Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Steal the Spotlight During Panthers Game 4 Loss

The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers' Stanley Cup rematch has been marked by bad blood through three series games, but in Game 4, the animosity spilled over into the crowd.

No, there weren't five-on-five fisticuffs in the stands.

Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, made a surprise appearance at Amerant Bank Arena to witness the Panthers' 5-4 overtime loss to the Oilers.

TAYLOR SWIFT IN MY HOME WTF pic.twitter.com/lg9CmSAbQB

— x- alex౨ৎ (@bluebirdnhoney) June 13, 2025

Rumors circulated earlier in the day among Swifties and sports media that the pop superstar and her lesser-known future Hall of Famer NFL boyfriend might appear in Sunrise. Still, it wasn't until just before the puck dropped that rumors became a reality — Tay Tay was in the building.

Much like the endless debate over whether bleu cheese or ranch belongs on chicken wings, the question of whether Taylor Swift's appearances at sporting events are good or bad remains hotly contested between Swifties and your average Joe Bag-o-Chips sports fans, especially since broadcasts show her so often that sportsbooks have even set odds on how many times she'll appear on screen.

Since her appearance at the Panthers game was unannounced, no betting lines were set on how often she'd be shown during the three periods (and eventual Overtime), but had the over/under been set at 10, the over would've easily smashed. The ratio of red lipstick appearances to Panthers jersey sightings were almost even the entire night.

Oh, hi! ✨@taylorswift13 and @tkelce are in the house for Game 4! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/q7nobMBCDR

— NHL (@NHL) June 13, 2025

But the ire of NFL fans about seeing the world's most famous sports fan on their television set during the entire game was nothing compared to that of NHL fans seeing The Great One himself, Wayne Gretzky, visiting her in the box during Game 4. And before you ask — no, this isn't an AI-generated photo. We triple-checked. Remarkably, this image occurred in the exact location where you would typically find printing paper company business expos.

Wayne Gretzky catching the action with Taylor and Travis 🙌 pic.twitter.com/bDG18t8i5M

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 13, 2025

Taylor Swift night at The Bank started well enough, with the Panthers skating out to a 3-0 first-period lead behind two goals from Matthew Tkachuk. But the wheels would eventually come off in the second period, where the Oilers put up a three-spot of their own to send the teams into the second intermission tied at 3.

PODKOLZIN TIES IT‼️

THREE UNANSWERED GOALS FOR THE OILERS AND WE'RE TIED 🚨 pic.twitter.com/DseITL2nVS

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) June 13, 2025

For those who believe the Curse of the Tequesta plagues the Miami Dolphins because their stadium is built on an Indian burial ground, there can be only one explanation: The Canadian hockey gods were unhappy with TNT's on-ice reporter, Jackie Redmond, referring to Swift as "the Gretzsky of music," an almost sacreligiously wild thing to say to a Canadian in public, much less on national television.

It was only a matter of time until the nation took back its sport. We had it coming.

Everything fell apart when they started talking about Taylor Swift being the Wayne Gretzky of music.

Canadian hockey gods sought revenge, as they should.

— Ryan Yousefi (@RyanRYousefi) June 13, 2025

Down 4-3 late in the third, the Panthers tied things up with mere seconds remaining, sending the game into Overtime. And yup, you guessed it, the sports world found out exactly how Swift and Kelce reacted to the stunning equalizer. You almost killed our precious, Panthers!

TAYLOR SWIFT IS FEELING THE HEAT OF OVERTIME HOCKEY 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/O6M7N1P42I

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 13, 2025

Florida would send Swift home sad (we assume, because it's the USA?), after Leon Draisaitl's goal gave the Oilers a 5-4 win that evened the series at 2-2 heading into Saturday night's pivotal Game 5 in Edmonton. If she wants to stick around, the series will return to Sunrise on Tuesday night for a Game 6, which could include the presentation of the Stanley Cup to the Panthers for the second year in a row, if they steal a win in Edmonton.

Stick around, Taylor. There are plenty of La Quinta Inns in the area.