Drake loses $1M bet, blames Bieber Curse for Maple Leafs' epic Game 7 loss

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Heading into Sunday night’s crucial Game 7, Drake went with his heart and bet big on the Toronto Maple Leafs to beat the Florida Panthers.

Known for cursing teams he’s supporting publicly (for those unaware, the “Drake Curse” emerged after an unscientific study determined that the teams the One Dance hitmaker supports have a tendency to lose), the Toronto rapper asked his 142 million Instagram followers: “Do I dare bet on Game 7 … I will let the people decide.”

The majority of the musician’s admirers encouraged Drake to “Fire It Up” and make the wager, with just 25% warning the five-time Grammy winner he was going to curse the Buds. A small number of fans (14%) suggested Billboard’s Artist of the Decade Award winner should “Bet on Florida to Reverse the Curse” (an interesting tactic he used when the Toronto Raptors faced the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2019 NBA Playoffs).

But Drake listened to his followers and plunked down $1 million on Toronto to beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers, sharing a screengrab on his Instagram Story along with the caption, “The people have spoken. LFG.”

After the Panthers trampled the Maple Leafs 6-1 in Game 7 en route to another Eastern Conference final, Drake returned to social media to blame fellow pop star Justin Bieber for the team’s loss.

Moments after the Leafs’ defeat, Drake posted a simple two-word message to his Instagram Story: “Bieber curse.”

One person reminded him that he should have gambled on Florida, “that way (you would be) happy (with) either outcome.”

Dressed like a “lobster roll,” Bieber, who’s a lifelong Leafs fan, was joined by his wife Hailey as the couple sat behind the team’s bench Sunday night.

“I’m a slut for these boys,” the fur hat-wearing Bieber wrote, captioning a series of photos and videos from Game 7, including one of Leafs captain Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.

TNT’s Kenny Albert called Bieber “one of the biggest Maple Leafs fans” when the singer was shown on Sunday night’s broadcast. Other fans said his appearance was a distraction.

But as he bopped along in the stands, Bieber had a front-row seat to watch as the team unravelled yet again, losing its seventh consecutive Game 7.

With the trouncing, Toronto’s NHL Playoff appearances continue to be a case study in futility. The team hasn’t made a trip to the conference finals since 2002 or won a Stanley Cup since 1967.

Bieber has never been shy about his Leafs fandom, and after repeated heartbreak in the NHL Playoffs, the pop star proudly predicted Toronto would be hoisting the Stanley Cup this June.

Following Toronto’s Game 1 victory against Florida, Bieber shared a collection of Maple Leaf logos and captioned his slideshow, “New series starts tonight. This is the yearski.”

After the Leafs edged out Florida 5-4 to take Game 1, the two-time Grammy winner returned to Instagram to celebrate. Lounging on a couch, the Stratford, Ont. native nodded along as the players gathered around substitute goalie Joseph Woll, who stopped 17 shots in relief after goaltender Anthony Stolarz took a shot to the head from Panthers forward Sam Bennett.

“1 down @mapleleafs,” Bieber wrote alongside the short clip.

Bieber was quiet during Toronto’s first-round series against the Ottawa Senators, whom the squad beat in six games. But periodically over the years, the Peaches singer, who is pals with Matthews, has fearlessly cheered on Toronto on social media.

His 2021 song Hold On (a track he said was a “love letter to the Maple Leafs”) was dedicated to the players and he even co-designed one of the Leafs’ alternate “Next Gen” jerseys.

During the pandemic-shortened NHL season back in 2021, the London, Ont.-born pop star took his fandom to a whole new level when he picked the Leafs to win the Stanley Cup. 

Bieber regularly posted about the Leafs that season on his Instagram, but after the club blew a 3-1 series lead to lose in the first round against the Montreal Canadiens, some fans wondered if the singer had jinxed the team by his overzealous boasting.

Prior to that series, Bieber was spotted on the Jumbotron during a Game 6 defeat at the hands of the Washington Capitals back in 2016.

In 2019, Leafs fans blamed Bieber and Drake —who were spotted cheering on the team in person throughout the series — following the team’s Game 7 exit at the hands of the Boston Bruins, prompting then-Leafs coach Mike Babcock to weigh in on allegations of a curse.

“I’ve heard lots of things since I’ve come here,” Babcock said at the time. “But that’s one of the craziest things. The game is played on the ice by us. There’s no curse whatsoever.”

After the 2021 debacle, Bieber kept his Leafs social media mentions to a minimum. But the father of one did manage to pop up in person at Scotiabank Arena once in a while, most notably dressed as “Willy Wonka” during a December 2022 tilt against the Los Angeles Kings.

During one surprise appearance in 2023, Drake spotted Bieber’s social media post and playfully asked why he wasn’t invited to tag along.

Bieber was also a celebrity coach during the 2024 All-Star Game, in which he led Team Matthews to victory over Team McDavid.

After leading the Atlantic Division with a 52-26-4 record, the Leafs now face a long offseason of uncertainty.

But Bieber will continue to cheer on the lineup. As he left the arena, he shared a carousel of photos of himself and Hailey kissing.

“I don’t remember a time in my life when I haven’t been obsessed with the leafsssss,” he wrote. “This year we made it farther than we have in so long and I’m happy about that. I can be patient cuz I know this is the team to do it.”

Meanwhile, Drake might want to think twice before he places a bet on any other teams during the NHL Playoffs.

Last June, the rhymester bet $500,000 on the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup. But the Juno winner saw that money vanish when the Panthers won Game 7, 2-1.

Drake also saw $500,000 flutter away when he laid odds on the Dallas Mavericks to beat the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.

mdaniell@postmedia.com