NHL Player Picks Up Hitchhiker Bono, Gets Passes to U2 Show

Did you hear the one about U2 singer Bono being picked up on the side of the road by a pro hockey player? Well, it's no joke. Edmonton Oilers player Gilbert Brule and his girlfriend spotted Bono and his assistant hitchhiking on the side of the road and ended up giving them a ride.

The bizarre incident took place Tuesday in West Vancouver, Canada. Bono went out for a walk with his assistant and got caught in the rain. Brule and his girlfriend, Kelsey Nichols, were driving their dog to a park for a walk when they noticed the U2 singer and his assistant waving them down.

They drove a short while longer until Brule, convinced that it was Bono, told Nichols to turn the car around to greet the hitchhikers. They yelled out "Bono?" and the rock star made his way over to their truck. The U2 frontman explained that he and his assistant needed a ride to Horseshoe Bay, and the hockey player and his girlfriend obliged.

During the ride, they talked about hockey and Bono mentioned how much he loved Vancouver. The singer then offered them tickets to U2's show the next day in Edmonton. Brule sold his tickets to the first game of the Stanley Cup finals in Vancouver and got plane tickets to Edmonton instead.

The couple, along with Brule's mom, were treated with backstage passes, on which Bono wrote "Thanks for the ride" and "My hero Gilbert." The singer even mentioned Brule during the concert. "I like ice hockey because people who play ice hockey are the kind of people who pick up hitchhikers," Bono told the crowd while recounting the story. "I’m ever so grateful. I’ve decided that I want to be Gilbert Brule."

Pretty cool story, heh? But remember, kids, be careful out there. Not every hitchhiker is gonna reward you with backstage passes to a U2 show.