NHL

Evander Kane is adamant he NEVER gambled on hockey or threw games ... insisting his estranged wife is straight-up lying after she accused the NHL star of betting on the sport.

"I have NEVER gambled/bet on Hockey, NEVER gambled/bet on a Sharks game, NEVER gambled/bet on any of my games and NEVER thrown a hockey game,'' Kane wrote on Twitter.

Evander later continued ... "I love the game of Hockey and would never do any of what was alleged. I look forward to cooperating fully with the league's investigation, having my name cleared and looking forward to this upcoming season."

The messages were in response to Anna Kane's explosive allegations on Saturday, where she accused her soon-to-be-ex-husband of gambling on hockey games -- a cardinal sin in sports.

She wrote ... "How does the NHL let a compulsive gambling addict still play when he's obviously throwing games to win money? Hmm maybe someone needs to address this."

Soon after Anna posted her message, the NHL announced they were investigating the claim.

"The League was made aware this evening of a post on social media alleging that San Jose Sharks Player Evander Kane bet on NHL games. The integrity of our game is paramount and the League takes these allegations very seriously."

"We intend to conduct a full investigation and will have no further comment at this time."

Evander's team, the Sharks, also commented on the allegation, saying they've been in contact with the league and plan to aid the investigation.

For what it's worth, Kane -- who's midway through a 7-year deal worth $49 million -- allegedly had issues with a casino in the past.

Back in 2019, The Cosmopolitan in Vegas sued the hockey star for $500k -- claiming he had unpaid debts.

Luke Prokop -- a third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft -- just announced he's gay ... saying in a statement Monday, "I am no longer scared to hide who I am."

The 19-year-old Nashville Predators prospect continued, "It has been quite the journey to get to this point in my life, but I could not be happier with my decision to come out."

Prokop -- a 6-foot-4, 217-pound defenseman who currently plays in the Western Hockey League for the Calgary Hitmen -- said he's hopeful coming forward with his truth will help him ultimately reach his goal of making an NHL roster.

"From a young age I have dreamed of being an NHL player," Prokop said, "and I believe that living my authentic life will allow me to bring my whole self to the rink and improve my chances of fulfilling my dreams."

If Prokop does make it to the NHL show ... he would become the first-ever openly gay player in the league.

"I hope that in sharing who I am I can help other people see that gay people are welcome in the hockey community, as we work to make sure that hockey truly is for everyone," Prokop said.

Both the Predators and the NHL have already released statements in support of Prokop ... with commissioner Gary Bettman saying Monday, "We pledged to do everything possible to ensure that Luke's experience is a welcoming and affirmative one and continue to work to ensure that any current or future NHL player contemplating following in his trailblazing footsteps knows our League is ready to provide full support."

The hockey player's announcement comes less than a month after Las Vegas Raiders star Carl Nassib became the first-ever openly gay player in the NFL.

Lord Stanley looked more like Lord Jet Ski on Monday ... 'cause Tampa Bay Lightning stars Alex Killorn and Nikita Kucherov just took the Stanley Cup for an epic ride on the water!!!

It all went down at the NHL team's championship parade in Tampa, Fla. ... and video from the scene is absolutely AWESOME!!!

The two put the trophy up front near the steering column ... and then took the title bling out for a joy ride.

At one point, the guys maneuvered it all the way over to a packed crowd ... and stood up on the ride to lift it up so everyone could cheer it on!!!

Of course, the parade has featured a ton of other memorable moments ... with guys chuggin' booze, tossin' bottles from boat to boat, and even Andrei Vasilevskiy putting the Conn Smythe Trophy on his head!!

And, if you were wondering ... the Cup has NOT been thrown from one ride to another just yet -- seems the Lightning aren't willing to be as brave as Tom Brady was in February.

"It's f***in' back-to-back!!!"

NHL superstar Nikita Kucherov gave an epic, shirtless post-game interview after winning the Stanley Cup on Wednesday ... chugging beer, spewing expletives and absolutely going IN on Montreal Canadiens fans.

It all went down after the Bolts eliminated the Habs in 5 games in Tampa ... securing their second-straight Cup.

Kucherov -- easily one of the best players in the league -- was feelin' himself after the game ... and had a very special message for their opponents' fans.

"I didn't want to go back to Montreal," Kucherov told reporters. "The fans in Montreal, come on. They acted like they won the Stanley Cup last game. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Their final was last series."

Kucherov had every reason to celebrate -- he missed the entire regular season due to hip surgery ... and returned to lead the playoffs in scoring with 32 points in 23 games.

Meanwhile, Kuch's teammates were going wild in the locker room ... poppin' bottles and dancing -- as if they didn't just do this a year ago!!

And, get this -- Patty Maroon (who just won his third-straight Cup) even got his parents to chug booze out of the trophy!!

The Lightning weren't the only ones singing and celebrating -- their fans were lit outside the Amalie Arena, singing "We Are The Champions!!!"

Conn Smythe winner Andrei Vasilevskiy was a bit more on the chill side -- recording himself on the ice as his teammates received Lord Stanley.

The party ain't over .... a parade is possibly in the works for Monday according to city officials.

Will this be a remake of the epic Tom Brady tossin' the Lombardi trophy boat celebration?!

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died Sunday night at the age of 24 after being struck in the chest by a firework at a July 4th celebration, according to local authorities.

Kivlenieks -- who was born in Latvia -- signed with the Blue Jackets in 2019 ... and appeared in 2 games for Columbus this season.

Matiss was at an Independence Day party at a private residence in Novi, Michigan when the deadly accident occurred.

Officials in Michigan say a mortar style firework was inadvertently fired in the direction of a group of people in a hot tub ... striking Kivlenieks.

Rescue workers rushed to the scene around 10 PM and transported Matiss to the hospital ... but doctors were unable to save the goalies life.

Law enforcement is still investigating ... but doesn't believe there was any foul play involved.

"At the moment, we're pretty certain this was a tragic accident," a police spokesperson said.

Authorities originally believed Matiss died of a subsequent slip and fall after the blast ... but on Monday morning, a medical examiner in Michigan said that wasn't true -- clarifying the firework caused the fatal injury.

The Blue Jackets issued a statement on social media, writing ... "It's with a very heavy heart that we share the news that goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks passed away last night at the age of 24."

"We are heartbroken. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers. Rest in peace, Kivi."

The teams General Manager, Jarmo Kekalainen, also weighed in on the horrific loss ... "Life is so precious and can be so fragile. Hug your loved ones today. RIP Matiss, you will be dearly missed."

Ex-NFL star Greg Olsen says his 8-year-old son is absolutely crushing it in the weeks following his heart transplant ... calling his recovery process "unbelievable."

As we previously reported, Olsen's son, TJ, -- who was born with a congenital heart disease -- underwent the serious surgery earlier this month to receive a new heart.

The Olsens have been documenting TJ's story every step of the way ... including the special moment when he "rang the bell" to symbolize the end of his treatment 2 weeks ago.

Now, Greg is sharing even more good news ... saying TJ's improving every day at home.

"He’s doing good," Olsen told the Charlotte Observer. "He’s had an unbelievable recovery. He’s feeling good. He’s been home almost three weeks."

"He’s starting to get his strength back and to get a little more active. It’s been quite a journey."

Greg also explained the family's decision to share TJ's journey ... saying, "I just think it’s important for people to not only hear from you when you’re on top of the world, right?"

"The reality and humanity of it is that a lot of people do have tough times. And I think sometimes people think they are the only ones going through tough times."

He added ... "So, to share TJ’s story, that has connected us with so many other stories of hope and heartache throughout the country."

"That’s why we do it, to show people, 'Hey, you’re not alone out there. There are a lot of people that are struggling. There’s a lot of people that are having hard times. But you can get through it. and TJ is a great example of that.'"

The Stanley Cup Final looked more like a horror movie Monday night -- at least for a few minutes -- 'cause one player's head was left a bloody mess after a violent scrap.

Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher was the man who unfortunately suffered the wound late in the third period of Montreal's first game with Tampa Bay ... and it was pretty gnarly.

The Habs player crashed the Lightning net to try to clean up a possible rebound ... and several Tampa Bay players took so much exception to the skate-in, they fought him.

Blake Coleman ripped Gallagher's helmet off ... and then Mikhail Sergachev slammed Gallagher so hard to the ice, his head took a nasty shot.

Photos from the game show Gallagher was bleeding profusely ... and it was so bad, the 29-year-old eventually skated off and did not return to the contest.

Seems Gallagher's going to be just fine for Game 2 ... but, he had to deal with a little more sting while in the locker room getting treatment, 'cause the Canadiens were ultimately blown out, 5-1.

Horrible news from NHL superstar David Pastrnak ... the Boston Bruins forward announced Monday his newborn son has tragically died.

The baby, named Viggo Rohl Pastrnak, was just born on June 17 ... but Pastrnak said on his social media page he lost the child just days later on June 23.

"We have an Angel watching over us and we call him SON," Pastrnak wrote. "You will be loved FOREVER."

It's unclear what caused the death ... Pastrnak only added, "Please respect our privacy as we are going through these heartbreaking times."

The baby was Pastrnak's first.

25-year-old Pastrnak is considered one of the best players in the NHL ... he's spent his entire 7-year NHL career with the Bruins, scoring 200 goals in 438 games.

The Montreal Canadiens punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals on Thursday night ... and the fans went absolutely insane!!!

Moments after the Habs defeated the Vegas Golden Knights at the Bell Centre in Canada, thousands of fans swarmed the streets ... and pandemonium ensued.

Cops say fans were just rowdy as hell -- setting off fireworks, fighting and even attacking police officers.

At one point, a group of Habs fans -- still wearing Habs gear -- smashed up a police car and flipped it upside down!!

Police used tear gas to break up the chaos -- and eventually arrested 15 people ... while issuing citations to an additional 60 people!

By the way, officials had only allowed 3,500 fans inside the arena for the game -- but the situation outside was so crazy, they locked down the venue and refused to let fans out in fear people could get hurt.

If you're wondering why the fans went so wild, it's the first time the Canadiens have reached the Stanley Cup Finals since 1993 ... and you know how people in Canada feel about hockey!

Celine Dion's heart will go on for her hometown Canadiens ... 'cause the pop superstar says that pic of her in Vegas Golden Knights gear is a big, fat phony!!!

A photo of the Quebec native decked out in a VGK uniform popped up on the T-Mobile Arena jumbotron ahead of Game 5 of the Conference Finals on Tuesday ... with many wondering if Dion had actually ditched her roots for Sin City.

Of course, home teams love to do this in games -- showing fake pics of their opponents' most famous supporters rocking their threads really gets the fans riled up.

While the image clearly appears to be altered, Dion felt the need to set the record straight on Thursday ... saying, "By the way, I have nothing to do with this photo ... And you know what photo I'm talking about!"

It wouldn't be that farfetched to think Dion is a Golden Knights fan -- after all, her massively successful residency is in Vegas ... and she HAS been spotted wearing their jersey in the past.

But, as the Habs and Knights are set to face off in a heated Game 6, Dion had to make sure her team knew who she'd be rooting for.

Silly?? Yes. But, did you REALLY think we were gonna pass up on getting a Celine Dion sports crossover?!

The Habs are one win from making the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1993 ... so you could say it's all coming back to (them) now.

Winnipeg Jets superstar Mark Scheifele says his family is being targeted by angry fans upset with his cheap shot hit on Jake Evans ... and he's begging for them to stop.

Scheifele just received a 4-game suspension for taking out the Montreal Canadiens forward in Game 1 of their playoff series earlier this week.

The hit knocked Evans unconscious -- and was widely condemned by hockey fans and players alike who say Scheifele viciously targeted a defenseless player in a compromised position.

On Friday morning, Scheifele finally spoke to the media about the suspension -- saying he will NOT appeal the 4-game ban because he does not want to be a distraction to his team.

But, he also revealed his family has been harassed non-stop since the Wednesday incident ... and he's very upset about it.

"I'm a big boy. I signed up for this. I can handle this," Scheifele said ... "But, to put my parents, brother and sister, my loved ones through this, is unacceptable."

He continued, "I got held accountable. But, there's no right to go after my parents and my loved ones."

Scheifele says he's praying for Evans -- and hopes he can make a full and speedy recovery.

Evans suffered a concussion on the play -- and so far no update on when he's expected to return.

Canadiens player Jake Evans was forced to leave the ice on a stretcher Wednesday after a violent hit ... and his teammates are now calling the play both "dirty" and "disgusting."

The incident all went down late in the third period of Game 1 of Montreal's playoff series with Winnipeg ... when Evans scored a wraparound, empty-net goal.

Immediately after the puck crossed the red line, though, he was demolished by Jets player Mark Scheifele ... and Evans hit the ice HARD.

You can see in footage of the play, Evans landed face first ... and laid motionless on the ice while Canadiens players raced in to defend him.

While Montreal coach Dominique Ducharme said Evans did NOT need a trip to the hospital, Ducharme did say Evans still needed to undergo further evaluation after the Canadians' 5-3 win.

And, Evans' teammates were NOT happy about any of it ... even though Scheifele was hit with a penalty and ejected.

Forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi told reporters after the game the hit was "disgusting" ... while defenseman Joel Edmundson called it a "dirty" move.

"If he gets back in the series," Edmundson said of Scheifele, "we're going to make his life miserable."

Incredible scene during Maple Leafs' workouts Thursday ... John Tavares was back on the ice just 1 week after severely injuring his head -- and he looked GOOD!!!

Tavares took a flying knee to the face last Thursday ... and the damage was so bad, the 30-year-old Toronto captain had to spend the night in the hospital.

But, great news, Tavares is already back on the ice ... reporters shot video of the dude skating around the Toronto rink Thursday morning as if nothing had happened!!

Check out the clip, Tavares appeared to be moving just fine ... ripping slap shots and weaving around the ice no problem.

According to TSN's Kristen Shilton, Tavares' on-ice work lasted about 20 minutes ... before he eventually headed back into the locker room.

It's unclear if this means a return to actual gameplay is nearing for Tavares ... last week, the Leafs said in a statement John would be out "indefinitely."

The stands at the Nashville Predators game Sunday looked more like a frat party -- at least for a few seconds -- 'cause cameras caught Taylor Lewan chugging beers like he was in college ... and it awesome!!

The Tennessee Titans star made an appearance at Game 4 of Nashville's playoff series with Carolina ... and it didn't take long for the guy to lose his mind pumping up the crowd.

When the 29-year-old was introduced on the jumbotron, he played it cool at first -- waving with his daughter in his arms ... but a short time later, his shirt was off and beers were down the hatch!!

Check out the footage ... the Preds showed flashback video of Lewan previously going crazy at a game in 2018 -- so he did his best to one-up the show, and damn near delivered!!

Lewan chugged one beer ... and then ripped off his shirt. Seconds later, he chugged another -- and the crowd lost its mind!!

Even Predators star Ryan Johansen got a kick out of it -- laughing while staring at the insanity!!

The Preds used the energy and went on to win the game 4-3 in double overtime ... and said afterward Lewan is now required to be at every game going forward.

"HEY @TaylorLewan77," the team tweeted, "ITS MANDATORY YOU COME TO EVERY SINGLE GAME FOR NOW ON THANKS."

As for Lewan, he seemed pumped about it all ... but admitted his family wasn't too pleased with the beer spillage.

"Had a long car ride home of wynne telling me it 'wasn’t nice' to get her and mommy wet," Lewan said.

He added, though, "worth it."

VERY scary moment on the NHL ice Thursday night ... Toronto Maple Leafs star John Tavares took a flying knee to the face -- and needed a stretcher to leave the rink.

The terrifying moment all went down in the 1st period of the Leafs' playoff tilt vs. the Montreal Canadians ... when Corey Perry accidentally slammed his knee into Tavares' head.

The play was violent ... you can see as Tavares was going down to the ice, his face collided HARD with Perry -- who was in a full sprint.

The ensuing moments were horrifying, because as trainers tried to tend to Tavares -- his body went limp and fell backward.

The 30-year-old -- who's in the middle of a 7-year, $77 MILLION contract with Toronto -- ultimately was strapped to a stretcher and taken to the hospital for further evaluation.

Leafs' coach, Sheldon Keefe, provided some good news on Tavares after the game, saying his star player was "conscious and communicating well" and adding that initial tests had "come back clear."

"I've experienced a lot of different things, a lot of tough injuries like that in my time,'' Keefe said. "In an empty building like that, it's probably the most uncomfortable situation I've been a part of on the ice."

"It was really tough to get through."

Tavares -- the Leafs' captain -- is considered one of the best players in the NHL ... he's tallied 364 career goals and 455 career assists in his 12 seasons in the league.

Get well soon, John.