NHL

Jamie Foxx is back in front of cameras for the first time since his medical crisis, and we've learned getting back in the saddle was a piece of cake for the Hollywood vet.

Sources tell TMZ ... Jamie shot a brand new BetMGM commercial Wednesday in Las Vegas at the Aria Resort and Casino, and after almost 4 months of recovery and rehab he was in amazing shape -- showing no signs of physical ailment.

We got some behind-the-scenes pics from the shoot, and he looks pretty focused while sitting in the cockpit of a golden F1 race car. We're told the ad will begin airing just before the NFL season kicks off.

ICYMI, Jamie posted a pic from the shoot Thursday, tagging BetMGM and saying "We got BIG things coming soon." His daughter, Corinne, shared a BTS shot of them together, saying she's really proud of her pops.

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky also got some face time with Jamie. The Great One is in the ad, too, and described the shoot as ... "One of the best nights of my life with the greatest person. Big things coming soon."

As we reported, JF was spotted out and about earlier this month -- hittin' golf balls at Topgolf, recovering lost purses in Chicago, and breaking a sweat on the pickleball court.

Jamie was working on a Netflix film in Atlanta back in April when he had to be rushed to a hospital for a still undisclosed medical emergency. He was later moved to Chicago to begin a lengthy physical rehab process.

NHL player Alex Galchenyuk -- who allegedly hurled racial slurs and made threats toward cops during a hit-and-run arrest last week -- is apologizing for his "deeply disrespectful and despicable behavior" ... saying he's going to seek treatment through the league's player assistance program.

The 29-year-old center was arrested on July 9 in Scottsdale, AZ after appearing to crash his car into a sign. During the traffic stop, cops say Galchenyuk was aggressive and claimed to have connections in Russia who could go after them.

"I'm gonna chop you, your wife, your daughter," Galchenyuk said, according to the police report. "One phone call and you're all dead, your whole family, your bloodline is dead."

Cops say the former No. 3 overall pick also directed racial slurs toward an officer in training during the traffic stop.

The former Coyotes signee broke his silence on the incident on Tuesday ... saying, "I am deeply ashamed of my recent behavior and I am beyond sorry to everyone I offended and hurt."

Galchenyuk lost his contract with Arizona just days after the incident ... and he is now a free agent.

"It was uncalled for, it was horrific and it has ruined this great new opportunity I was given by the Coyotes," Galchenyuk added. "I am beyond embarrassed and disappointed with myself and I feel awful for everyone I have let down."

"My family was counting on me to be better, the Coyotes and the amazing Coyotes fans deserve better and the brave police officers who risk their lives to keep us safe deserve better. I let them all down with my despicable and disrespectful behavior after drinking alcohol."

According to ESPN, Galchenkyuk sent letters to Scottsdale PD and the Coyotes expressing his remorse over the incident ... and he is expected to enter the NHL and NHLPA's player assistance program as early as Tuesday.

Carey Price hasn't made many mistakes throughout his legendary NHL career, but on Wednesday, he committed one of the biggest blunders of all ... fumbling his team's draft pick announcement!!!

The snafu all went down early on in the first round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft ... when the Montreal Canadiens tapped their goaltender to reveal their franchise's top pick.

Price -- who hasn't played for Montreal since 2022 while battling knee issues -- started off the announcement just fine ... he said what's up to the fans in the building, and then began to say the No. 5 overall pick's name.

The problem? All he was able to get out was "David" ... before he realized he couldn't remember the future rookie's last name!!!

Price stood up there uncomfortably for several moments trying to get someone to help him out -- and, finally, Canadiens GM Kent Hughes mercifully bailed him out.

"We planned it that way," Hughes said, grabbing the mic from Price. "David Reinbacher!"

Everyone cheered and eventually moved on from Price's mishap ... although the goalie certainly didn't let things go afterward -- apologizing for it all on his social media page.

"Boy that was embarrassing," the 35-year-old wrote on Twitter. "Sorry David….. Reinbacher."

Something tells us David and the rest of the Canadiens will forgive the guy ... after all, he's helped the team win 361 games over the past 15 years.

Alex Graham -- a pro hockey player in England -- tragically died over the weekend ... his team, the Sheffield Steelers, announced. He was just 20 years old.

Graham's org. revealed the sad news in a statement on Monday -- saying it's "devastated" over the passing.

Further details surrounding his death, however, were not released.

"Everyone at the club is heartbroken by the news," team officials said, "and wish to pass on our thoughts and condolences to Alex’s family, friends and teammates."

"It would be appreciated if Alex's family could be provided time and space to take in the enormity of this tragic situation in the days ahead."

Graham first debuted for the Steelers back in 2019 ... and had just signed his first pro contract with the team in May. He was considered by many to be one of the franchise's future stars.

Graham had also played for Great Britain's Under-18s and Under-20s teams ... and in a statement Monday, Ice Hockey UK officials also mourned his passing.

"The news has come as a huge shock to everyone in UK ice hockey, including all of his team-mates," the organization said. "This is a difficult time for so many people and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this devastating news."

SlamBall is returning to your television screens this summer -- the resurrected sports league has agreed to a 2-year broadcasting partnership with ESPN, TMZ Sports has learned.

The exclusive deal will provide coverage for SlamBall's 2023 and 2024 seasons ... which will consist of 30 hours of action from opening night on July 21 through the playoffs and championship game on August 19.

The basketball/hockey/football hybrid games -- played at the Cox Pavilion in Vegas -- will air on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+.

SlamBall creator and CEO Mason Gordon tells us the deal is proof the sport is only getting more popular with time ... saying, "ESPN's multi-year commitment to SlamBall is further validation of the enormous appeal and growth potential of our sport."

"The level of interest in our hybrid team sport not just in the U.S., but across the world, has been beyond our expectations for the 2023 season. It’s clear that this is the best talent we have had in the sport’s history."

SlamBall's revival has a ton of fans excited -- after all, there was a massive campaign for years to bring it back.

SlamBall co-founder Mike Tollin says the fan feedback was impossible to ignore ... and he's happy to bring the sport back.

"Mason and I couldn’t help but respond to the #BringBackSlamBall clamor. Live sports dominate the airwaves these days and audiences are looking for the next big thing. It’s a thrill to collaborate with ESPN in bringing this ground-breaking sport back to the world."

TMZ Sports broke the story of SlamBall's return back in August ... and as expected, the response was overwhelmingly positive.

The Vegas Golden Knights could finish their Stanley Cup victory celebration with a bang ... 'cause one Nevada sex worker is offering the champs one helluva party.

Licensed sex worker Alice Little tells TMZ Sports she and her coworkers want to thank the players for bringing home a championship in a very personal way.

Yes. We're talking about sex.

"We here in Sin City love the Golden Knights more than life itself," Little tells us.

"I cannot express in words the joy I feel now the team won their first-ever Stanley Cup, so I’m going to express it through my actions."

Little -- who claims to be the highest-grossing sex worker in Nevada history -- says she's offering the "most extravagant, orgiastic sex party" the champs will ever experience at the Chicken Ranch brothel's 40-acre campus and VIP Bungalows.

"Dozens of ladies, myself included, are ready and waiting at the Chicken Ranch to treat the Knights to any and every carnal delight, and there will be absolutely no penalties for misconduct," Little says.

"The brothel is all yours boys! Free of charge! It’s on me!"

Little also threw around the idea of creating VIP cards specifically for the VGK ... which will give them year-round complimentary access to the brothels' invite-only events and its "Eyes Wide Shut"-style sex sprees.

This isn't the first time Little has shown love to Vegas athletes ... earlier this year, she and fellow sex worker Caitlin Bell offered "free sex for life" to Jimmy Garoppolo who joined the Raiders in March.

The Vegas Golden Knights are still riding high after winning the Stanley Cup Final ... 'cause the squad continued their celebration by raging their faces off on The Strip!!

The champs have taken advantage of their home turf this week ... staying put in Sin City as they soak in the first Cup in franchise history.

VGK players hit up several spots during their victory tour, including the popular Encore Beach Club inside the Wynn .... and they were treated like kings -- getting treated with confetti, signs, flags and, of course, the song "We Are The Champions" by Queen.

The players were loving it all ... and to show their appreciation, they showered the fans with massive bottles of champagne before stealing a few sips for themselves.

To soak up all the alcohol, the team enjoyed a meal at hot spot Delilah before their night out ... and they brought the Stanley Cup with them, too.

This is the second night in a row of partying for the champs after defeating the Florida Panthers, 9-3, in Game 5 on Tuesday.

50 Cent's booze brand is adding ice to the mix ... as in, a new partnership with the Stanley Cup champions ... The Las Vegas Golden Knights.

The NHL club, which hoisted professional hockey's trophy Tuesday night, announced a multi-year partnership Wednesday with the rapper's spirits company.

50 Cent's Sire Spirits, which makes Branson Cognac and Le Chemin du Roi Champagne, will now be the official cognac and champagne of the Vegas Golden Knights ... giving 50's brand a presence in the team's arena and on its digital platforms.

In fact, Fiddy was on hand to watch the Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers in Las Vegas to secure the franchise's first Stanley Cup Tuesday night ... and the team partied with his booze in the locker room after the series-clinching win.

The collab isn't just about alcohol ... 50 Cent's G-Unity Foundation is also teaming up with the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation to serve the community in Sin City.

50 Cent's Sire Spirits is on a win streak just like the Golden Knights ... as we first reported, the brand just squashed a beef with Remy Martin over its cognac bottle design.

The Stanley Cup is going to be smelling like booze for quite some time ... 'cause after the Golden Knights won it on Tuesday -- they absolutely doused it (and their captain, Mark Stone!) with bubbly!!!

The scene was electric ... following Las Vegas' emphatic 9-3 Game 5 victory over the Florida Panthers, Stone walked the famous trophy into the Knights' locker room -- and then the guys went crazy.

You can see in video from the celly, about a dozen of the new champs busted out champagne -- before unloading all of the bottles' contents on Stone and the Cup.

"THE ONLY PAIN WE WANT IS CHAMPAGNE," the team said of the party.

Later on, Stone kicked the celebration up one more notch ... putting on the team's Elvis wig and sunglasses -- plus a makeshift championship belt!

Eventually, the guys brought the Cup to a Vegas club -- hoisting it for all to see ... before confetti rained all over them.

There was at least one PG moment with the Cup before all the alcohol started flowing -- Knights star William Karlsson placed his newborn in it, and it was adorable.

A ton of celebs were in the building to help with the party too ... Owen Wilson, 50 Cent, Darius Rucker and Steve Aoki were all spotted going crazy for Sin City's hockey team.

And, get this, according to the Knights -- all of the postgame bubbly was provided by none other than Fitty himself!

Put away the celebratory joints ... Snoop Dogg will not be the next owner of the Ottawa Senators after all -- the NHL franchise announced Tuesday it's opted to sell its team to another bidder.

Snoop had been a part of the group that L.A.-based entrepreneur Neko Sparks had put together in an effort to buy the hockey team ... but the Sens revealed they ultimately chose to go with the offer that Toronto billionaire Michael Andlauer had made instead.

Reportedly, Andlauer and his backers will fork over right around $1 BILLION for the team as part of the sale.

Snoop has yet to comment on the matter ... but it's no doubt got to be disappointing for the rapper -- you'll recall, back when he initially became a part of Sparks' group, he said in an Instagram post that he desperately wanted the squad.

Andlauer, meanwhile, said Tuesday he was fired up to have beaten out the rest to become the team's next owner.

"I believe that the Senators' fanbase is one of the most passionate in the league," he said, "and I'm excited to take the franchise's success both on and off the ice to the next level."

It's been 29 years since the release of "D2: The Mighty Ducks" -- but it's apparently STILL Knucklepuck Time ... at least, that's the case for P.K. Subban, who recently got to learn the shot from none other than Russ Tyler himself!!!

The former NHL star was on a quest to find the origins of hockey's slapshot for his "P.K.'s Places" ESPN+ show (produced by Omaha Productions) ... so, naturally, he hit up Kenan Thompson -- who played Tyler in the classic 1994 movie -- for a lesson on one of the most famous howitzers ever.

The two pulled up to a rink for the 1-on-1 sesh ... and, check out some of the footage from their time together on the ice, Thompson clearly hasn't lost any of his Russ Tyler magic!!

The 45-year-old teed up a couple pucks to show Subban how the shot was done ... and after a few tries, the ex-New Jersey Devils defenseman got the hang of things.

In fact, by the end of their workout, he was tickling the twine just like Tyler did in the film!!!

A Stanley Cup Final reporter looked more athletic than a lot of the Florida Panthers did on Monday night ... using some quick-thinking reflexes to keep an obnoxious fan out of her live shot.

The wild moment all went down toward the end of the Golden Knights' 7--2 blowout win over the Panthers in Las Vegas ... when Samantha Rivera was trying to recap Florida's loss on camera.

As the CBS Miami reporter was setting the scene at T-Mobile Arena for her viewers ... a fan tried to photobomb her shot -- and Rivera was having absolutely none of it.

You can see in a replay of her on-cam appearance, Rivera had to use a massive stiff arm to push the Knights supporter away from her shot. All the while, she repeated "Nope!" over and over again.

Eventually, the fan got the hint and bolted ... and Rivera finished her segment like a pro. Afterward, she took to Twitter to blast the guy for trying to interrupt her at work.

"Listen," she wrote, "I don't give a damn what team you're rooting for -- get the hell out of my face when I'm working and respect that I'm here to do my job."

"Excited to get back home to some classy #Panthers fans for game 3!!" she added.

Fans all over social media lauded Rivera's actions ... with many comparing her right arm to none other than NFL star Derrick Henry's!!

Brace yourself, hockey fans ... the last jersey NHL legend Wayne Gretzky wore during the final game of his historic career is being offered publicly for the first time, and the threads could be yours -- if you've got deep pockets!

TMZ Sports is told Gretzky's jersey -- which he had on in 1999 when he racked up his 2,857th point with an assist -- is now up for grabs at Grey Flannel Auctions.

Gretzky wore the jersey, which features his handwritten signature on the tag and the game date, "4-18-99", against the Penguins at Madison Square Garden, and although Wayne's Rangers team came up short, losing 2-1 in overtime, it was the "Great One's" emotional farewell that stole the night.

GFA says the iconic blue #99 jersey -- complete with the word "Rangers" on the front and "Gretzky" on the back -- shows signs of game use. John Rosasco, the Rangers' long-time Senior Vice President of Public Relations, authenticated the jersey with a letter to GFA.

Of course, Gretzky, who made 18 All-Star games, is widely considered the greatest hockey player of all time ... and one of the best athletes to ever play a sport.

Just how amazing was he?

Wayne, the only player to score over 2,000 points, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame just months after retiring ... after officials waved the usual 3-year waiting period. The NHL also retired number 99 leaguewide ... making WG the only player in the NHL to have achieved that honor.

The Stars and Kraken are stepping up to honor victims of last weekend's horrific mass shooting in Allen, Texas ... wearing helmet decals for their playoff game Thursday night -- while also auctioning off some memorabilia to raise funds for those affected by the tragedy.

Dallas and Seattle both jointly announced the tributes on their social media pages minutes ago ... five days after a gunman terrifyingly opened fire at an outlet mall in Allen, killing eight people and wounding seven others.

Both teams revealed their players will have "ALLENSTRONG" stickers affixed to the left side of their helmets when the puck drops on Game 5 in Big D.

In addition, the Stars said they'll have multiple auctions going on starting Thursday -- with the profits from the bidding set to go toward the Victims First and the Support for Allen Fund foundations.

Some of the items fans can bid on include a game-used puck signed by captain Jamie Benn ... and a game-used stick autographed by goalie Jake Oettinger.

Dallas also said the 50/50 raffle at Thursday night's game will benefit the two charities.

ESPN anchor John Anderson issued a mea culpa on Tuesday ... after he made an on-air joke about the last name of an NHL player who's of First Nations descent.

Anderson cracked the quip during an episode of "SportsCenter" on Monday night ... when he was reading over highlights of the Las Vegas Golden Knights' playoff win over the Edmonton Oilers.

As LV defenseman Zach Whitecloud was putting a shot in the net on the screen, Anderson said, "Zach Whitecloud -- what kind of name is Whitecloud?"

"Great name if you’re a toilet paper," he added.

The comment was immediately hit with backlash -- with many dragging Anderson for poking fun at Whitecloud, who, according to NHL.com, is "the first Indigenous NHL player from the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation."

Social media users called it offensive and crass -- and on Tuesday morning, Anderson said in a statement he was sorry about it all.

"This is totally on me and I sincerely apologize to Zach, the Golden Knights, their fans and everyone else for what I said," Anderson wrote. "It's my job to be prepared and know the backgrounds of the players and I blew it."

He added, "I will be reaching out to the team to personally apologize and hope to have the opportunity to speak to Zach as well."

Florida Panthers defenseman Josh Mahura took a puck square to the face, turning his mug into a bloody mess, and forcing him out of a critical playoff game ... for 10 minutes.

Hockey. Players. Are. Crazy.

25-year-old Mahura suffered the scary injury with about 5:47 remaining in the 2nd period of the game between Josh's Panthers and the Maple Leafs ... when Toronto wing William Nylander sent a long-range shot just wide of the net, hitting Mahura in the area around his left temple.

He immediately dropped to the ground for an instant before getting up, blood streaming down his face, and skating to the locker room, as a trainer held a towel to JM's face.

Fans thought Mahura was done for the night ... but, not even close. Josh ended up returning with about 15 minutes left in the third period, ultimately missing about 10 to 11 minutes of gameplay.

The Panthers ended up winning the game, 3-2 ... and now lead the series 2 games to none.