Keanu Reeves has added “59-year-old hockey player” to his résumé, if only for a day.
The “Matrix” actor and musician stunned fans on social media Thursday when the Windsor Spitfires, a junior team in the Ontario Hockey League, shared photos of Reeves signing a one-day contract — and revealed why he briefly joined the team.
“In a moment of happenstance, the Windsor Spitfires Hockey Club were finally able to add this former Ontario Hockey League goalie prospect, turned Dogstar bass player, to their roster with a one day contract!” they wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The team went on to explain that Reeves signed his contract after autographing a bunch of merchandise, which the Spitfires revealed would be auctioned off, with the proceeds benefiting the local chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association.
While he’s unlikely to join his temporary teammates on the ice, the 59-year-old actor played hockey throughout his childhood in Toronto after his family relocated from Lebanon. He once even considered joining the Spitfires or Toronto Maple Leafs as a goalie.
The reasons for him pivoting to an acting career ultimately remain debated: While the NHL’s official website reported that Reeves’ potential draft was ruined by an injury, one his former teammates claimed in 2014 that Reeves actively declined an alleged offer.
The actor previously extolled his love of the game in a wide-ranging Reddit AMA in 2013.
Momodu Mansaray via Getty Images
The actor is one of Hollywood’s biggest philanthropists, and started his own cancer foundation after his sister Kim was diagnosed with leukemia in 1991. He joined a celebrity NHL game in 2003 to benefit people with spinal cord injuries.
While his sister went into remission in 2010, a longtime family friend told Page Six in 2022 that Reeves has never forgotten the less fortunate: “Keanu’s given away a lot of money and done a lot more for people than most will ever know. He knows how lucky he is.”
“Unlike many Hollywood mega stars, he never takes any of this for granted,” they added.
