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Los Angeles Kings star Adrian Kempe flashes 'Horns Down' after game-winner vs. Dallas Stars

Stephen Samraby: Steve Samra10/24/25SamraSource
Kempe
(Kim Klement Neitzel)

Los Angeles Kings star Adrian Kempe didn’t forget where he was after netting a game-winner in overtime against the Dallas Stars. He had a Texas-sized celebration for the opposing crowd.

After beating Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger, Kempe turned his attention to the crowd, where he flashed the “Horns Down” symbol as his celebration. Of course, there were likely many Longhorns fans at the showdown, so it was the perfect way to troll them and keep it moving for Kempe.

Check out the play and the celebration below, shared to X (formerly known as Twitter) by SportsCenter. It’s sure to grind the gears of Texas fans, but Kempe earned it after winning the game for his squad.

Ironically, it was Kempe’s second consecutive game with an overtime-deciding goal. The Kings defeated the St. Louis Blues in their previous showdown, and Kempe continued his hot streak against the Stars afterwards.

They’re now 3-3-2 on the young NHL season, while the Stars are 3-3-1. Kempe will be trying to keep this clutch scoring up all season long, but he won’t have many fans in the Dallas area as long as he does.

Adrian Kempe copied Denny Hamlin’s celebration from his win at Texas Motor Speedway

Moreover, Kempe isn’t the only unexpected winner to flash the “Horns Down” at the crowd. NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin utilized the celebration during his victory at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this year.

On his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin explained why he did the gesture when the fans began to boo him: “I did say to them I’m gonna play off the crowd,” Hamlin said. “After the race, if I win and the crowd is really booing hard, then I’m gonna do it just to get them. But, you’d be surprised.

“When I went from Horns Up to Horns Down, actually, the crowd shifted for a minute. There were a few cheers that weren’t there before. We’re not necessarily right there in Texas territory as far as Austin, Texas.”

Alas, part of why Hamlin did the “Horns Down” gesture was because he became an Ohio State fan last college football season. Ohio State, of course, defeated Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinals before winning the national championship.

Since making the “Horns Down” gesture, Hamlin has gone on to have one of the best seasons of his career, and he’ll race for the NASCAR Cup Series championship next weekend. Perhaps Kempe can follow suit with his Kings.