The Toronto Maple Leafs turned to a bit of celebrity power to try to help them get going on Tuesday night.
Down 1-0 in the second period in Game 5 of their first-round playoff matchup against the Ottawa Senators, Toronto-born actor and massive Leafs fan Will Arnett was brought out during a commercial break to lead the sold-out Scotiabank Arena crowd in a cheer.
Toronto entered the night with a 3-1 lead on the series, but gave up the first goal of the night for the third game in a row to begin the night on an uphill battle.
His appearance might’ve hyped up the crowd, but it didn’t exactly have an immediate effect on the ice, as the Leafs entered the final frame of the game still being held scoreless.
Will Arnett in the arena tonight for the Leafs v Sens pic.twitter.com/EIi1gSDubq
— Lindsay Dunn (@LindsayDunnTV) April 30, 2025
Toronto is aiming to win just its second playoff series since 2004, coincidentally first-round win over the Senators in an epic seven-game set.
For Arnett, he’ll be hopeful that he won’t have to be in Toronto again for this series, with Toronto’s next possible home game being a winner-take-all Game 7.
Why is Arnett a Leafs fan?
Best known for his roles on Arrested Development and BoJack Horseman, the 54-year-old Toronto native was once testing out his jokes in the halls of Leaside High School before eventually moving to New York.
While he’s often out working in Los Angeles, New York, or elsewhere around the world, it’s not uncommon to see the diehard fan Arnett pictured wearing the team’s logo, including wearing a Leafs coat an appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel Show back in 2022.
Arnett was also one of the celebrity captains during the 2024 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto, being featured alongside Tate McRae, Justin Bieber, and perhaps most memorably, Michael Buble, who joked about being high on shrooms during the weekend’s draft.