NHL

It's incredible Brooks Orpik was able to hold the Stanley Cup ... let alone play hockey -- 'cause the Washington Capitals defenseman straight-up said his finger FELL OFF during the Cup Finals!!

The Caps star told reporters this week that, after getting slashed at the end of Game 2 against the Las Vegas Golden Knights ... the top of his pinkie was no longer a part of his hand.

"It kinda fell off," he said.

The crazy part of the story?? The dude who basically chopped off Brooks' finger with his stick only got a five-minute penalty and a game misconduct for it.

The crazier part of the story?? Orpik didn't miss a minute of action after trainers stitched it back together.

The craziest part of the story?? Brooks says the hand injury he suffered in a previous series against the Blue Jackets will cause him more long-term problems than losing part of his finger!!

Alex Ovechkin let his emotions take over while addressing the massive crowd at the Washington Capitals' Stanley Cup victory rally on Tuesday ... and it was AWESOME!!

It was a party 26 years in the making -- the Caps' Stanley Cup victory is the first sports championship in D.C. in nearly 3 decades --- and the players didn't disappoint.

When Ovi got his chance to talk to the fans, he reminded them of his now-famous quote from the beginning of the season, when he promised, "We're not going to be suck this year."

A.O. addressed his prediction today, yelling "We're not going be f**kin' suck this year, we're Stanley Cup Champions!!"

T.J. Oshie added to the fun by pulling his sweater over his head and chugging a beer. And yes, the fans absolutely loved it.

Alexander Ovechkin wishes he knew how to quit Lord Stanley can't quit -- but he just can't, and now his wife knows it, too.

The Washington Capitals superstar took the Stanley Cup to bed with him, 2 nights after his team secured the trophy. Ovechkin's wife, Anastasia Shubskaya, shot video of her husband cozying up to his new love ... just days after Anastasia and Alex announced she's expecting their first kid.

Let's hope Alex used protection with Stanley, who, as we've learned over the years ... definitely gets around.

The couple -- Alex and the Cup, that is -- had a very busy Saturday around the DC area.

They were at the Washington Nationals game, where Ovechkin threw out the first pitch, and then later he was seen doing modified keg stands ... drinking beer out of the Cup.

They didn't get the silver, so the Vegas Knights will settle for gold ...

TMZ Sports has learned celebrity jeweler Boodaddy Diamonds is hooking up every single player on the Vegas team with a special gold pendant in honor of making the Stanley Cup Finals.

Yeah, we know ... they didn't win -- but the guys became the first expansion team in NHL history to get to the final round of the playoffs.

Boodaddy tells TMZ Sports he's incredibly impressed and wants to be a part of history so he designed a special gold pendant just for the team -- and he's giving it to them for free.

"It's definitely not gonna be cheap but I'll take care of it."

The only thing that could distract the Washington Capitals from their Cup celebration was ... another couple of cups.

D cups, that is.

In one of the most incredible moments from the Caps' historic win over the Las Vegas Golden Knights Thursday, a chick sitting rinkside in a skin-tight white dress pulled out her boobs ... pressed 'em against the glass -- and Caps players couldn't help but stare.

A parade around T-Mobile Arena -- led by Alex Ovechkin hoisting his first-ever Stanley Cup -- was temporarily paused as the boobs were on display.

Andre Burakovsky stopped to applaud. A few other players -- including Brooks Orpik and Devante Smith-Pelly -- hit the breaks temporarily to get a good look.

Fitting that Lindsey Vonn and P.K. Subban finally made their long-rumored coupling Insta official in Smashville Wednesday night, isn't it??

There have been rumors about the two for months ... but Vonn and the NHL star finally publicly confirmed their relationship last night ... hitting the red carpet together at the CMT Music Awards.

The two have been spotted hangin' out a lot recently ... taking in a Red Sox game and a Celtics playoff game last month.

They also hit business classes together at Harvard last week ... and Vonn was at one of P.K.'s playoff games last month in Nashville too.

But, they've successfully avoided taking a coupley photo until Wednesday night, when Vonn made sure to caption their selfie with a yellow heart.

Maybe it was the Keith Urban love songs that did it??

Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis was sitting right up on the glass at the Vegas Golden Knights game Wednesday night ... and even though the team lost, it's probably another big win for him.

The Raiders have been on a PR push to win over Vegas fans before the Silver and Black move into town -- they've taken out newspaper ads and put up billboards.

But, having Davis with his face pressed against the glass (sitting next to Jim Gray) is another good look for the Raiders ... especially since he's been to a TON of Knights' regular season games.

He's also supported other Vegas teams -- attending the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces game on Sunday night. That's commitment!

Don't worry Bay Area teams ... Mark's been courtside cheerin' on the Warriors this season -- he just likes Vegas better now.

As if the Vegas Golden Knights needed more motivation to win the Stanley Cup, now a famous Nevada brothel is sweetening the deal ... offering a massive sex victory party if they can seal the deal.

A rep for Sheri's Ranch tells TMZ Sports ... they've noticed an uptick in business during the team's insane run -- and the girls have decided they want to show their appreciation.

Dena -- the madam of the bordello -- says, "If the Golden Knights win, we all win. Offering the team a victory celebration at our adult resort is the least we can do."

"The victory party will involve the full complement of over two dozen gorgeous women and the entire sex menu will be available to any and all players wishing to partake of the brothel’s highly coveted erotic services -- compliments of the house."

Allissa -- one of the prostitutes -- added, "If the Knights go all the way, I’ll go all the way."

Jeremy Roenick says he's sick and tired of Brad Marchand's face-licking antics on the ice ... and says the guy needs to save his tongue for the bedroom.

Marchand went on a mouthy tear during the NHL playoffs -- licking opponents faces at close range to try and piss them off. Shocker, it worked.

"It was disgusting," Roenick tells TMZ Sports.

"I love Brad Marchand. Love the way he plays, but he's a superstar. Superstars don't need to lick other people's faces."

Roenick says he's no stranger to the oral attack on the ice -- noting that Matthew Barnaby once kissed him during a game to try and get in his head.

Turns out, they actually became close friends afterward!

Waffle House hero James Shaw Jr. -- the man who wrestled an AR-15 out of the hands of a shooter -- got one helluva hero's welcome at the Nashville Predators game Sunday ... and it was awesome!

The NHL team invited Shaw and his family as VIP guests to the playoff game vs. the Winnipeg Jets to thank him for the bravery he showed during the April 22 attack at a Nashville-area Waffle House.

Before the game, Shaw (wearing a shirt that said, "Spread Love") met with Preds coach, Peter Laviolette -- who presented Shaw with his own personalized jersey.

During the game, Shaw was featured on the big stadium screen at Bridgestone Arena and the crowd went WILD!!

As for the game, it was a fight -- but the Predators managed to pull off a 5-4 victory in double overtime.

By the way, Shaw's injuries seem to be doing a lot better. He's no longer wearing the wraps around his hands -- which he had burned by grabbing the piping hot barrel of the gun, after it had fired several rounds, and ripping it away from the shooter.

Ever drink Bud Light out of a dead catfish?

Well, one of the linemen from the Tennesse Titans did Sunday night ... and it was all to help the Nashville Predators win their playoff game.

Taylor Lewan and a bunch of his fellow linemen (along with QB Marcus Mariota) -- were sitting in a VIP section at the game when Taylor busted out the fish and chugged away.

Lewan's teammate, Quinton Spain, ripped off his shirt for moral support.

Of course, catfish is a "thing" with Preds fans -- they always chuck one onto the ice before or during a game. Lewan decided to up the ante.

The plan worked ... the Preds won the game 5-4 over the Winnipeg Jets.

He's dominated the NHL for more than a decade, but Sidney Crosby says he'll never surpass Mario Lemieux as the greatest Penguins player of all time!

Crosby is definitely in the conversation ... after racking up 411 goals (3rd all time in Penguins history) and 705 assists (2nd all time in Penguins history) ... and he's still got at least 5 solid years left!

So, when we saw Crosby out in Washington after beating the Caps, we had to ask where he thinks he fits in the G.O.A.T. conversation.

One more topic ... greatest Penguins duo of all time -- Crosby and Evgeni Malkin or Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr?

"Gotta go with Lemieux and Jagr," Crosby said ... "[they] got more points than us by a landslide!"

Crosby's right ... he and Malkin only have 2,046 total points while Jagr and Lemieux have 3,604!

We pointed out that Crosby and Malkin have 3 Stanley Cups -- one more than Mario and Jaromir -- but Sidney said he doesn't really use Cups to measure all time greatness.

Wayne Gretzky REALLY IS the great one ... he just bought back the famous SoCal mansion he once sold to Lenny Dykstra for MILLIONS less than he sold it for!!!!

Gretzky had sold the palatial 6.5-acre estate in Thousand Oaks, CA to Dykstra for $18.5 million back in 2007 -- back when Lenny was still being hailed as a financial guru.

Dykstra was later exposed as a fraud and his kingdom fell apart -- and the bank eventually foreclosed on the property. Dykstra famously trashed the home he left for good.

The home recently went up for sale ... and Gretzky swooped in and picked it up for $13.5 MILLION, according to the L.A. Times.

AMAZING, RIGHT!?

In case you're wondering, the place is BALLER AS HELL ... 12,000 square feet of living space, 6 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, a gym, movie theater, tennis court and TWO guest homes.

PROBLEM: NHL player REALLY wants to give a puck to an adorable little girl fan, but two little boys kept stealing the puck away.

SOLUTION: Well, you're just gonna have to watch ... it's the most adorable thing you're gonna see ALL DAY!

It all went down during warm-ups at Sunday's Washington Capitals vs. Columbus Blue Jackets playoff game in D.C. where right wing Brett Connolly wanted to hook the little one up with a souvenir.

Problem was, there were a couple bigger kids flankin' her ... and they crushed her dreams TWICE when Brett flipped a puck over the glass.

It was basically the saddest thing ever ... until the girl finally got puck #3 and lit up like the Nintendo 64 kid on Christmas (OK, maybe not that intense).

Washington Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly is glad the fans who heckled him for being a black hockey player were dealt with ... but he says it ain't enough.

"I don't really have all the answers, but something needs to change," Devante told TMZ Sports.

DSP was in the penalty box during a game at the United Center on Saturday ... when a group of nearby fans starting chanting "basketball" at him.

No surprise -- he was triggered.

Those 4 fans were booted from the arena -- and later hit with a lifetime ban -- but Devante told us addressing this one incident doesn't solve the larger problem.

"It shouldn't happen anywhere -- hockey, baseball, basketball -- it shouldn't happen in the world."

FYI, there have been several instances of black athletes dealing with racist fans in recent years.

NHL superstar Connor McDavid is FINALLY legally allowed to drink in America ... and he celebrated by blowing it out at a Vegas nightclub -- with the guys from The Chainsmokers.

The Edmonton Oilers captain hit up XS Nightclub in the Encore hours after beating the Vegas Golden Knights in an overtime thriller ... and got the V.I.P. treatment with a massive welcoming party.

The better news for McDavid ... the Oilers don't play again until Saturday -- so he's got an entire week to celebrate (and recover) before going back to work.