NHL

The NHL's top suit, Gary Bettman, confessed he binge-watched all six episodes of "Heated Rivalry" in one night ... and while he admits it can get a bit steamy, he says it's had a positive impact on the league!!

Bettman -- the league's 73-year-old commissioner -- says the NHL has been well aware of the hit HBO Max series that's taken the world by storm, and you can add him to the list of fans.

"It was very well done," Bettman told reporters in a scrum before Thursday’s game between the San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals. "The content, particularly for young people, might be a little spicy. And so you have to balance that out in terms of how you embrace it."

An ex-employee is suing the Anaheim Ducks, claiming she dealt with sexual harassment and other misconduct in a “frat house boys club environment" -- and was then allegedly silenced for exposing it.

Rose Harris, who worked in the Ducks’ IT department, filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the team, the NHL, and the team’s parent company, OC Sports & Entertainment, in the Southern District of New York ... accusing them of colluding to blacklist, defame, and retaliate against her.

The Philadelphia Flyers have suspended radio play-by-play broadcaster Thomas Saunders for making an inappropriate comment while on the airwaves ... when a hot mic picked up a joke about oral sex.

It all went down during the third period of the Flyers' 5-3 loss Thursday night. After an icing call, Saunders threw the broadcast to a commercial break ... the only problem was it didn't happen.

Seemingly, as someone in the booth went down to the floor, Saunders was heard saying, "While you're down there, would ya mind blowing me?"

Carter Hart -- who was acquitted of sexual assault in a Canadian court this summer -- made his return to the NHL ice with the Golden Knights on Tuesday, describing the moment as "amazing" after nearly two years away from the league.

Hart, a goalie, shined in Las Vegas' 4-3 win over the Blackhawks Tuesday night in Sin City, making 27 saves on 30 shots, including six in overtime. After the final horn sounded, the team mobbed Hart just beyond the net.

Speaking with the media postgame, it was clear Hart was dealing with a bunch of emotions following his first game back.

Washington Capitals star Dylan Strome had an emotional day on the ice Thursday ... 'cause after crushing the Montreal Canadiens 8-4 on the road, he revealed his wife went into labor during the game -- and he missed the birth of his third child.

Strome shared the news with reporters in front of his locker ... saying while he is proud of his wife, Taylor, he wished he could have been by her side in that moment.

"Definitely playing with a lot of emotions," Strome said. "I found out after the first period tonight. I heard before the game and kind of talked about what I should do. I mean there was nothing I could do to get back."

If you're in the market for a beachfront Malibu mansion and don't mind spending over $15k PER SQUARE FOOT, NHL legend Chris Chelios has a breathtaking crib for you!!

The Hockey Hall of Famer listed the 3,795 sq. ft. waterfront estate in Paradise Cove ... and the home certainly fits the neighborhood's name, sitting right on the sand with stunning panoramic coastal views.

The home -- built in 1982 -- has four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a large kitchen with top-notch appliances, awesome natural lighting, and a massive rooftop deck.

12:08 PM PT -- According to court documents TMZ Sports has obtained, Ryan Kesler is accused of engaging in "sexual contact with a 16-year-old child" on January 1.

The docs state the alleged victim was "physically helpless" during the incident.

Former NHL center Ryan Kesler has been charged with two misdemeanor counts of criminal sexual conduct ... but the former first-round draft pick is adamantly denying any wrongdoing.

Kesler entered a not guilty plea to the two counts on Monday ... after the charges were officially filed against him on October 23 in Bloomfield Hills, MI. Not much is known about the alleged wrongdoing ... other than it was reported to cops on January 2.

According to an Orchard Lake Police Department press release, bond for Kesler was set at $50,000 ... which he later posted.

Buffalo Sabres star Rasmus Dahlin just revealed his fiancée, Carolina Matovac, received a heart transplant this offseason ... detailing the traumatic experience that led up to the serious procedure in a letter to hockey fans.

The team shared Rasmus and Carolina's story on Friday morning ... with the defenseman stating his partner had felt sick for a few days before things took a dire turn.

"Fortunately, she received CPR on multiple occasions, and up to a couple of hours at a time to keep her alive, which ultimately saved her life," Rasmus wrote. "Without her receiving lifesaving CPR, the result would have been unimaginable. It is hard to even think about the worst-case scenario."

The Portland Trail Blazers will be under new management ... as the estate of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has reportedly agreed to sell the team to Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon for a whopping $4 billion!!

Dundon will be one of three people in the group set to purchase the organization, according to Sportico. The outlet also stated the plan is to keep the team in Rip City once the deal goes through.

Allen's estate put the for-sale sign on the Trail Blazers back in May. In the announcement, they said the sale was "consistent with Allen's directive to eventually sell his sports holdings and direct all estate proceeds to philanthropy."

Looks like Sean Avery and Hilary Rhoda are skating on smooth ice ... 'cause the former NHL player just filed to have his wife's restraining order against him dropped and seemingly confirmed they're back together.

In a Monday court filing in Los Angeles obtained by TMZ, Avery requested the RO -- set to expire on Sept. 11 -- be terminated ... reasoning "mom and dad have reconciled" and that "Hilary and Sean have been living together for over a year."

You may remember ... the model filed for divorce from Avery back in July 2022, citing "irreconcilable differences."

Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau's sister finally made it official with her man ... getting married months after her brothers were killed the night before her wedding.

Katie Gaudreau and her high school sweetheart, Devin Joyce, got married at a Philadelphia church Friday and enjoyed a 200-person reception at a hotel in the area afterward.

Of course, two major people in Katie's life couldn't attend ... her bros who died in a car accident just before her wedding was supposed to go down in August 2024.

Ex-NHL enforcer Nick Tarnasky's current employer tells TMZ Sports it is investigating his role in that wild Fourth of July golf fight.

Red Deer Minor Hockey -- where Tarnasky coaches a U17 squad -- said in a statement to us on Tuesday it has seen the video of the 40-year-old former Florida Panther throwing a man into a golf course's pond ... and it is looking into the siutation.

"At this time," the org. told us, "given that we understand the matter is being reviewed by local policing authorities and we are conducting our own internal investigation into the alleged incident, we will have no further comments."

Police in Canada tell TMZ Sports ... the fight took place on July 4 at around 5:47 PM at Alberta Springs Golf Course in Red Deer.

Officers did respond to the scene after they received reports of an intoxicated person who had been instigating fights -- but cops said by the time they arrived, the suspect had left.

No arrests were made, and there's no further investigation into the matter, authorities said.

A golfer was thrown into a pond and then beaten in the face by a flurry of punches during a dispute on the course ... and the wild altercation was captured on video.

The Florida Panthers have been on an absolute rager after winning back-to-back Stanley Cups ... but they don't even have to pay the price -- 'cause Matthew Tkachuk says their $500k bash at E11EVEN nightclub was on the house!!

The star forward disclosed the damage of last week's bash at the popular hot spot during his appearance on Barstool Sports' "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast this week ... and yeah, they coulda bought a house with how much their night of boozin' cost.

Tkachuk fittingly revealed the details alongside Sam Reinhart and Brad Marchand ... while they were chilling at a pool and sipping on some daiquiris.

Sam Reinhart tells TMZ Sports he's barely gotten a wink of sleep since the Panthers won the Stanley Cup -- but like a true hockey player, he said he's doing just fine running on fumes!!!

Reinhart and his Florida squad finished off the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night ... and since then, the 29-year-old told us he's managed only a handful of hours of shut-eye.

"I got maybe an hour or two last night," he said while working a ceremonial shift at a local Raising Cane's on Friday. "And a couple the night before."

The Florida Panthers are gonna need sunglasses and Advil on Friday ... 'cause they partied their asses off to celebrate winning the Stanley Cup -- with a night out in Miami filled with fine dining and drinking!!

TMZ Sports has obtained footage of the whole victory tour ... which started off with a feast at new hot spot Maple & Ash, where the jocks chowed down on all the oysters, dry-aged meatballs, bluefin tuna tartare, bone-in ribeye, Mediterranean branzino and lobster spaghetti they could stomach.

Of course, the dudes in attendance -- Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, Niko Mikkola, Nate Schmidt, Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundellm and Sergei Bobrovsky to name a few -- were also offered plenty of wine and champagne to wash it down -- even taking swigs from the Cup.