NHL

7:17 AM PT -- A church official tells TMZ Sports ... Katie Gaudreau and Devin Joyce's wedding has been canceled in wake of the tragedy.

NHL superstar Johnny Gaudreau and his little brother, Matthew, died just hours before their sister was set to get married.

Katie Gaudreau and Devin Joyce were scheduled to the tie the knot at a ceremony at 1:45 PM on Friday at a church in New Jersey. According to Katie's Instagram page, the couple had actually rehearsed the event on Thursday night -- just before the Gaudreau brothers were tragically killed.

5:45 AM PT -- New Jersey State Police tell TMZ ... "Troopers responded to a motor vehicle crash at 8:19 PM on County Route 551 North, milepost 11.1 Oldmans Township, Salem County. Based on a preliminary investigation, two pedalcyclists, John M. Gaudreau, a 31-year-old male from Carneys Point, N.J., and Matthew R. Gaudreau, a 29-year-old male from Pedricktown, N.J., were traveling north on County Route 551, close to the fog line of the roadway. Sean M. Higgins, a 43-year-old male from Woodstown, N.J., was traveling north on CR 551 in a Jeep Grand Cherokee behind a sedan and SUV."

"Higgins attempted to pass the slower-moving sedan and SUV, entered the southbound lanes of travel, passed the slower-moving sedan, and attempted to re-enter the northbound lanes of travel when the SUV in front of Higgins moved to the middle of the roadway, splitting the north and south lanes to safely pass the two pedalcyclist traveling north on the right side of the roadway. Higgins then attempted to pass the SUV on the right and struck the two pedalcyclists in the rear. As a result of the collision, the two pedalcyclists sustained fatal injuries."

They concluded ... "Through further investigation, Higgins was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol, charged with two counts of death by auto, and lodged in the Salem County Correctional Facility. This crash remains an active investigation, and no additional information is available."

Jayson Tatum and Matthew Tkachuk were destined to be world champions ... so says their former middle school gym teacher, who tells TMZ Sports he recognized long ago that there was something special about the two.

The Boston Celtics hooper and Florida Panthers left winger -- who both won their respective titles in the NBA and NHL this month -- both attended Chaminade College Preparatory School in St. Louis, MO as kids ... and Michael Derkits -- who also coached Tatum on the basketball team -- got an early look at their potential.

Derkits said Tatum and Tkachuk hit it off as soon as the former transferred to Chaminade as a 7th grader ... and he credits to them having similar personalities.

Celine Dion hit up the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas on Friday -- and she even participated in the event despite her constant battle with a rare neurological disorder.

The iconic singer seemed to be in great spirits as she arrived at The Sphere in Sin City to attend the National Hockey League's big night.

During it, Celine walked onstage in a chic dress and stepped up to a microphone, telling the crowd she was excited while joking that she's "not even a hockey mom."

The Florida Panthers' championship rage fest continues -- the latest stop on their victory tour was a popular Miami nightclub ... and Lord Stanley was the life of the party!!

The Panthers -- who won their first-ever Stanley Cup on Monday -- were spotted at E11EVEN ... and it's clear they're not slowing down their celebration any time soon.

You can see Aleksander Barkov and the team get the VIP treatment at the venue, with a celebratory welcome, a bunch of bottles (including Ace of Spades), and tons of Panthers fans.

Sergei Berezin, who played 7 seasons in the National Hockey League, has died at the age of 52.

Sergei's death was announced Wednesday by the NHL Alumni Association ... though the cause of death is unclear.

The Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Sergie in the 10th round of the 1994 NHL Draft out of Voskresensk, Russia. He went on to play 5 seasons for the franchise, scoring more than 20 goals in four of those campaigns.

The Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup champions ... and star forward Matthew Tkachuk is celebrating accordingly -- parading it around a Florida bar, before dipping it in the ocean!

The 26-year-old took Lord Stanley to the Elbo Room -- an iconic watering hole in Fort Lauderdale -- bright and early on Tuesday ... and he created quite the scene.

Alongside Sam Bennett, Tkachuk helped give fans a chance to do something many could only dream of -- drink out of the trophy ... just hours after the team had won it over Edmonton in Game 7 of the Finals.

Drake's summer vibes aren't high right now ... and they certainly didn't get any better on Monday, as he lost a massive $500k bet after Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final!

The Toronto-based rapper put down a $500,000 wager on the Edmonton Oilers (vs. Florida Panthers) to win the country's first Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadians did it back in 1993. Unfortunately for Drake and our friends up north, the wait will continue.

The Panthers took game seven by a final score of 2-1 ... handing Drake an L.

The Florida Panthers won their first-ever Stanley Cup on Monday night, and perhaps nobody was happier to see it than golf star Brooks Koepka, who celebrated the dub with a boozy night in Nashville!!

Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov and Sergei Bobrovsky got the job done in Sunrise ... beating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Final, 2-1 -- and while Koepka couldn't be there in person, he certainly didn't let the moment pass by quietly while he was out in Tennessee.

Watching from a bar in the Music City, Koepka went crazy as soon as the clock hit 0:00 on the Panthers' season.

The famed Oilers Flasher's going to be showing her viral pucks once again ... 'cause Playboy announced she's joining their roster!

The publication -- which has transitioned to include an OnlyFans-style site in recent years -- announced the free agency signing in a hockey-themed photo shoot posted to Instagram Friday.

Check out the pics ... there's the famed flasher -- who recently revealed her first name's Kait in a social media post -- lacing up her skates in a tight white top and barely-there bottoms. She also threw on an Edmonton jersey for a pic, too.

Carrie Underwood and her family must feel pretty relieved right about now ... 'cause they managed to escape a house fire in their Tennessee home over the holiday weekend.

A rep for the country singer tells TMZ ... "There was a fire on the property on Sunday night, which was quickly contained. There was no fire damage to the primary residence, and the family and their pets were unharmed."

According to Williamson County & Fire, several crews were dispatched to the residence just before 10 PM on Sunday evening -- Father's Day -- after a fire started in Carrie and husband Mike Fisher's garage. The responders were able to put out the fire relatively quickly thanks to a 10,000-gallon water tank ... which was located on the singer's estate.

Charles Barkley gave an unfiltered interview during Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday ... accidentally letting an F-bomb slip on live TV.

It all went down during the second-period intermission of the Oilers vs. Panthers matchup ... when Kyle Bukauskas of SportsNet asked the 11-time All-Star for his thoughts on the series so far.

Barkley was in the middle of praising Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky ... when all of a sudden, he slipped up and dropped the expletive.

The woman who became an internet sensation for exposing her boobs in support of the Edmonton Oilers has disappeared from the internet ... with the flash-happy fan removing her accounts from all social media platforms amid her newfound fame.

TMZ Sports is told the hockey hottie has gone into hiding after the NSFW clip went viral over the weekend -- and those close to her say she did, in fact, have an online presence ... that is, 'til everyone saw her tatas.

Several sources have confirmed the woman's identity to us ... but sorry, pervs -- it's clear she doesn't want it out there, so we're not going to namedrop.

Drake might've lost the Kendrick Lamar beef, but the 6 God is looking to get back in the win column with his latest bets ... putting a combined $1 MILLION on the Dallas Mavericks and Edmonton Oilers to win it all this season!!

The musician took to Instagram early Thursday morning to show off his jaw-dropping receipts -- he unloaded 500k to win $1.375 million if Luka Dončić and Co. handle the Boston Celtics ... and another 500 stacks to earn $1.025 milli if the Oilers defeat the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final.

Drizzy explained his reasoning behind the bets ... saying, "Dallas cause I'm a Texan, Oilers are self explanatory."

A new, one-of-a-kind broadcast will be available during this year's Stanley Cup Final ... the NHL just revealed it's going to offer a telecast of the championship series entirely in American Sign Language.

The league announced the unique broadcast of the Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers contests will begin when the puck drops on Game 1 on Saturday.

It will feature Jason Altmann -- a third-generation Deaf -- and Noah Blankenship ... who works in the Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services in Denver.

6/5 -- 10:50 AM PT -- As promised, 50 Cent and Ben Crump staged an audience on Wednesday in Washington D.C. for Black entrepreneur empowerment ... where they were confronted by a reporter inquiring about 50's voting pick for the upcoming election.

True to the meet-up, the reporter suggests President Joe Biden is pro-Black business but asks 50 if his past support of Donald Trump still holds up, to which 50 says tell them, "I don't know how to answer that question!!!"

50 Cent and Ben Crump are on a mission to increase minority representation in America’s booming booze industry … 'cause they say Black people are missing out on billions!!!