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Michael Bublé's passion for hockey dates back to his childhood in British Columbia, Canada, where the five-time Grammy winner spent countless hours on the ice, emulating former Vancouver Canucks stars Patrik Sundstrom and Tony Tanti. "Every day I was a new hockey player," Bublé, 51, revealed in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. "That was my whole goal, honestly, to be an NHL player like a lot of Canadian kids out there."
So when the chance to become a part-owner of the Vancouver Giants—a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) based in his home province—presented itself, Bublé seized it and immediately thought of a friend and fellow B.C. native who might be interested in joining the ownership group: Drew Scott.
Scott, 48, recalled that Bublé had been an owner for several years and had occasionally approached him about coming on board. "Finally, we were sitting down one day, I was in Vancouver—I had been living in L.A.—and I was just telling him how I miss my hometown, I miss being here," Scott said. "Then Mike started talking about the team again. We went to a game and I just started thinking, 'What would I add to the ownership?'"
That opportunity to tell the stories of aspiring hockey players is at the heart of Bublé and Scott's new Prime Video docuseries, Hometown Giants. The six-episode program, which chronicles the 2025-26 season, spotlights team personnel and players both on and off the ice. "Whether you like hockey or not, there's something people will relate to—the journey, the ups and downs, the emotional journey," Scott said. "That's what hooked me."
What impressed Scott most was how the young cast balanced high school, relationships, and the demands of junior hockey while being filmed without losing their identities. "The last thing I want is for people to change who they are because a camera's rolling, and it happens all the time, especially with a younger audience," he said. "The kids did not do that at all. They literally just continued to be their own silly, goofy selves. And that makes for the best TV because it's organic, it's real. You can feel it when you're watching the show. It's not put on."
Bublé, who joined the Vancouver Giants' ownership group in 2008, added that the experience was positive for the club. "We weren't with them, obviously, all the time while these cameras were on, [but] we have had the ability now to talk with them, to talk with their families, to talk with even their coaches, and it was a really positive experience for them," he said. "They had a lot of fun with it. Now, this television show is about to premiere in 200-and-something countries all over the world. They think it's pretty cool. Whoever thought the WHL would be on TV everywhere?"
With the 2026-27 season now underway, Bublé and his family—wife Luisana Lopilato, 39, and their four children: sons Noah, 13, Elias, 10, and daughters Vida, 8, and Cielo, 4—are getting in on the action. "They go on the Zamboni, the Fanboni, and they love [the mascot], Jack the Giant," he said of how his children have embraced the team. "Last year, it was a tough year. 'Poppy, how come they lose? Why do they keep losing?'"
With the disappointment of last year in the rearview—the Vancouver Giants finished last in the Western Conference at 25-39-4—the team is looking to build off a strong 7-2-2 start. "I just told [Scott] off camera that my son, Noah, we went to the first few games, and he looked at me and he went, 'Poppy, Poppy, this is a lot different. This team is really good,'" Bublé recalled. "And I went, 'Well, that's hockey, sweetheart.'"
Key Analysis
The docuseries Hometown Giants not only provides fans with an intimate look at the lives of junior hockey players but also highlights the emotional investment of owners like Bublé and Scott. Their involvement underscores the deep connections between sports and community, and the series promises to resonate with viewers beyond traditional hockey audiences.
Hometown Giants is now streaming on Prime Video.
Originally reported by yahoo.