NHL

Boston Bruins star Taylor Hall -- a former league MVP -- was so pissed about being shoved into the boards during a game Tuesday night ... he retaliated by sucker punching the dude who pushed him.

The wild scene all went down late in the second period of the Bs' tilt with the Maple Leafs -- after Ilya Lyubushkin hurled Hall face-first into the wall as the Boston winger was trying to cross the midline.

You can see in footage of the play, Hall clearly thought the shove was unnecessary and dirty -- so he ran up from behind Lyubushkin and socked him in the jaw.

The Leafs defenseman went down hard -- and stayed on the ice for several seconds before he wobbled off into the locker room.

No word on if Lyubushkin suffered any serious injuries in the play -- but he was unable to return to the game. Toronto said in a statement afterward that the 27-year-old was being held out for "precautionary reasons."

The NHL, meanwhile, has already announced punishment for Hall over the swing -- saying it's fined the 30-year-old $5,000 "for roughing" Lyubushkin.

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk has died from an illness, the NHL team announced on Monday night. He was just 62 years old.

According to the hockey club, Melnyk passed away following a battle with an undisclosed disease. The team noted he fought the illness "with determination and courage."

Melnyk -- a billionaire who made his fortune, in part, in the pharmaceutical and medical sales industry -- bought the Senators back in 2003 for $92 million ... and quickly found success.

The team made the Stanley Cup Final in 2007 -- and is now, according to Forbes, worth around half a billion dollars.

"While successful in business, it was our game and his Senators that he was most passionate about," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement Monday following the owner's death. "Eugene was often outspoken but he maintained an unwavering commitment to the game and his roots and he loved nothing more than donning a Senators sweater and cheering on his beloved team."

"On behalf of the entire National Hockey League," Bettman continued, "I extend my deepest sympathies to Eugene’s daughters, Anna and Olivia, his extended family, and all those who benefited from his generosity."

NHL star and Senators team captain Brady Tkachuk also mourned the loss of Melnyk on Monday ... saying in a tweet, "The Ottawa community will miss you greatly."

In addition to his role as the Senators honcho, Melnyk was also successful in the horse-racing world ... with many of his horses winning coveted titles in Canada.

The Edmonton Oilers gave a five-year-old battling stage four brain cancer the moment of a lifetime when they let him be their flag bearer for the night ... and star player Connor McDavid provided him with a pep talk right on the ice!!

The emotional scene went down Thursday night as the Oilers took on the San Jose Sharks ... with passionate fan Ben Stelter getting honored before the game.

In the emotional video, you can see Ben -- wearing a custom Oilers jersey -- accompanied onto the ice by team captain McDavid ... as he was introduced over the PA system to the crowd.

Ben, who's battling glioblastoma (an aggressive type of cancer that can occur in the brain or spinal cord) was diagnosed with a brain tumor a year ago ... and underwent four rounds of chemotherapy and 30 sessions of radiation to remove it.

Unfortunately, the tumor returned in December.

And now, Ben is starting another round of radiation in the near future ... so the Oilers wanted to show the youngster some love and support.

"It was an honor to have such an inspirational #Oilers fan as our @Scotiabank Skater," the org. wrote on social media.

Scary moment in the NHL -- Vegas Golden Knights center Brett Howden left Thursday night's game on a stretcher ... after colliding into the sideboards following a hit from the Nashville Predators' Filip Forsberg.

The incident took place in the first period ... as Forsberg and Howden were both trying to secure the puck, but things went wrong.

In a video of the collision, Forsberg loses balance as he's trying to make a play ... and his momentum carries him into Howden, who then goes headfirst into the wall.

Forsberg's teammates had a front-row seat to see it all unfold ... and their faces told the story of just how scary the wreck was.

Officials did not penalize Filip over the play ... as the whole thing appeared to be unintentional.

Forsberg immediately sprang to his feet to check on Howden ... as players and fans in the arena expressed the same concern.

Emergency personnel managed to get to Howden quickly ... putting the 23-year-old on a stretcher. He was taken to the hospital for further medical treatment.

The good news -- Howden appeared to be responsive following the hit ... raising one of his arms as he left the ice.

He is reportedly in stable condition.

Justin Bieber's leaving his mark on the Toronto Maple Leafs -- the "Ghost" singer just designed a special Drew House jersey for his beloved team ... and they're actually wearing them in a game!!

The Leafs announced the collab on Tuesday ... saying Auston Matthews and Co. will wear the sweaters for their Next Gen game on Wednesday as a way to "celebrate" the youth and "future of hockey."

The jerseys are super-unique -- they're black and blue with a shibori-inspired print and Toronto skyline stitched into the arm bands and socks.

But, the threads are a bit of a two-fer -- fans can actually put the jersey inside out to reveal a Drew House-inspired black and yellow jersey with the eyes of the signature smiley logo etched in the middle of the Leafs emblem.

Bieber -- who's always been obsessed with the Leafs -- spoke out about the collab ... saying, "My love for the Maple Leafs has always been a big part of who I am, and my passion for the team, and the passion of millions of fans, is stitched into this Next Gen sweater."

NHL officials say they're straight-up "concerned" for Russian players in their league ... explaining in a statement Monday that "they and their families are being placed in an extremely difficult position."

Amid a Russian invasion into Ukraine, Russian NHL players have faced hate from fans all over the globe ... with some of the league's top talent reportedly even receiving death threats.

In fact, the messages to players have gotten so bad, TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger reported Monday that the NHL has bulked up security across the league for players in wake of it all.

In its statement Monday, the NHL seemed to acknowledge the need for added protection ... saying, "We also remain concerned about the well-being of the players from Russia, who play in the NHL on behalf of their NHL Clubs, and not on behalf of Russia."

The league did admonish Russia for its attack ... and said it is in the process of pausing its relationships with Russian business partners and suspending its Russian language media sites.

Sad news in the hockey world ... Rodion Amirov, the Toronto Maple Leafs' first-round pick in 2020, has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and has been ruled out for the season.

Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas announced the diagnosis on Wednesday morning ... saying the tumor was found while the 20-year-old was recovering from an injury he suffered at the beginning of this season.

"During the course of his recovery from this injury," Dubas said, "he developed some new, unrelated symptoms that required ongoing extensive investigations over the last few months."

Dubas says the prospect -- who plays in the KHL, one of the best pro hockey leagues in the world -- is now undergoing treatment at a German medical facility and he'll miss the rest of the 2021-2022 season.

"Our medical staff has been involved throughout the process alongside [Rodion's KHL team] and we are in direct contact with the facility on an ongoing basis to monitor his treatment and care," Dubas said.

"Rodion has the complete support of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and we will continue to ensure he receives the best care possible throughout this process."

Amirov is in good spirits despite the news -- his agent, Dan Milstein, said he's working out every day and skating three times a week.

"I want to stay positive, and I want people to think positively about me," Amirov told Sportsnet.

"There are many other people that have their own sicknesses or illnesses. I want to show by example that I can give people hope."

NHL star Evander Kane and his model GF Mara Teigen are expecting ... and they announced the new arrival by sharing smokin' hot pics of the model's baby bump in a bikini photoshoot.

The two lovebirds posted the exciting news on social media ... with Teigen saying, "23 weeks growing with you 🤍 We love you little one 🤍."

Check out the pics ... you can see Evander and Mara with their hands on the baby bump -- as they soak in some sun on the beach.

Of course, Kane and Teigen aren't shy about their affection -- as we previously reported, EK posted a love note on an L.A. billboard for Mara ... after the two had split over friction in the relationship.

Now, the couple is stronger than ever ... and super excited for their new addition to the family.

Machine Gun Kelly is clapping back at all the haters making fun of him for not knowing there's no halftime in hockey ... saying, "You know what I'm saying!"

The "My Ex's Best Friend" artist was trolled relentlessly on Saturday after he tweeted that he'd be performing at "half time" of the NHL All-Star Game.

Hockey fans proceeded to ride Megan Fox's future hubby hard ... getting after him for not knowing there's three periods in the sport.

Finally, after two days of online bashing ... MGK just released a video explaining himself, essentially telling people to get off his back.

"I know nothing about sports!" MGK said. "But you know what I'm saying! You know what I'm saying? When they're not playing, I'm going to be performing. You know what I'm saying?!"

We get it ... it's confusing, most sports do feature four quarters with one halftime -- and the idea of two intermissions instead of one half is a little strange.

A Boston Bruins fan says he was beat up and called homophobic slurs at an Avalanche game in Denver last week ... and cops have confirmed to TMZ Sports they're now investigating it all.

Cadien Shaw told ABC 7 the interaction with Colorado fans at Ball Arena following the Bruins' loss to the Avs on Jan. 26 began innocently ... but then he claims it soon got heated.

Shaw said 3 men approached him ... and after some words, they began to make inappropriate comments about his sexuality.

"It turned to aggressive homophobic slurs," Shaw said.

Soon after, Shaw said the men tackled him, kicked him, and repeatedly called him anti-gay slurs. Shaw said he suffered knee, elbow, and head injuries in the altercation.

Cops tell us they are investigating the alleged incident, saying its Bias Motivated Crime Unit is handling the probe. Police added they're urging any witnesses to contact them.

NHL star Nathan MacKinnon suffered both a broken face and a concussion from the violent hit that left him a bloody mess on Wednesday night.

Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar just announced the update to media members ... saying he's not sure when the Colorado center will be able to return to game action.

Bednar did say, though, that he expected MacKinnon to miss at least the team's next 3 games.

If you missed it ... the hit was scary as hell -- as MacKinnon was going up the ice in the Avs' game against the Bruins, Taylor Hall's shoulder collided with his face.

Video of the play shows MacKinnon's stick ended up wacking him in the nose ... 'causing him to bleed everywhere.

Somehow, MacKinnon got up and skated off the ice under his own power.

Colorado will miss the star while he's out ... he's been one of the best players in the league this season, tallying nine goals and 34 assists in 31 games.

Scary moment on the NHL ice on Wednesday ... Nathan MacKinnon -- one of the league's best players -- gushed blood everywhere following a violent hit, and had to leave his game early.

The gnarly scene all went down just minutes into the Avalanche's tilt with the Bruins in Denver ... when MacKinnon was trucked by Boston winger Taylor Hall as he tried to get after a puck.

Video shows Hall's shoulder went right into MacKinnon's face, and, unfortunately for the Avs star, his own stick caught him in the nose during the play as well.

The 26-year-old lay on the ice for several minutes ... bleeding all over the place, before he was eventually helped off by trainers into the locker room.

MacKinnon never returned to the game, and it's unclear the extent of his injuries. The Avs only said that he had an "upper-body" ailment.

Seems pretty clear from the images, though, that the guy might need to get his face fixed soon.

Former NHL player Chris Pronger went full-blown Stone Cold Steve Austin Monday night ... 'cause the former defenseman chugged a beer in the middle of his own jersey retirement ceremony.

The St. Louis Blues raised Pronger's #44 to the rafters at the Enterprise Center ... a celebration that was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pronger made up for the wait by whipping out a can of Bud Light to commemorate the occasion ... taking a sip while addressing the crowd.

"And to you all," Chris said as a toast to the fans before chuggin' down the brewski ... going on to thank the fans for embracing his style of play and molding him into the man he became.

Of course, the St. Louis faithful ate up the gesture ... as you can audibly hear cheers and applause once the beer made its grand entrance.

47-year-old Pronger had a remarkable career ... playing for various teams throughout his NHL tenure.

Pronger -- who spent 9 of his 18 seasons in the NHL with the Blues -- played in 1,167 career games ... winning both the Norris and Hart Trophy. Chris also won his only Stanley Cup in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks.

Unfortunately, Chris's career came to an abrupt halt after he sustained a scary concussion while a member of the Flyers org in 2011. Pronger has since opened up about the post-concussion syndrome he's endured.

Kodak Black's twerking partner is setting the record straight on their raunchy moment in a luxury suite at an NHL game, saying it wasn't sexual in the slightest -- despite what your eyes were telling you.

The woman from the viral video is actually an up-and-coming rapper who goes by the stage name VVsnce, and she tells us her relationship with Kodak is NOT sexual, it's all biz.

VVsnce says she and Kodak are laughing at the people calling them out for having sex in the suite. Interestingly, she told us exactly where they would've done the deed ... IF that was the plan, and it wouldn't have been out in the open.

Fact is, VVscne is signing to Kodak's Sniper Game label and they'd hit up the Florida Panthers game after a long day in the studio ... simply looking to cut loose and have some fun.

Some folks say the twerk sesh was too much for a public event with lots of kids nearby ... but VVsnce is clapping back and schooling critics on today's youth.

Kodak Black isn't in any sort of legal trouble over his NHL game grind sesh ... cops tell TMZ Sports there's no investigation into the matter because "they were not having sex."

The rapper was spotted at the Florida Panthers game on Tuesday enjoying a lapful of butt from his lady friend in a box suite ... and many thought the two were actually getting it on.

Video shot from across the arena showed the couple grinding on each other ... though a more zoomed-in angle of the action seemed to show they were only dancing.

A spokesperson for the Sunrise Police Dept. tells us officers were present in the suite at the time of the action ... and insist the two were not having sex.

"They were just dancing very provocatively," the spokesperson said.

We're told cops asked Kodak and his partner to stop shortly after they began ... and the rapper complied with no issues whatsoever.

There were more than 15,000 people at the Florida Panthers game on Tuesday ... but no one had as good a time as Kodak Black -- who enjoyed a raunchy twerk sesh from a woman in a box suite during the action!!!

The rapper hit the NHL contest in Sunrise with some killer rinkside seats ... and video showed the dude had an absolute blast watching the Panthers take on the Vancouver Canucks.

He was mingling with fans, taking selfies and zooming in on the on-ice action ... before he hit a luxury box for a little alone time with his lady friend.

One fan spotted the two from afar in the suite -- and it actually appeared like they were getting it on just feet from Panthers execs and hockey fans.

But, a closer look revealed there was nothing X-rated about their actions ... Kodak was simply enjoying a bit of a lap dance!!!

Black posted the zoomed-in footage to his IG ... writing, "Fly Lifestyle."

Kodak and every other Panthers fan eventually left the arena happy ... 'cause Florida took care of Vancouver, 5-2.