Just when you didn’t think that Blue Jays stars Ernie Clement and George Springer couldn’t become any more likable, they turned their charm on overdrive.
While the pair of baseball stars already had gone viral for their reaction to a seating mishap while attending Wednesday night’s NHL game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers, it turns out the pair also were mic’d up for the mix-up – and more.
The NHL’s official X account posted nearly two minutes of the Jays stars from their time in the lower bowl seats of Scotiabank Arena, and the American League champions couldn’t have come off as more likable.
The clip posted on Friday afternoon begins with the guys being informed by an usher that they were sitting in the wrong seats during the game, with Springer politely replying that “we’ll just go where you tell us to go.”
After entering their proper row, Clement greets those seated around him, receiving a few “Go Jays” in return. But it’s one young fan, seated right next to the infielder, that steals the show. In the clip, she is clearly blown away by getting to meet the duo.
She covers her mouth in amazement while a man that presumably is her father greats the players with fist bumps.
Clement then asks if she would like to take a selfie with him, to which she adorably responds “I do.”
What did the Jays think of the Leafs players?
The two players are regarded as the biggest hockey fans on the Blue Jays, with Clement a former high school all star and Springer a diehard Hartford Whalers advocate.
Clement talked with the fans about Springer’s instantly famous home run in Game 7 of the ALCS to send the Jays to the World Series.
The young fan said “it was the best moment of my life,” to which Clement replied “me too.”
Clement added: “I don’t remember it, in the moment I was just like ‘Oh my God!’”
Also in the clip, Clement shows some love for Leafs forward Easton Cowan, proclaiming that the rookie is “my guy.”
After Ernie points out Cowan wearing No. 53, Springer jokes that he looked like he was 12 years old.
During a break in play, Clement shares that Cowan was born in 2005, to which Springer replies that he was “like a sophomore in high school when he was born.”
Springer also said that if he continued to skate with his five-year-old kid, he would be on William Nylander’s level “at some point.”
When the fan in front of him turned to ask if he was being serious, Springer quickly back-pedalled, saying “no, no, no!” with a smile on his face.
Clement also had some compliments for the Leafs players, saying that with the way that they can pass and knock pucks out of the air, they’d all likely excel at baseball.
Who needs a haircut?
The guys also had some good chirps for New York Rangers star Mika Zibanejad – specifically, his hair.
“Oh my god, he needs a haircut,” Clement quips, with both players confirming they are talking about Zibanejad. “He’s a good player, but Zibanejad needs a cut.
“He looks like a caveman.”
Sportsnet viewers also got a closer look at Clement’s hockey knowledge in the second period when he joined the announcer crew of Chris Cuthbert and Craig Simpson in the broadcast booth high above centre ice.
Among Clement’s hockey nuggets: Not big on back checking, huge Sabres fan (no surprise given where he’s from) and put him on the penalty kill where he loves blocking shots (again, no surprise given how he plays baseball).
Several other members of the Blue Jays were in attendance for the Leafs win over the Rangers, though they opted to stay in a box for the game.
The Blue Jays open their season Friday night against the Athletics, with Kevin Gausman taking the mound for the home team against Luis Severino. First pitch is slated for 7:07 p.m. with plenty of pre-game celebrations planned as the team kicks off its 50th season in style by raising a banner for their 2025 American League championship.