart, charted in the Top 10 in multiple countries and has garnered over 1.5 billion streams to date. Last fall, her highly anticipated sophomore album THINK LATER debuted at #4 on Billboard’s album chart and has garnered over 1.3 billion streams worldwide.

The release also led to her debut performance as musical guest on an episode of Saturday Night Live in November and had Billboard naming her as one of its Breakthrough Artists of 2023.

“You don’t get an instruction manual on how to do this,” McRae said of her meteoric rise in an interview with Postmedia last month. “You have a million options in front of you and you have to make the choice, to make the right one. I’ve been presented with so many different opinions and sometimes the louder it gets, the more confusing it gets. I think what has been the most grounding for me is taking the silence in between all the craziness and trusting my gut and going back to what I really want.”

The all-star game festivities run from Feb. 1 to 3 at Scotiabank Arena and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre South Building. For more info, visit NHL.com/AllStar.

mdaniell@postmedia.com

X: @markhdaniell

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