New York Rangers

Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez just got in front of a camera with his manhood nearly on full display ... and he's hoping the hilarious sight will now help save some lives.

The MLB legend stripped down to his undies as part of a partnership with underwear company Saxx -- filming a 75-second commercial with the goal of raising awareness for testicular cancer in mind.

In the vid, Rodriguez rocked a pair of boxer briefs that he insisted held his family jewels "like a catcher's mitt" ... before he introduced a "Ballgorithm" that will ultimately raise cash for the good cause.

Rodriguez and his co-host explained ... the algorithm -- a math equation centered around the number of bad balls that a pitcher hurls during a contest -- will be applied to every Rangers vs. Diamondbacks World Series game this fall ... and then that figure will be multiplied by 1,000.

That total number will then be turned into dollars and donated to the Testicular Cancer Foundation -- a cause Pudge tells TMZ Sports he cares deeply about.

"The purpose is just to make people laugh and make people aware to go check themselves," he said, "and we did a nice commercial."

The MLB Hall of Famer -- who's now working as a special assistant to the general manager of the Rangers -- said he's been catching a lot of ribbin' both inside and outside of the Texas clubhouse over the vid ... but he couldn't be happier that it might prevent tragedies for people going forward.

"For me, that's the most important thing," he said. "Pay attention. This is a disease you can get in the early ages. So, our message is just to go check, because you never know."

It's been over a month since Max Scherzer has thrown for the Rangers, but ALCS announcer Joe Davis says the Astros still better be wary of the ace ... telling TMZ Sports the guy could turn into "a psycho" in Game 3 on Wednesday night.

"I mean this in the best way I could," Davis said of the term with a smile, hours before Texas and Houston kick-off.

"I wouldn't be shocked if he found a way to go five innings and they couldn't touch him."

Of course, Davis says he could see things going the other way for the 39-year-old too ... as Scherzer's been away from the mound for such a lengthy period of time while trying to get his shoulder healthy.

"I think it's the most fascinating storyline of this series," Davis said. "What are they going to get from Scherzer?"

If last week's ALDS celebration showed anything, it's that Scherzer will be fired up to take the bump Wednesday night regardless ... particularly with the Rangers already up 2-0 in the series.

Brace yourself, hockey fans ... the last jersey NHL legend Wayne Gretzky wore during the final game of his historic career is being offered publicly for the first time, and the threads could be yours -- if you've got deep pockets!

TMZ Sports is told Gretzky's jersey -- which he had on in 1999 when he racked up his 2,857th point with an assist -- is now up for grabs at Grey Flannel Auctions.

Gretzky wore the jersey, which features his handwritten signature on the tag and the game date, "4-18-99", against the Penguins at Madison Square Garden, and although Wayne's Rangers team came up short, losing 2-1 in overtime, it was the "Great One's" emotional farewell that stole the night.

GFA says the iconic blue #99 jersey -- complete with the word "Rangers" on the front and "Gretzky" on the back -- shows signs of game use. John Rosasco, the Rangers' long-time Senior Vice President of Public Relations, authenticated the jersey with a letter to GFA.

Of course, Gretzky, who made 18 All-Star games, is widely considered the greatest hockey player of all time ... and one of the best athletes to ever play a sport.

Just how amazing was he?

Wayne, the only player to score over 2,000 points, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame just months after retiring ... after officials waved the usual 3-year waiting period. The NHL also retired number 99 leaguewide ... making WG the only player in the NHL to have achieved that honor.

New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba made a young fan's night and future -- by gifting him not only the jersey off his back, but a law school scholarship!!

The heartwarming moment went down Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, where the Toronto Maple Leafs played the Rangers.

Garden of Dreams Foundation member Isaiah Márquez-Greene, who survived the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012 but lost his sister Ana in the horrific event, met Trouba, his favorite player, on the ice and got the #8 jersey as a gift.

26 people, mostly elementary school-age kids, were senselessly murdered by a 20-year-old man on December 14, 2012, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

"I've been a fan of you since Winnipeg [Jets]," Marquez-Greene told Trouba.

The hockey defenseman was flattered and signed the jersey for Isaiah ... but he had more in store for him.

"I know your story. I feel for you," Trouba said. "You're an amazing human."

That's when Trouba surprised Isaiah -- who wants to be a lawyer -- with a full scholarship!

"From the Garden of Dreams, this is a scholarship for law school! So you're gonna graduate from college, you're going to go to law school and you're gonna have no debt coming out of school."

Trouba even gave Isaiah his phone number to stay in touch so he gets his party invitation when he graduates.

"I want an invitation to when you graduate law school," Trouba said. "And I'm gonna check in with you when you go to college next year."

According to Márquez-Greene's mother, Nelba, the 18-year-old will be heading to UConn this fall.

Blake Lively might be a bit jealous this morning ... 'cause Ryan Reynolds was spotted kissing another hottie at the New York Rangers game -- NHL legend Henrik Lundqvist!!

The "Green Lantern" star hit up Madison Square Garden as the home team took on the Minnesota Wild Tuesday night ... and he was in good company, hanging with the future Hall of Famer as well as fellow actor Alexander Skarsgard.

As it turns out, the two thespians were in the mood to smooch ... 'cause both guys planted kisses on Lundqvist's cheek during the game -- and it was all shown on the jumbotron!!

Of course, Lundqvist is an icon in the Big Apple -- he played his whole career with the Rangers from 2000-2020, and had his jersey retired in January 2022.

As we previously reported, Reynolds -- a huge hockey fan -- is gunning to buy the Ottawa Senators ... and he's been spending a lot of time at NHL games recently.

Pete Davidson hit up the NY Rangers hockey game Thursday night, but it wasn't with Emily Ratajkowski ... instead, he was with actress and costar, Chase Sui Wonders.

Pete and Chase -- who costarred in the 2022 movie "Bodies Bodies Bodies" -- took in the Rangers-Maple Leafs game at Madison Square Garden in New York City Thursday night.

The actor and actress sat side-by-side as they watched the game together ... and appeared to be having a good time with each other.

What's interesting ... Pete and Chase's public outing comes less than a month after Davidson was at the World's Most Famous Arena to watch a Knicks game with Emily Ratajkowski.

The Knicks game came just days after Pete was captured on video attempting to pick up Em Rata from her West Village home ... the first woman he was seen with following his breakup with Kim Kardashian.

Since, there have been multiple reports suggesting Pete, 29, and Emily, 31, are getting more serious. Though it should be noted, Ratajkowski was recently photographed out with DJ Orazio Rispo, who she was previously linked to in October.

Jimmy Fallon did his best Joey Chestnut impression during last night's Rangers playoff game in NYC  ... the late-night talk show host dunked his hot dog -- bun and all -- in his beer before devouring both, and spilling everywhere!

'The Tonight Show' host was in the building for game 5 of the Conference Finals game between the NYR and Tampa Bay Lightning ... when Fallon found himself on the big screen at Madison Square Garden, hot dog and beer in hand.

Fallon, a NY native, has clearly seen a Nathan's hot dog eating competition or two in his time ... Jimmy softened up the bun using his brew, before it all went down the hatch.

Of course, if you've watched competitive eating, you know that's the preferred method for eating quickly.

FYI, Chestnut's record is 76 hot dogs/buns in 10 minutes. He routinely puts away over 70.

For Rangers fans, the antics off the ice were far more entertaining ... the team lost game 5 by a score of 3-1, and now trails in the series, 3-2. And, now the team must go on the road to Tampa ... where NY is 0-2 this series.

It's reminiscent of the New York Knicks fan a few years back who was captured on camera dunking chicken nuggets into her soda.

"Hot Boy" rapper Bobby Shmurda was ice-cold to a Tampa Bay Lightning supporter during the New York Rangers game on Wednesday -- trollin' the fan by waving an NYR towel right in his face!

The hilarious moment happened during Shmurda's epic night at Madison Square Garden -- when the Brooklyn rapper was in the stands cheering his face off for the Rangers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Video shows Shmurda was gettin' his dance on ... and then he turned to a TB fan sittin' right behind him, and waved a "No Quit in New York" Rangers' towel in the guy's grill.

To his credit, the fan took the trollin' in stride -- responding with nothing more than a thumbs down.

Bobby had a hell of a night during the game in between going crazy for big plays -- taking a bunch of photos with fans both inside and outside of the venue.

TMZ Sports has learned this was Bobby's first-ever hockey game ... and he attended it after getting invited by Icy Ventures -- a talent management company (founded by Josh Stone and his brother Troy Stone as well as NHL agent John Osei-Tutu) whose focus is to bring hip-hop culture to the sport.

"Bobby’s energy could not be contained," Troy told us of Shmurda's night. "Fans were shocked to see such a high-profile rap artist in the building for a Ranger game."

"Bobby was so excited he started taunting the opposing team’s fans, which lead to a viral moment which the NHL has desperately needed."

Troy added, "The experience for Bobby couldn’t have gone better as he saw the Rangers win and got to witness a real NHL fight.”

If the top part of the Yankees' batting order looks a little sluggish tonight ... now ya know why!

New York stars Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo and DJ LeMahieu all attended the Rangers' playoff game against the Penguins on Thursday night -- and they were feelin' so good in their seats, they chugged beers together!!

The trio had on-the-glass spots for Game 2 of the Pittsburgh vs. NY series -- and when the Madison Square Garden cameras spotted them ... they pounded their drinks to get the crowd going.

None of the three were Tom Brady-level chuggers ... but it seems clear Rizzo won the drink-off.

As for how the beer-pounding played at MSG -- it seemed to fire up both Rangers fans and the actual team ... 'cause NY went on to score three more goals after the scene, winning the game 5-2.

But, don't fret about a potential hangover, Pinstripes fans, Yankees aren't slated to play the Texas Rangers on Friday night until 7 PM ET.

Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson says his attack on Rangers players earlier this week was completely justified ... insisting all he was trying to do was defend his goalie.

The 27-year-old explained the situation in his first meeting with media members since Monday night's drama ... saying New York players started it all when they messed with Caps goaltender Vitek Vanecek.

"Their guy goes to our net and kicks at our goalie and goes in there with his stick," Wilson said.

"At a young age in hockey, you’re taught to stand up for your goalie, so that’s what I was doing."

Wilson then explained he violently took down Rangers star Artemi Panarin because he claims the dude just straight up jumped on his back in an aggressive way.

"I think anybody’s first reaction would try to be just to throw them off you and wrestle them down to the ice," Wilson said. "And, that’s what I thought about it at the time."

Wilson added he believed it all to be a "fairly routine hockey scrum."

Seemed the NHL agreed, 'cause Wilson was NOT suspended and was only hit with a $5,000 fine ... which enraged the Rangers, who called the punishment complete B.S.

In fact, they were so upset with it ... when the two teams met again on Wednesday night, NY players could not stop going after the Capitals -- inciting brawls seconds after the puck dropped.

The two teams fought so much, Wilson was ultimately forced out of the game due to injury.

Wilson -- who appeared to be contrite about the whole situation at his news conference Friday -- did say he personally reached out to Panarin after the incident, and is glad he's doing better.

The Rangers, meanwhile, paid a $250,000 fine for blasting the NHL's head of player safety, George Parros, in a scathing statement after Wilson's punishment was announced.

Ya had to see this one coming -- the New York Rangers have just been slapped with a MASSIVE fine by the NHL ... after the team went scorched earth on a league exec. earlier this week.

Remember, the Rangers were FURIOUS with the league after Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson was handed a measly $5,000 fine for his violent altercation with N.Y. star Artemi Panarin.

The team released a lengthy statement slamming the NHL's head of player safety, George Parros, saying he was "unfit" to serve the position ... and Wilson should have been suspended indefinitely.

Of course, the NHL didn't take kindly to the statement ... handing down a severe $250,000 fine to the organization on Thursday.

Commish Gary Bettman spoke about the punishment minutes ago ... saying, "Public comments of the nature issued by the Rangers that were personal in nature and demeaning of a League executive will not be tolerated."

"While we don’t expect our Clubs to agree with every decision rendered by the Department of Player Safety, the extent to which the Rangers expressed their disagreement was unacceptable.

He added ... "It is terribly unfair to question George Parros' professionalism and dedication to his role and the Department of Player Safety."

Both teams are still dealing with the chaotic fallout from Monday's incident -- the Caps vs. Rangers game on Wednesday started off with a line brawl ... and there were at least 6 total fights in the 1st period alone.

Zedd and Olivia Culpo are THIS close to setting off the "New Couple Alert" ... 'cause they sure looked like a couple of crazy kids very much into each other after getting all cozy at Coachella!!!

We're told the famous Russian-German DJ and the former Miss Universe were cuddling in the artist area during Ariana Grande's set at Coachella. Check out the vid ... it appears Zedd had his arms around Olivia as Grande performed "God is a woman."

Witnesses tell us they were together for the whole set. His arms were around her as they swayed together. She would lean her head back on his chest ... the universal code for "I'm into you."

And, get this ... Zedd had a performance scheduled a few hours before Ariana's. When he went onstage ... guess who was backstage? Yup ... Olivia and her hot friends. But, here's what else is interesting ... this fling seems to come just days after Olivia was spotted with another star ... NHL's Aaron Varos.

Olivia and the New York Rangers star were on a double date just last week at Soho Hollywood. They were hanging with her best friend Cara Santana and Jesse Metcalfe. So, ya gotta wonder ... was Olivia's date with Varos a one-off and is Zedd more her jam???

Whatever the case ... one thing that seems certain -- Danny Amendola's in her rear-view mirror.

Pete Davidson and Kate Beckinsale are going strong one month after they were seen together hand-in-hand -- and now ... they're pouring their romance on the rocks.

That bad ice joke is just a fun way to say that Pete and Kate are taking in some hockey Sunday in NYC, where they're watching a close game between the New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals (it's 2-2 in overtime as of this writing).

Check out their view -- primo seating right behind the team's bench ... even though it looks like they couldn't keep their eyes off each other.

This day date is actually a follow-up to another outing for the rumored couple just the night before. Pete and Kate were spotted leaving an 'SNL' after-party Saturday night after Pete got done taping the show. They were holding hands again ... so yeah, they seem to be a thing.

Remember, Pete and Kate left one of Pete's shows back in February in similar fashion ... handsy all the way through with Pete leading the way.

His ex-fiancee, Ariana Grande, gave her blessing not too long afterward, saying they looked great together. It's true ... they really do.

11:50 AM PT -- We spoke with Cantor's lawyer who tells us ... the 59-year-old man was at the game with his son when he reached out with his hand to block the puck from hitting his kid's face.

We're told Cantor was struck in the left thumb -- leaving him with significant damage to his thumb, hand and shoulder ... damage which required surgery to repair.

A hockey fan who says he was hit by a puck at a NY Rangers game is suing the team -- claiming he was permanently injured during a 2013 game ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The man behind the suit is Robert Cantor -- who claims he was in the stands at Madison Square Garden on March 3, 2013 to watch the Rangers play the Sabres when things went terribly wrong.

In his suit, filed in state court in NY, Cantor claims he was "struck by a high speed projectile (puck) and [sustained] severe and permanent injuries."

Cantor says he suffered pain, shock and mental anguish and is unable to perform normal activities.

found a nice quiet place to curl up with her book Tuesday night ... the NY Rangers game ... where the actress took in several pages without anyone bothering her.

While the Rangers fell to the Kings 4-2, SJP was burying her nose in a book called "Astonish Me" by Maggie Shipstead.

The book is about a Soviet ballet star who defects to the United States in 1975 ... and clearly Parker found it more riveting than watching a bunch of Slovakian hockey stars slapping pucks at each other for 60 minutes.