The National Hockey League seems to be outright begging celebrities to attend their games, and they're not having a ton of luck. See, the NHL people feel that part of the reason that the NHL isn't huge in America is because of a lack of exposure. So they figure if we see George Clooney watching hockey, then we'll all watch hockey. Because that's how great our desire is to be just like George Clooney.
As noted in this Wall Street Journal article, the NHL tried to get Steve Carrell of "The Office" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" to come to a game, so they could stick their mugs on TV. Carrell declined, but... the NHL did end up with the woman who plays Jan Levinson-Gould on The Office. Or just Jan Levinson, I guess. Clooney has also declined to attend. They did get Jeff Probst, though, and as soon as I heard that, I ordered season tickets next year, for every single team in the league. I'm a huge Jeff Probst guy.
I may be alone in this, but outside of Lakers games, where it's kind of a tradition, seeing the shots of celebrities in the crowd is about my least favorite part of a game broadcast. I don't think that the sight of Dennis Leary or Tim Robbins at a hockey game is going to give anyone hockey fever. I don't recall ever seeing a lot of celebrity shots at NFL games, yet somehow, the league has survived.
Power Play: Hockey Tries to Woo Celebs [Wall Street Journal]