Will Ferrell's Behavior During Kings-Lightning Game Draws Attention

The Los Angeles Kings continued their slide on New Year’s Day, blowing a late 3-2 lead and falling 5-3 to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Crypto.com Arena.

While the loss extended Los Angeles’ skid to eight losses in their last 10 games, dropping the Kings to a 16-14-9 record, it was Will Ferrell who stole the spotlight.

The veteran actor and longtime Kings fan attended the game wearing full NHL referee gear, complete with a Kings helmet, and made mock calls from his front-row seat while the game developed.

“I’ve always been in support of the NHL referees,” Ferrell told Carrlyn Bathe during the first intermission. “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.”

Added Ferrell: “I’m telling him, like, ‘Relax. It’s OK. You’re doing great. You’re doing great.’”

Throughout the game, Ferrell pantomimed infractions, waved off imaginary goals and even coached up the officials from the stands. That said, he was barred from blowing his whistle as “that could cause issues,” per The Athletic’s Eric Stephens.

That rule didn’t stop Ferrell from entertaining fans during stoppages and breaks in play.

“I’ve got it all ready to go at a moment’s notice,” Ferrell said. “Because you never know if one of these guys go down, I may have to put on the skates and get out there. I’m very nimble. I’m still ready to go.”

The Los Angeles Kings celebrate a goal.Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Kings went down 1-0 just 3:34 into the game, but then held leads of 2–1 and 3–2, fueled by power-play goals from Andrei Kuzmenko and Kevin Fiala.

But three unanswered goals by Anthony Cirelli, Gage Goncalves and Nikita Kucherov in the final three-and-a-half minutes sealed Los Angeles’ loss and Tampa Bay’s sixth consecutive victory.

The Kings (16–14–9) return to action Saturday against the Minnesota Wild at 9 p.m. ET.

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the NHL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Will Ferrell’s Behavior During Kings-Lightning Game Draws Attention

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