Calls Mount Against TNT Broadcaster Calling Taylor Swift the ‘Wayne Gretzky of Music’ During Stanley Cup Finals

Taylor Swift’s relationship with sports fans has been… complicated. When she started showing up at NFL games to support Travis Kelce last season, football purists weren’t exactly rolling out the welcome wagon. Between the constant cutaways to her suite and the endless media chatter, a vocal chunk of fans made it clear they thought the spotlight belonged on the field. And not the pop star. The backlash peaked at this year’s Super Bowl, where Swift was actually booed when the cameras found her in the crowd. Now, with Kelce enjoying his brief offseason before Chiefs training camp kicks in, Swift’s been dipping into other sports. But the results are the same!

The lovebirds went to spend time on a little hockey night date in Canada during the Stanley Cup Finals. And wouldn’t you know it? The moment she stepped into Rogers Place, the broadcast couldn’t help itself. What started as a harmless celeb sighting quickly turned into another debate about Swift’s place in sports coverage. Thanks to one bold comparison that had netizens doing a double-take. Here is the scoop: During Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals, TNT’s Jackie Redmond spotted Swift and Travis Kelce in the crowd and immediately switched into full fan mode.

First came the lyrical nods – dropping ‘Florida is one hell of a drug’ as the Panthers played (never mind that the Oilers were technically the visitors). Then came the not-so-subtle “bad blood” reference between the teams. Cute? Absolutely. A bit forced? Maybe. But then Redmond took it to another level entirely. With the casual confidence of someone who’s definitely made this comparison before, Redmond declared Swift “basically the Wayne Gretzky of music right now.” 

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are at Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final in Florida.

TNT Sports’ Jackie Redmond dropped in a ‘1989’ line in which Kenny Albert thought she was joking about his age.

(Also, a photo of Kenny Albert with Taylor Swift) 🏒🏈🎶📺🎙 #StanleyCup #NHL pic.twitter.com/vtO2tSxBJ1

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 13, 2025

The comment landed like an uncalled penalty – some fans laughed, others groaned, and hockey purists immediately started fact-checking. After all, Gretzky isn’t just great; he’s The Great One – a nickname earned by shattering records so completely that the NHL had to rewrite its rulebook. 

On the other hand, Taylor Swift, who has won 14 Grammys, couldn’t do anything. She just experienced the hate once again from a different sports world!

Fans fume over Taylor Swift-Gretzky take

The moment TNT’s Jackie Redmond called Taylor Swift the “Wayne Gretzky of music,” the internet collectively winced. “This reporter did not just call Taylor Swift the Wayne Gretzky of music… 🤦‍♂️” fired off one hockey fan, summing up the disbelief rippling through social media. Another added, “Commentary during Game 4 just claimed Taylor Swift is the Wayne Gretzky of the music industry. I like Taylor but WOW that is maybe the overstatement of the century.”

And here’s why the comparison stung: Wayne Gretzky isn’t just hockey’s GOAT -he’s the sport’s untouchable deity. With 61 NHL records, including career points so absurd (2,857) that they had to adjust the game’s entire scoring system around him. Gretzky’s legacy is less ‘great player‘ and more ‘mythological force.’

So when Redmond slapped his name onto Swift, and the NHL paid a lot of attention to her, no matter how massive her success, fans saw red. “Ain’t no way Taylor Swift is the ‘Wayne Gretzky of music,’ bro,” argued one critic. “I’m sorry, but there’s way better artists.” Another comment read, “Taylor Swift is not the Wayne Gretzky of music—she’s maybe the Jason Spezza of music. Good player, not an all-time great.”

The backlash wasn’t just about Swift’s merit. Though some grumbled, “Stop with the Taylor Swift shit… This is NHL, not the NFL—we don’t care”. It was about Gretzky’s singular, almost sacred status in hockey. Comparing anyone to ‘The Great One‘ is like comparing a hit song to the Sistine Chapel—it’s not just debatable; it feels borderline blasphemous. And for a sport already prickly about pop culture encroaching on its turf, Redmond’s take was less a hot take. And more of a full-blown hockey heresy.