Marner says Bieber is better hockey player than he expected

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner was impressed with what he saw from Justin Bieber during their holiday shinny game.

"He's actually better than I thought he was," Marner told NHL.com's Dave McCarthy after him, Auston Matthews, and Tyson Barrie hit the ice with Bieber. "He's got pretty good hands and a pretty good shot on him. I think he surprised us."

Marner said he and Matthews had been talking to Bieber about getting together for a game since the pop star attended the Maple Leafs' 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 25. The opportunity came Thursday while Bieber was back in his hometown of Stratford, Ontario for the holidays.

Marner and Matthews played on a team with Bieber, while Barrie skated with the other group.

"We had to take it a little easy," Barrie said. "It was a great crew of guys. It was just for fun, it was Christmas holidays for the boys, they were just coming from work, having a few beers and having some fun. It was a cool experience."