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

The Stanley Cup Finals are usually all about hockey – until Taylor Swift shows up. Game 4 between the Panthers and Oilers got an extra dose of pop culture when Swift and Travis Kelce made their appearance, and TNT’s Jackie Redmond couldn’t resist leaning into the moment. Dropping Swift lyrics like ‘Florida is one hell of a drug’ and referencing ‘bad blood’ between the teams, Redmond was clearly in her Swiftie era. But then she took it up a notch, declaring Swift the ‘Wayne Gretzky of music right now.’

Cue the internet losing its collective mind. Almost immediately, fans on X (formerly Twitter) slammed the comparison as a serious overreach. “This reporter did not just call Taylor Swift the Wayne Gretzky of music… ” one user posted, while another argued, “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.”

Even hockey fans who appreciate Swift’s music pushed back—one quipped, “Taylor Swift is not the Wayne Gretzky of music, she’s maybe the Jason Spezza of music, good player, not an all-time great.” Ouch!

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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

To be fair, Redmond wasn’t hiding her fandom. When a throwback photo of play-by-play announcer Kenny Albert with Swift popped up, she joked about being ‘envious’ and even clocked it as “the 1989 era.” But the Gretzky comparison? That’s the kind of take that gets people talking, and not in a good way. Because while Swift is undeniably massive, comparing her to The Great One, a literal hockey deity, felt like hyperbole to netizens.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned…

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