Charles Barkley is following you! He is rooting for you! Tell us a better motivation than this for an athlete. The Suns’ legend is revered across several sports. And for good reason. Why? He avidly follows many sports. NFL? Chuck is the loudest supporter. Golf? He took lessons to improve his unorthodox swing. And what about ice hockey? His passion for the sport began when the 76ers drafted him. The Philadelphia-based ice hockey team, the Flyers, shared the same arena. And well, it’s hard to miss out on the thrill. He is still not over his hockey fever.

It was the opener of the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament, and Team Canada gracefully defeated Sweden. Amidst the game, an excited Chuck had to let the players know he had been wholeheartedly following their performance. So, he called his TNT colleague Darren Pang to share his message.

Later, while calling the game, the former ice hockey player relayed Barkley’s message and said, “I’m getting a lot of texts during the game, and one that caught my attention is from our very own Charles Barkley. He is watching the game, we know he’s a huge sports fan, but a hockey fan. He supports our sport like no other and just unreal pace. It’s nice to see the eyeballs wanting to see the 4 nations face off.”

“Darren Pang said Charles Barkley texted him tonight during the game to let him know he’s watching,” the X post was captioned. And the fans certainly loved this gesture.

Chuck had a simple but powerful message for the players, which meant for them to keep going because the fans were watching. And with just the right encouragement, Canada dominated with a win. Well, another reason for Chuck’s special shoutout was his favorite player. For the first time since the 2018 IIHF World Championship, Connor McDavid was back in international competition.

Barkley is such a big fan that he was thrilled when Shaquille O’Neal received a signed jersey from his favorite player, Zach Hyman. And, of course, Chuck wanted a special one for himself. He was quick to make his wish known he wanted either a signed jersey from Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid. And his wish was heard!

This explains just how much love he has for ice hockey. To the point, he also doesn’t hesitate to spend from his own pocket.

Charles Barkley’s grand gesture after watching college hockey 

Chuck really has a grand way to celebrate a win. It did get him to empty his pockets a bit. However, it surely must have felt equally wholesome and full in the hearts. Yes, just last year, Sir Charles went to Western New York to watch the Blue Devils face off against the Plattsburgh State Cardinals. 

He posed for a lot of pictures with the fans. And following the Blue Devils’ 2-0 victory against the visiting Cardinals, the Philadelphia 76ers legend headed to a nearby local bar. And some of the avid hockey fans must have been present as well. 

As everyone enjoyed the night, Chuck suddenly took over the microphone and announced that all the drinks for the visitors in the bar would be free while he sang five songs. God bless the fans! Many wondered as to why Chuck attended a college hockey game.

Speaking of his love for sport, the Phoenix Suns legend once said, “I started going to hockey games and I have to say that while watching on TV is pretty good, but there’s nothing like a hockey game in person.” “It’s really awesome,” Barkley told The Fan Morning Show on Sportsnet 590 the Fan.

Well, Barkley’s gesture at the bar did at least bring a lot of people together, whether they were hockey fans or not.