NHL

The death of Team USA hockey legend Mark Pavelich -- a key part of the "Miracle on Ice" team -- has been ruled a suicide, officials announced.

The 63-year-old died on March 4 at the Eagle's Healing Nest in Minnesota -- where Pavelich had been undergoing court-ordered treatment as part of a 2019 assault case.

After a thorough investigation, the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office issued a statement Monday saying Pavelich "died of asphyxia due to a plastic bag over head. The manner of death is suicide."

Pavelich -- who famously made the assist on the game-winning goal to beat the Russians in the 1980 Olympics -- had been battling mental health issues in recent years.

In fact, during his assault case -- stemming from a violent altercation with a neighbor -- the ex-hockey star was diagnosed with PTSD and multiple clinical psychologists found him to be both mentally ill and dangerous.

One psychologist testified Pavelich suffered from "mild neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury with behavioral disturbance (psychotic symptoms, aggression)" -- and suggested the condition may have been caused by repeated hits to the head.

Pavelich's family had said they believe hockey was a major contributing factor to his brain injuries.

After his stint on Team USA, Mark spent 5 seasons with the NY Rangers -- followed by brief stints with the Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks.

He retired from pro hockey in 1992.

Disney famously made a movie about the "Miracle On Ice" team in 2004 -- and Pavelich was played by actor Chris Koch.

Horrific scene on the NHL ice Sunday ... a star player for the Florida Panthers suffered a gruesome knee injury mid-game and was forced to leave the match on a stretcher.

Aaron Ekblad -- who was leading the Panthers in total ice time this season -- took a check from an opponent in Florida's game against the Dallas Stars when things went terrifyingly wrong.

Ekblad's knee and skate got caught under his body ... and when he came crashing down on top of the leg -- it all bent and crumpled awkwardly.

***WARNING: THE CLIP IS TOUGH TO WATCH***

You can see in video immediately after the injury ... Ekblad was in SERIOUS pain -- writhing on the ice, screaming, and holding on tightly to team trainers.

The defenseman was eventually strapped to a stretcher and taken off the ice. In a postgame update, Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville said Ekblad would be out indefinitely.

"It was pretty tough," Ekblad's teammate, Jonathan Huberdeau, told reporters after the game ... before adding, "You hear him scream too. I mean, it must have hurt so bad."

St. Louis Blues legend Bobby Plager -- who had his jersey retired by the team back in 2017 -- died Wednesday after a car crash in Missouri.

The 78-year-old was killed when his vehicle was involved in a two-car accident on Interstate 64 in St. Louis, according to multiple media outlets.

The Blues said in a statement hours after his passing the org. is devastated by the tragic news.

"It is unimaginable to imagine the St. Louis Blues without Bobby Plager," the team said ... adding, "Today, our hearts are broken, but one day they will be warmed again by memories of his character, humor and strong love for his family, our community, the St. Louis Blues and generations of fans who will miss him dearly."

Plager began his career in 1964 with the New York Rangers ... but after he joined the Blues in 1967, he went on to build an unrivaled resume with the team.

In his 11 years in St. Louis, he played in 616 games ... and helped lead the Blues to multiple Stanley Cup Finals appearances.

After his playing days ended following the 1977-78 season ... he joined the team's front office and went on to hold multiple different positions with org.

In 2017, the Blues retired his #5 ... making him just the seventh Blues player to earn that honor.

In their statement, the Blues said they were thrilled Plager got to celebrate their Stanley Cup victory in 2019 before his passing.

"The St. Louis Blues send all of our love and support to his family, and we hope everyone will find strength knowing that Bobby got his parade."

The NHL just canned one of its referees after the guy was caught on a hot mic admitting he called a questionable penalty against the Nashville Predators because he wanted stick it to the team.

It all went down Tuesday night during the 2nd period of the Predators vs. Red Wings game -- when ref Tim Peel blew the whistle on Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson for tripping Jon Merrill.

It sure seems like Merrill flopped -- even the announcers commented, "That's such a dive" -- but Peel seemed locked in on calling Arvidsson for the penalty anyway.

Moments later, a hot mic captured referee Tim Peel explaining why he made the call ... and his explanation is troubling.

"It wasn’t much," Peel said of the tripping penalty, "but I wanted to get a f***ing penalty against Nashville early in the ..."

The audio trails off before Peel completes his thought -- but it sure sounds like Peel had out it out for Nashville, which is a huge problem for the NHL. Refs are NOT supposed to have an agenda when it comes to calling a game.

The NHL immediately launched a probe into the remarks ... and it took just hours before the league formally fired the 53-year-old ref.

The league didn't hold back in explaining the decision either ... saying straight up there was "no justification for [Peel's] comments."

"Nothing is more important than ensuring the integrity of our game," league exec Colin Campbell said in a statement.

"Tim Peel's conduct is in direct contradiction to the adherence to that cornerstone principle that we demand of our officials and that our fans, players, coaches and all those associated with our game expect and deserve."

Peel had been reffing in the NHL for more than two decades ... and had been reportedly set to retire after his scheduled final game late next month.

As for the impact of the penalty ... it didn't seem to affect the Preds much -- they still went on to win the game over Detroit, 2-0.

Now, the big question ... why did Peel want to penalize Nashville -- and did he unfairly target other teams during his career???

19-year-old Timur Faizutdinov -- a star player in Russia's Junior Hockey League -- has tragically died after being hit in the head by a puck ... his team announced Tuesday.

Faizutdinov was skating for his Dynamo St. Petersburg's squad in a playoff matchup with Loko Yaroslavl on March 12 when his opponent accidentally flipped a puck at his head.

The frozen rubber caught Faizutdinov up high near his temple ... and he immediately crumpled to the ground in pain.

Faizutdinov -- St. Petersburg's captain -- was rushed to the hospital ... but, unfortunately, his team announced he died this week due to the injuries the puck caused.

"Dynamo Saint Petersburg defenseman Timur Faizutdinov has tragically passed away at the age of 19," Faizutdinov's team wrote in a statement.

"He had received a fatal head injury during an MHL match against Loko in Yaroslavl on March 12. SKA Hockey Club extends its deepest condolences to Timur’s family and friends."

Faizutdinov had reportedly logged nearly 200 games for Dynamo St. Petersburg in his career ... and had just been named team captain.

Dynamo St. Petersburg announced it will hold moments of silence for Faizutdinov prior to its upcoming games for the foreseeable future.

NHL forward Jujhar Khaira was knocked out after taking a violent punch during a fight Monday -- and the blow was so vicious, the Oilers player had to leave the game due to injury.

The scrap went down in the 1st period of Edmonton's clash with Calgary ... shortly after Khaira infuriated Flames players by checking Oliver Kylington in the head with his shoulder.

Calgary forward Brett Ritchie hunted Khaira down, got him to drop the gloves for a fight, and then socked him right in the face.

You can see in the clip, Khaira appeared to be KO'd on his feet ... and once the 26-year-old hit the ice, he looked at refs with a completely dazed expression on his face.

Khaira immediately headed for the locker room to be looked at by trainers ... and he did not return to the contest afterward.

Thankfully, in the post-game, Edmonton coach Dave Tippett said he believed Khaira was "feeling all right" and is now just day-to-day dealing with the after-effects of the tilt.

An NHL rink looked more like the UFC octagon Thursday night ... 'cause a Red Wings player was straight-up KNOCKED OUT by one punch in an on-ice fight.

The violent scrap all went down during the Lightning's game against the Red Wings in Detroit ... when things between Tampa Bay's Barclay Goodrow and Detroit's Adam Erne got chippy and escalated quickly.

Late in the 2nd period ... Goodrow checked Erne into the boards -- and Erne didn't take kindly to the shove, throwing his stick at Goodrow's legs.

Goodrow returned the favor by attempting to trip Erne ... and then the guys went at it!!

They dropped the gloves, started swinging ... and a few seconds later, Goodrow landed a haymaker right on Erne's jaw.

You can see in the clip, Erne appeared to be knocked out on his feet ... and in an awesome gesture from Goodrow, the Lightning player held up his opponent by his jersey so his head wouldn't crash down on the ice.

Both players were assessed penalties for fighting ... and Erne had to head to the locker room to get checked out by trainers.

Hockey, man.

Wayne Gretzky was fighting back tears at his father's funeral this weekend -- especially during an emotional eulogy ... where he remembered the man as the ultimate hockey dad.

The NHL legend delivered remarks Saturday at the St. Mark's Anglican Church in Brantford, Ontario shortly after laying Walter Gretzky to rest. Wayne stepped up to the podium in front of a socially distanced crowd in the pews ... and reminisced about Walter's life. The service was limited to family.

He recounted a couple different stories that were pretty heartwarming -- one where Wayne says Walter insisted on going to a hockey tournament when he was young, this despite the fact his wife and Wayne's mom, Phyllis, was due to give birth at any moment.

Sure enough, she popped while he was away with Wayne ... and as people gave Walter a hard time about missing the birth of his own child, he hoisted up the first-place prize that Wayne and co. had won, and proudly said ... "Yes, but we got the trophy."

Wayne went on to remember Walter as an incredibly proud Canadian and hockey's #1 fan. He said he loved his kids and grandkids ... and was always looking to give back to Wayne's fans as he grew in his career.

WG said Walter was not afflicted with COVID, and his death had nothing to do with the virus. He reiterated his dad suffered a bad hip injury as a result of his Parkinson's ... and was already in declining health. He thanked the crowd and those afar for sending food and well-wishes as the family stayed with him for 21 straight days in the hospital until he eventually passed Thursday.

Toward the end of his speech, Wayne choked up and walked off stage ... and the audience gave him a slight round of applause.

Walter was 82.

Sad news out of Canada ... Wayne Gretzky's father, Walter Gretzky, has died after a battle with Parkinson's disease. He was 82.

"It's with deep sadness that Janet and I share the news of the passing of my dad," Wayne said in a statement late Thursday evening.

"He bravely battled Parkinson's and other health issues these last few years, but he never let it get him down."

"For me, he was the reason I fell in love with the game of hockey. He inspired me to be the best I could be not just in the game of hockey, but in life."

The stories about Walter Gretzky's role in Wayne's career are legendary -- he served as The Great One's personal coach growing up, hammering home the fundamentals of the game.

One of his most famous lessons for Wayne focused on ANTICIPATING the action -- skate to where the puck is going, not where it's been.

Walter loved hockey -- but never played at the pro level. He played junior and senior hockey growing up in Canada but realized he wasn't good enough to make a career out of it.

His son, however ... well, we all know how that turned out.

In fact, Walter basically built a shrine to his son at the family home in Ontario -- which somebody actually burglarized back in 2020.

Family members reported roughly $500,000 worth of Wayne Gretzky memorabilia was stolen from the home .. including game-used sticks, jerseys, gloves, pants and even a Player of the Year award.

But, the story had a happy ending for Walter ... after a 3-month investigation, cops recovered a bunch of the items.

Wayne concluded his tribute to his father by saying the family is at peace knowing Wayne has been reunited with his late wife, Phyllis, who passed away in 2005.

Former NHL star Sean Avery busted a man's car mirror during a heated altercation in L.A. Thursday morning ... but he tells TMZ Sports he's the real victim in the situation.

Here's the deal ... law enforcement tells us cops were called out to the 8300 block of the Yucca Trail near West Hollywood around 10 AM to respond to a call of vandalism.

What happened preceding the call, though seems to boil down to two sides.

On one end, there's Niku. On the other, there's Avery ... and both guys claim the other dude was the aggressor in the incident.

Niku says a couple weeks ago, back in mid-February, he got into a confrontation with Avery in the neighborhood after unintentionally blocking the former hockey player down a two-way, one-lane road.

Niku says when he backed up to let Avery by ... the 40-year-old ex-NY Ranger became aggressive, rolled down his window and yelled "slow down you fat f***" over and over.

Niku says he hadn't had any contact with Avery since ... until Thursday morning, when he drove by the NHL player, who was on a jog.

Niku claims Avery recognized him from their February incident, and became incensed, and chased after him.

In video of the incident, you can see what happened next ... Avery caught up to Niku and opened his door -- before Niku quickly pulled it shut.

Niku then rolled down his window and called Avery a "psychopath."

Avery then stood in front of Niku's car ... until Niku drove slowly towards him while honking his horn.

Avery eventually got out of the way, but elbowed the dude's driver's side mirror as he stepped aside.

Avery, though, claims the whole thing was started because Niku hit him while he was jogging.

Avery says he chased Niku down to try to get him to stop ... saying Niku, "Tried to run me over." Avery added, "My leg's a little hurt."

Cops wouldn't reveal any more details from their investigation into the incident Thursday ... only telling us that a report was taken. They added no arrests were made.

Alex Ovechkin's wallet is now $5,000 lighter ... the NHL just hit him with a fine after it says he "speared" a Boston player in the man junk during their game Wednesday night.

Ovi and Bruins winger Trent Frederic went after each other often during the Washington Capitals' tilt with Boston ... with Frederic even challenging the NHL legend to a fight at one point mid-game.

35-year-old Ovechkin declined the scrap ... but the drama didn't end there, 'cause later in the night in the 3rd period, Frederic tried to get under Ovi's skin once again.

The Bruins' 23-year-old stole a puck from Ovechkin and then cross-checked him with his stick several times.

The Caps superstar eventually had enough, and slashed the hell out of Frederic's groin!!!

Both players were hit with penalties for the incident ... each being forced to sit for 2 minutes.

The NHL clearly felt Ovi's penalty, though, needed more ... with the league slapping him with a fine Thursday morning, explaining the dollar amount was "the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement."

All in all, it was probably worth it for Ovechkin -- dude's made over $120 MILLION in his NHL career AND his team came out with the 2-1, shootout win.

Ex-NHL Todd Bertuzzi -- one of the most controversial hockey players of all time -- was arrested for drunk driving in Michigan over the weekend, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The 46-year-old was pulled over just after midnight Saturday morning in Auburn Hills after motorists called 911 to report a car swerving all over the road.

Cops responded to the area and claim they saw Bertuzzi's car blow through a red light, so they stopped his vehicle immediately.

During the stop, officers believed he was under the influence of alcohol -- though Bertuzzi refused a breathalyzer test.

We're told he DID perform other field sobriety tests and showed obvious signs of impairment, according to our law enforcement sources.

The responding officers ultimately arrested the former Vancouver Canucks star and booked him at Oakland County Jail on suspicion of DUI.

We're told cops later got a warrant for a blood draw -- no word on the results yet.

Bertuzzi played close to 1,200 games in the NHL but he's perhaps best known for a violent incident on the ice where he sucker-punched an opposing player.

During a 2004 game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Colorado Avalanche, Bertuzzi skated up behind Steve Moore and punched him in the jaw and slammed his head into the ice.

Moore was knocked cold -- and was rushed to a hospital to be treated for 3 fractured vertebrae, cuts on his face and a concussion.

The incident ended Moore's pro hockey career. Bertuzzi was hit with criminal charges and ultimately plead guilty to assault in a plea deal.

Moore later sued Bertuzzi in civil court. The two sides reached a private settlement in 2014.

Bertuzzi was drafted by the NY Islanders in 1993 and played pro hockey until 2015.

THE KING IS BACK!!

NHL superstar Henrik Lundqvist has made his return to the ice ... less than 2 MONTHS after undergoing a serious open-heart surgery.

As we previously reported, the 38-year-old Washington Capitals goalie opted out of the upcoming NHL season last month ... citing an existing heart condition that would prevent him from playing.

Lundqvist underwent a 5-hour procedure -- an aortic valve, aortic root, and ascending aortic replacement -- and has been on the road to recovery ever since.

Now, the future Hall of Famer has resumed his position between the pipes ... and judging by the vid he posted Tuesday morning, the dude looks GREAT!!

"The best type of workday!" Lundqvist captioned the vid as he makes a quick save.

It's a huge step in the right direction for Lundqvist, who said Tuesday also marked the first time he was allowed to drive since the surgery.

The NY Rangers say allegations star player Artemi Panarin assaulted a woman in 2011 are "unfounded" -- suggesting the claims are all part of a Russian smear campaign to punish the NHL star for publicly criticizing Vladimir Putin.

Here's the deal ... on Monday, Panarin -- who's in the middle of a 7-year, $81 million contract -- announced he's taking a leave of absence from the Rangers for personal reasons.

The announcement comes in the wake of a report out of Russia that Panarin beat the hell out of an 18-year-old woman at a hotel bar in Latvia in 2011.

In an on-camera interview with a Russian news outlet, Nazarov says Panarin was detained by police during the alleged 2011 incident -- and references a rumor that the NHL star paid 40,000 euros to bribe his way out of trouble.

The man behind the allegations is Andrei Nazarov -- who coached Panarin during his time in the KHL (formerly known as the Russian Superleague).

Nazarov and Panarin reportedly clashed over politics -- since Panarin has been an outspoken critic of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Enter the NY Rangers ... the club says it has looked into the allegations and also spoke with Panarin and believes the whole thing is pure B.S. conjured up to ruin Panarin's career as punishment for criticizing Putin.

"Artemi vehemently and unequivocally denies any and all allegations in this fabricated story," the Rangers said Monday.

"This is clearly an intimidation tactic being used against him for being outspoken on recent political events. Artemi is obviously shaken and concerned and will take some time away from the team."

"The Rangers fully support Artemi and will work with him to identify the source of these unfounded allegations."

USA Today's NY Rangers reporter Vince Z. Mercogliano says Panarin is concerned about the safety and well-being of his family.

It’s rare for a Russian star athlete to speak out against the Russian government, but Panarin hasn’t been shy -- In a 2019 interview with a foreign publication, he sounded off on his frustration with economic structure.

"I think that the people who hush up the problems are more like foreign agents than those who talk about them," Panarin said at the time. "If I think about problems, I am coming from a positive place, I want to change something, to have people live better. I don't want to see retirees begging.”

FYI, Panarin voiced his support for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in an IG post from January 21 ... with the caption, "Freedom for Navalny."

What's better than NHL hockey?? NHL hockey outdoors, apparently ... 'cause check out how awesome the Avalanche and Golden Knights' practices were in Lake Tahoe on Friday!!!

The two teams are set to square off Saturday in the famous Stateline, Nev. town for one of the league's outdoor classic games ... and the scene there is seriously surreal.

Check out the trees that look like Christmas; snow-capped mountains; a big view of the blue lake; and even some spectators getting in a walk by the rink!

You can tell the players were pretty pumped about it all too ... they got in some intense work under the sun, with some guys even wearing eye black.

The Avs and Knights will drop the puck for their game at noon PT on Saturday ... and the Bruins and Flyers will follow it up with a game there on Sunday at 11 AM PT.

And, with no fans in the stands due to COVID ... TV execs are already raving about how awesome the broadcast is going to be.

"You're going to see some shots that you've never seen in a hockey game before," NBC director Charlie Dammeyer told NHL.com.

Need further proof hockey players are some of the toughest people on the planet??

Vancouver Canucks winger Nils Hoglander was left a bloody mess after taking a puck to the face Monday night -- BUT HE STAYED IN THE GAME!!!

The terrifying scene all went down in the Canucks vs. Maple Leafs tilt in Toronto ... when in the first period, Jordie Benn threw a puck at the net that accidentally caught Hoglander right in the forehead.

Fortunately, Hoglander was wearing a visor ... but the force of the shot was so strong, it still cut the 20-year-old badly.

Check out the clip, Hoglander was bleeding so profusely from his nose and forehead area ... it covered his entire visor!

But, in true #HockeyGuy fashion ... Hoglander wiped it all away with his hand, and then returned to the game a short time later!!

Bad news ... Vancouver ended up losing, 3-1.