Olympics

Hometown heroes helping hometown heroes … that’s exactly what went down for Laila Edwards’ gold medal run.

Before she lit it up for Team USA in Milan, Laila’s dad, Robert Edwards, launched a GoFundMe with a $50,000 goal -- hoping they wouldn’t have to choose between airfare to Italy and paying the electric bill back home in Cleveland Heights.

And as we previously told you, the biggest donation came from Jason and Travis Kelce -- to the tune of $10k.

“It was a significant amount of money and it definitely boosted us,” Robert tells TMZ Sports. “But more than that, it just felt good that they cared enough to support us and to help Laila.”

Robert says having family in the building for the Games made the entire experience go “beyond expectations.” They had a travel party of roughly 12 people who made the trip to support Edwards.

“We're very pleased and overwhelmed and humbled by their support and by their interest,” Robert said. “We follow them as people and we love them and everything they stand for. And we're hoping that they can feel the same way about us and Laila."

Days after the White House shared an A.I. video of Brady Tkachuk calling Canadians "maple syrup-eating f***s" ... the Ottawa Senators' left winger is condemning the clip -- saying, "I don’t like that video because that’s just never come out of my mouth."

Tkachuk met with the media Thursday after returning from a whirlwind couple of days celebrating USA's first Olympic hockey gold in 46 years -- and while the vibes were certainly high overall, he says the AI vid was a bit of a stinker for him.

"It's clearly fake, because it's not my voice, not my lips moving," he said. "I'm not in control of any of those accounts, and I know that those words would never come out of my mouth. So, I can't do anything about it."

Flavor Flav is already throwing a Vegas party for the Team USA women after a successful 2026 Winter Olympics ... but right now he's using his reach for another cause -- helping women's hockey player Kelly Pannek get a new whip!

The hip-hop icon took to social media Thursday to call on auto companies to "step up" for Kelly, who had "totaled her car."

A rep for Pannek backed up that account, telling us it actually happened not long before she flew to Milan for the women's hockey team's gold medal run.

Alysa Liu’s gold medal didn’t just make history on the ice -- it just launched her hairstylist into orbit!

Kelsey Miller, the mastermind behind Liu’s now-viral “halo ring” color, tells TMZ Sports that ever since the Olympic spotlight hit, her phone hasn’t stopped buzzing … and her appointment book is stacked all the way into summer and fall.

“It's been like so surreal right now, all the attention that I've gotten from doing this,” Miller tells us.

What started as a five-hour coloring in January has placed both of them in the spotlight. Miller’s Instagram post from the session has garnered nearly 1 million likes as her account grew by the thousands during the Games.

The Prada show at Milan Fashion Week had no shortage of star power from the sports world -- with Eileen Gu and Caitlin Clark catching all the latest 'fits in the front row!!

Fresh off her viral Olympic run, the Team China skier and model hung out with the WNBA great on Thursday ... and she documented their run-in with a selfie.

The two seemed pretty chatty ... with video showing them laughing as they conversed at their seats.

N.J. Devils star Jack Hughes was back on home ice Wednesday night after lifting the U.S. men's hockey team to Olympic gold ... and the 24-year-old star received a rousing ovation from the hometown faithful!!!

Hughes also briefly addressed the team's controversial phone call with the President of the United States.

Jack received a standing ovation when he took center ice at the Prudential Center in Newark, where he spoke to Devils fans about the experience. He also brought out his Team USA teammate turned opponent for the night, Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson.

"I'm so proud and so happy that the men's and women's USA hockey teams brought gold medals back to the United States of America," Hughes said. "I'm so proud to represent the New Jersey Devils organization, and I'm so, so proud to represent the great state of New Jersey."

U.S hockey star Hilary Knight isn't letting all the controversy overshadow her relationship with her male counterparts -- describing the moment as simply "a quick lapse."

Knight spoke about the now-infamous phone call between the men's team and President Trump, not long after Jack Hughes scored the winning goal against Canada ... where POTUS joked he'd "probably be impeached" if he didn't invite the women's team to the White House following their gold medal win.

Folks online were big mad after the team laughed following DT's comment, but Knight says the group was put in "a tough spot."

Travis Kelce was glued to the TV for Team USA’s golden moment -- and yeah, Taylor Swift was right there with him.

The Chiefs' superstar tight end said on this week’s “New Heights” podcast with brother Jason Kelce that he and “Tay” were up bright and early in snowy New York to catch the USA men’s hockey team snag gold … and from the sound of it, the living room basically turned into a penalty box.

“Me and Tay watched the entire game and it’s just so f***ing epic, man,” Kelce said. “From the first drop of the puck, that game was non-stop action and just had me at the edge of my seat at 8:10 in the morning.”

Forget coffee -- Kelce was running on pure adrenaline.

One of the biggest assists for the U.S. men's hockey team didn't come on the Olympic ice -- it came courtesy of Pat McAfee, who let the gold medal winners rage in Miami on his dime!!

A video started making rounds on social media Tuesday night ... showing McAfee addressing the team and thanking them for representing the country as they celebrated at E11EVEN nightclub.

McAfee's message then revealed that he teamed up with the club to make sure they didn't have to spend a dollar to have a good time. We're told that by the time they walked out the door, the final total was around $150K.

A TON of American fans set their alarms to catch the Red, White and Blue's gold medal win ... with NBC announcing the 2026 Winter Olympics finale averaged 20.7 million viewers!!

The folks over at the Peacock released the numbers for the contest on Tuesday ... saying the game was the most-watched pre-9 AM ET sporting event in U.S. history.

The audience only grew once the showdown reached overtime -- with the network saying "An astounding average of 26.0 million viewers on NBC and Peacock were watching between 10:45-11 AM ET" as Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal ... which ended a 46-year gold medal drought for the men's team.

The celebration tour for the United States men's hockey team continues ... 'cause the gold medalists just met up with President Donald Trump at the Oval Office!!

A video shared by POTUS' staff showed the scene shortly after 3 PM EST -- about six hours before he is set to give the State of the Union address, which Team USA is slated to attend.

It was a grand welcome to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. As the winners checked out the Presidential Hall of Fame installed by Trump along the West Colonnade -- "Free Bird" was blaring over the loudspeakers.

After partying their butts off at E11EVEN in Miami just hours ago, the United States men's hockey team is already on their way to Washington, D.C. to link up with President Donald Trump ahead of Tuesday's State of the Union address -- and they're traveling courtesy of a military plane!!

Matthew Tkachuk shared a photo on Instagram as the team got ready to board the Air Force Boeing 757 bound for the nation's capital -- and it seems everyone made the early morning call time for the trip.

It was wheels up shortly before noon for the two-and-a-half-hour flight from the 305 to 202 ... where the team is expected to stop by the White House before sitting in on Trump's speech.

Ellen Hughes -- Team USA women's hockey player development consultant and Jack and Quinn's mom -- is giving her take on President Trump's locker room joke following Sunday's gold medal game ... saying what really matters to both squads is "unity."

Hughes -- a former member of the women's national hockey team herself -- was asked about POTUS' controversial comments to the men's team on Tuesday's episode of "Today" ... and while there are plenty of social media users pissed about the phone call, Hughes thinks the recent success of both organizations can bring folks together.

"At the end of the day, it's just about the country," Hughes said, "and the moment that these players, both the men and women, can bring so much unity to a group and to a country."

Team USA’s toothless hero Jack Hughes is making it clear there's nothing but love between the men's and women's gold medal-winning squads ... saying any backlash being thrown around is the result of haters hating.

Fresh off burying the game-winner at the 2026 Winter Olympics -- while bleeding and missing two front teeth -- Hughes told the Daily Mail the D.C. invite from President Donald Trump is nothing but an honor.

“We’re so proud to represent the U.S.,” Hughes said as the team partied in Miami. “When you get the chance to go to the White House and meet the president, we’re proud to be Americans and that’s so patriotic."

"No matter what your views are, we’re super excited to go!”

Team USA’s men’s hockey team took a spin through Miami on their own personal victory lap Monday night after clinching the gold at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

Check out the clip -- the gold medalists were thrilled to party at the iconic E11EVEN nightclub ... and proudly belted out the "Star Spangled Banner" with the hundreds of thrilled onlookers packing the place.

Team USA was decked out in their red, white and blue, and even brought an American flag with them to show how proud they were to represent the country. It was a huge shebang for the boys -- who also indulged with drinks and cigars as they toasted to the gold.

Team USA hit U.S. soil Monday -- and instead of battling a blizzard, they stormed Miami with gold medals and party plans.

After beating Canada 2-1 in OT to win their first men’s hockey gold since 1980, the Americans were supposed to fly to NYC … but a monster winter storm wrecked those arrangements. So instead, the champs are getting palm trees and bottle service!

The gold medalists landed with a warm welcome at Miami International Airport just after 1 PM local time … and they told reporters on scene they were a little tired from their ongoing celebrations.

“It still feels pretty surreal,” Auston Matthews said. “I don’t think we really realized the magnitude of everything that’s happened in the last 24 hours … seeing all the support from back home, it’s incredible what this team was able to accomplish.”

The party’s been going since the final buzzer ... champagne showers, beer cans popping, music blasting and guys huddling around a phone in the locker room to hear President Donald Trump congratulate them.