Barry Melrose, the former NHL player, coach and longtime ESPN hockey analyst, has died ... his wife, Cindy, told ESPN.
Melrose joined ESPN in 1996 and retired in 2023 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
He was best known for coaching Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final before becoming one of hockey’s most recognizable TV personalities.
ESPN praised Melrose as a "distinctive and trusted" voice whose passion for the sport was unmistakable.
He was also known for his flashy suits, signature mullet and goatee ... and was beloved by colleagues and fans alike.
Dillon Danis says the viral photos purportedly showing him snorting a white substance aren't what they claim to be ... because he didn't magically lose all his tattoos overnight.
The MMA fighter tells TMZ Sports ... the photos currently making the rounds online are fake, and he says there's one pretty obvious giveaway -- the man in the images doesn't have the same tattoos he does.
Dillon says ... "To be completely clear: those photos are not me, and anyone presenting them as authentic images of me is spreading false information."
NBA star Tyler Herro and his baby mama Katya Henry have split, and it's already getting nasty ... the exes are duking it out in court over custody and support after their bitter breakup, TMZ has learned.
TMZ obtained dueling lawsuits filed by Tyler and Katya. The exes share two minor kids ... a daughter born in 2021 and a son born in 2023 ... so this is no simple split.
In his filing, Tyler asked the court to set up a parenting schedule and determine how much he should pay in child support. The Milwaukee Bucks star said he had been voluntarily paying his ex support since she gave birth.
Clay Matthews is serving up a serious double-take these days ... because the former NFL star is barely recognizable with his dramatically different look.
The Green Bay Packers legend was spotted out grabbing coffee and groceries, looking absolutely jacked in a matching dark green set ... but it's his face that's really catching our attention.
Clay's still rocking his trademark long hair -- pulled back into a bun -- but his overall appearance looks noticeably different from his playing days ... has he had work done?!
Malik Beasley wants a break from his federal travel restrictions ... so he can see his kids in California and then jet off to Hawaii for work.
According to court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Beasley asked a judge for permission to travel from September 6 through 15, with stops in Rancho Mirage, Beverly Hills, and Hawaii.
The NBA baller's lawyer says the California leg is personal -- Beasley wants to spend a few days with his two young children before school starts.
Then it's all business in Hawaii ... where he's scheduled for a resort promotion tied to his social media work.
Cody Rhodes lost his "best man" ... the WWE SuperStar's beloved pup, Pharaoh, died on Monday.
The American Nightmare posted a raw, lengthy tribute after his white husky's death -- a doggo that'd been with him through so much -- from AEW to WWE, to title runs and fatherhood, and everything in between.
"Huskies need a job. P howled at the moon. When we thought he would be afraid of the older dogs we had, but instead ran into the living room and belly flopd’ on them. He patrolled the pool. He always tore up a plant when a stranger came into the backyard to let them know - 'I’m crazy' - and don’t come closer," Cody wrote on social media.
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When Rhodes was going through something, Pharaoh was right there by his side.
Matt Suhey, the fullback who helped power the legendary 1985 Chicago Bears to a Super Bowl championship, has died.
The Bears star died over Labor Day weekend, bringing an end to the life of one of the most beloved members of Chicago's iconic championship squad, according to NBC Chicago.
Suhey spent his entire 10-year NFL career with the Bears after Chicago selected him in the second round of the 1980 NFL Draft out of Penn State. While his job was often to do the dirty work and clear paths for Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, Suhey also had a memorable moment of his own on the biggest stage.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship boss David Feldman says Fenway Park was a grand slam ... and now he's going after another iconic baseball stadium!
The founder and president of the bare-knuckle boxing promotion joined Babcock this week and raved about the "unbelievable" event.
"We had fireworks inside the ring and we literally had fireworks in the stadium. It was just an incredible, incredible experience. To understand where we’ve come from with one fight and four people in attendance to then an ice-skating rink in Cheyenne, Wyoming, to now Fenway Park, I mean really truly it’s just it’s incredible and I’m real happy for everybody on my team"
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So, lots to celebrate, but Feldman says they aren't just sitting back chillin' ... they're capitalizing on the momentum they've created.
Nikki Glaser is spilling some wild details about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding ... including how she spent 12 hours completely off the grid and nearly stole a piece of the wedding cake.
TMZ obtained audio from Nikki’s Caesars Palace Las Vegas residency, where the comedian addressed our previous report saying she was invited to the celebrity couple’s wedding. Nikki coyly joked she couldn't legally confirm she attended ... before making it pretty clear she was there.
The self-described massive Swiftie said she was stunned to receive the invitation and was required to keep the event secret -- joking about details of the coveted invite, adding a grim tie to the Nancy Guthrie investigation.
Ryan Garcia has a word of caution for women on social media ... beware of boxers!
The WBC welterweight champ chopped it up with TMZ Sports this week at an open workout for his huge upcoming fight with Conor Benn ... and we had to ask King Ry about the biggest scandal in sports -- Daejon Love.
The fugazi Niner seemingly had no problem finding his alleged victims -- he's accused of defrauding 26 women out of $1.3 million -- but Garcia says it's even easier to pretend to be a fighter because "anybody can say they're a boxer."
Carlos Alcaraz always captures attention while on the court ... but this time his tennis play had nothing to do with the eyes on him -- his hot body did!
The 23-year-old Spanish pro took the court in New York City for the third round of the U.S. Open Friday ... and slipped off his brown sleeveless shirt in full view of the audience -- giving fans a chance to drink in his physique.
Michael Irvin says it doesn't matter if San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York pays a woman to have sex with him ... because even guys who don't hook up with sex workers have to pay to get a little action!
The former NFL wide receiver defended the billionaire owner on N3on's stream recently ... saying it really shouldn't be anyone's business if a dude doles out cash to sleep with a woman.
Mike argues people are always paying for it ... whether by buying someone else's dinner, giving someone an expensive present, or whatever else -- noting all relationships have an inherently transactional component.
Kohl Laren's a professional MMA fighter, but he may be best known for his adorable and unique pet, Daisy the opossum ... who's become a social media star!
Laren, 31, and Daisy stopped by the TMZ offices for a chat with Babcock this week, where the pro fighter explained how he started rescuing the marsupials, the misconceptions people have, and more.
Daisy's become a thing online -- with millions of views on her videos -- but the journey for Kohl started with a simple bike ride.
"I just found one little opossum in Seal Beach when I was riding my bike. I took it into a bush, it was by itself, teeny, tiny. When I set it down, I was like, 'I don't know if you're gonna live if I leave you here,' and I couldn't do that," Laren said.
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So, he took the opossum (not Daisy) ... and quickly realized he had his hands full. But, Kohl, after doing some research, found out there were resources available to him.
Laren, with some help, nursed the sick animal back to health ... and it was ultimately released back into the wild.
Thanks to some attention Kohl received after successfully saving the first opossum, people began to come to him when there was an animal in need ... and that's exactly how he got Daisy.
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A farmhand reached out to Kohl a few months ago and asked if he could take her ... and he said yes.
"I gave her a once over when I got her, she didn't seem to have any injuries, but she was so teeny, tiny," Laren said.
"I just held her. She took to me immediately. It got to the point where she would be with me while I was brushing my teeth. She hangs out with me all night. Even when she's running around doing her thing, she makes her way back to me, and I take care of her, love on her, and she just loves being with me."
Kohl has already helped a bunch of animals, but he says he wants to do even more once he retires from fighting ... and that's awesome.
Kenny Smith admits the NBA went straight for the Clippers' neck, but he doesn't think the punishment was excessive ... when you consider Steve Ballmer's team skirted the rules in a major way!
TMZ Sports spotted the hooper-turned-analyst at LAX on Friday, and asked him whether The Association went too hard.
"You're gonna have to suffer consequences for that kind of behavior," Smith told us.
"You're vehemently cheating. You're not just toeing the line. You're actually cheating and you're cheating at a high level. You're circumventing the salary cap. You're giving yourself an unfair advantage that no one else has, and you have to have severe penalties for that or other people will say, 'Well we can do it.'"
