For an NHL player, Saturdays away from the ice are pretty rare.
But even rarer still, a Saturday night off - at home - with a rock legend on the playbill at the local arena.
This weekend, Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau’s Saturday plans are sorted. He’ll be right back at the Scotiabank Saddledome, trading in his skates for a seat in the crowd when Bruce Springsteen takes the stage.
“This guy is worldwide,” Huberdeau beamed Thursday. “I’ve never seen him before. I know a couple songs - obviously Born in the U.S.A. is a big one - he’s got a lot of really good songs.
“My agent is a big, big fan of his, he’s coming in here, we’re gonna go watch him together, so it should be lots of fun!”
Safe to say, Springsteen is a legend.
A career that’s spanned six decades, 21 albums, countless awards and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The New Jersey star was supposed to have visited Calgary last year, but his eight-date Canadian tour was rescheduled to this fall.
And thankfully, for Huberdeau, during a soft spot in the Flames schedule.
“I don’t really go to a lot of concerts, I feel during the year, we don’t have much (of a) chance,” he said. “I love music.
“I’m the kind of guy that’s always listening to music in the car.”
Huberdeau admits he’s a bit of a musical omnivore - since moving to Calgary, his commutes include a fair amount of country-pop - but he dabbles with pop music, and even hip-hop from time to time when behind the wheel.
The dressing room playlist, though, belongs to a veteran of the blueline.
“Ras does,” Huberdeau said when asked which Calgary player had control of the aux cord. “We had some other guys before, but Ras is doing a good job with that.”
In a second half of 2024 that’s seen a pretty wide variety of musical acts pass through the 'Dome - from Blake Shelton, to the Kings of Leon, to Billy Idol - Springsteen tops the bill.
“We’re lucky to get some big people coming in,” said Huberdeau. “Bruce is one of the best ones.
“A legend of rock ’n’ roll, excited to be there.”
