Toronto Maple Leafs superstar William Nylander proved he can chug a beer with the best of them during a memorable night out in Toronto. The forward joined Blue Jays pitchers Kevin Gausman and Patrick Corbin for an epic guzzler at Luke Combs' concert Saturday night at Rogers Stadium.
Nylander, who has been enjoying part of his offseason in the city, took in the second of Combs' two nights at the venue with Gausman, Corbin and several other Blue Jays players on a rare night off for the ballclub.
Onstage Beer Shotgun
After Combs enlisted Raptors stars Jamal Shead and Jamison Battle ahead of his smash hit "1, 2 Many" on Friday night, the country superstar tapped more Toronto favorites for his second show. Flanked by Gausman, who pitched Sunday, and two-time All-Star Corbin, Nylander hyped up the Toronto crowd when the trio appeared onstage, shotgunned a beer, and then playfully tossed the cans into the crowd.
Reaching into their back pockets, Nylander and Corbin pulled out two more cans, bashed them together, and then chugged some more suds — with the majority ending up on their clothes. The two-beer smash is reminiscent of a move WWE legend "Stone Cold" Steve Austin used to perform inside the wrestling ring.
Players React
"It was Will's idea to come up with the 'Stone Cold' thing," Corbin told podcast host Lindsay Dunn on Sunday. "My shirt was soaked. Most of it got on my clothes. Didn't really drink much of it … Maybe the fans liked it. The guys wanted me to take my shirt off."
"I've never got to do anything like that before in my life," Gausman said postgame after the Blue Jays erased a four-run deficit to beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-4. "When I was asked I said, 'Yeah.' Probably never going to get asked to do anything like that again … It was cool."
Nylander watched the show from a private box with other Blue Jays players and their partners, including Myles Straw, Louis Varland, Jeff Hoffman, Max Scherzer, and former teammate Chris Bassitt. "It's great to get away from the game," Gausman added. "We spend so much time together. Guys are a little different when they're here. To get guys away from the clubhouse without having to focus on their job is nice. They can let their hair down a little bit and have fun and watch a great show. It was awesome."
Social Media Buzz
Although Nylander's appearance Saturday came as former teammate Mitch Marner scored the fastest hat trick in Stanley Cup Final history, fans on social media relished seeing a crossover featuring some of Toronto's biggest sports stars. "Nice to see them enjoying themselves and living life," one person wrote on X. "They too can have fun!! Good job boys." Another joked, "Imagine telling yourself in December 2025 Patrick Corbin and William Nylander would be doing the Stone Cold Steve Austin with beers at a Luke Combs concert."
Combs' Tour and Nylander's Summer
Combs' "My Kinda Saturday Night Tour" has featured other guest appearances, including Habs players Nick Suzuki, Jakub Dobes, Cole Caufield, and Brendan Gallagher in Montreal, and former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning in Tennessee. Meanwhile, Nylander and the Maple Leafs might have missed the NHL Playoffs for the first time in 10 years, but he is still enjoying himself in Canada during the offseason. He was spotted courtside at a Raptors playoff game against Cleveland in April and took in F1 weekend in Montreal. "I love Toronto. This is home for me," Nylander told the Toronto Sun in January. "I haven't been anywhere this long. It's an amazing city."
