Sports Entertainment

NHL player’s cheating rumor surfaces after ex Tate McRae sizzles at All-Star Game

Columbus Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger denied cheating on singer Tate McCrae after the ex-couple reportedly called it quits last year.

Taking to his Instagram, the 20-year-old Sillinger replied to a a post by the Instagram account “blind_ref_logic” — a meme account with 142,000 followers — which accused him of cheating on McRae, also 20.

“All false my guy,” Sillinger wrote in the comments.

The post featured a collage of four photos, including a snapshot of McRae and Sillinger, as well as a photo of the Canadian singer at NHL All-Star this past weekend.

The post read: “Step 1: Be Cole Sillinger. Step 2: Date out of your league (literally). Step 3: Cheat on her, jumpstarting her career [and] Step 4: She gets invited to the NHL All-Star game before you.”

Tate McRae performs during the 2024 NHL All-Star Game at Scotiabank Arena on Feb. 3, 2024 in Toronto. NHLI via Getty Images

The post’s caption also took a shot at Sillinger: “Potentially the greatest fumble of a female in human history.”

McRae stole the spotlight as the entertainment headliner at the NHL All-Star game on Saturday, when she performed the during the festivities at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

The multi-platinum singer looked stunning in a number by I.AM.GIA, which included unreleased pieces by the brand’s SIN Collection, a custom Kanya top and short with silver rhinestones.

Columbus Blue Jackets’ Cole Sillinger plays during an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024, in Philadelphia. AP
Tate McRae and Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins of Team MacKinnon smile from the bench during the 2024 Honda NHL All-Star Game at Scotiabank Arena on February 3, 2024 in Toronto. NHLI via Getty Images

McRae also served as a celebrity captain for Team McKinnon, which was captained by Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan McKinnon.

She was one of four celebrity captains named for the NHL All-Star Game, along with fellow Canadians, Grammy-winning artists Justin Bieber and Michael Bublé and Toronto-born actor Will Arnett.

Singer, songwriter and dancer Tate McRae performs prior to the game between Team Matthews and Team McDavid during the 2024 Honda NHL All-Star Game on February 3, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. Getty Images

McRae and Sillinger reportedly went Instagram official in late 2021, not long after her split with Jonny Hader, a former junior hockey player in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

Sillinger was selected by his hometown Blue Jackets with the No. 12 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.

The singer previously told Entertainment Tonight that the two started dating because he called her his “celebrity crush,” and they had a mutual connection.

“He’s one of my friend’s friends, so it all worked out,” McRae said. “It was really funny — I was like ‘I can forever hold this over you till the day you die, that I was your celebrity crush.'”

McRae and Sillinger also attended the Jason Wu fashion show during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 10, 2022.

The ex-couple reportedly broke up in early 2023, when Sillinger removed any traces of McRae from her Instagram.

Nathan MacKinnon, Tate Mcrae and Cale Makar participate in the Tim Horton’s NHL All-Star Player Draft at Scotiabank Arena on February 1, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. NHLI via Getty Images

McRae got fans riled up with her music video for her hit single, “Greedy,” which was set in a hockey arena, and featured the singer riding Zamboni and dancing in a locker room.

After the video’s release last September, McRae told People that the song is inspired by an interaction she had with a man in a bar.

McRae, who is known for her breakup anthems, explained that “Greedy” isn’t like her previous music.

“It’s a tongue-in-cheek kind of vibe,” she said. “I feel like it’s my most playful song I’ve written so far being like, ‘Yeah, I would want myself too and don’t expect it to come that quick.'”

Tate McRae and The Kid LAROI dining at Alobar Yorkville after the NHL All-Star Game on February 3, 2024. SplashNews.com

McRae is reportedly dating Australian rapper/singer The Kid LAROI.

The rumored couple was reportedly spotted holding hands while in Toronto for the NHL All-Star festivities.