All posts tagged: nhl

The NHL Is Releasing Its Own ‘Hot’ Fanfic. Romance Lovers Hate It

The NHL Is Releasing Its Own ‘Hot’ Fanfic. Romance Lovers Hate It

Published by skeptic

For better or for worse, romance lovers have never been hornier for hockey. Now, the National Hockey League wants to cash in. As part of its new “Hot for Hockey,” campaign, the NHL is rolling out romance novel-inspired short stories starring the league’s players on audiobook platforms. According to the Sports Business Journal, the league contacted popular hockey romance writers to write and narrate the 60 to 90 second stories, and will tap creators on BookTok, the romance-heavy literary subculture on TikTok, to promote the content. The first batch of short stories, which dropped this week, feature players including the Philadelphia Flyers’ Trevor Zegras, the Carolina Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho, and the Las Vegas Golden Knights’ Jack Eichel. They’re written by Pucking Wrong author C.R. Jane and more closely resemble back-cover summaries than actual romance novels. And, despite the nods to genre tropes, the players aren’t paired with romantic partners. Much more boringly, the stories appear to be a bid to get people to watch the actual games. The entirety of The Summer I Turned Gritty …

NHL Star Alex Ovechkin Says He’s ‘For Peace and Love’ After Appearing in Ad for Putin-Aligned Party

NHL Star Alex Ovechkin Says He’s ‘For Peace and Love’ After Appearing in Ad for Putin-Aligned Party

Published by Sam Flores

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Alex Ovechkin said Thursday that he is all “for peace and love” after the Russian hockey star appeared in an ad for a party aligned with Vladimir Putin during the offseason. The video for the United Russia party came to light this week, days before Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals held their annual media day. The NHL’s career goal-scoring leader is back with the Capitals for a 22nd season. Ovechkin is seen in the commercial standing behind Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Longtime Soviet hockey star Viacheslav Fetisov also participated. “I’m Russian, and I support my country,” Ovechkin said Thursday. “I’m for peace and love, and I hope in the world it doesn’t matter who you are, I hope everybody understands everybody wants peace, and everybody hope everything’s going to be OK in the world.” Ovechkin said he did not hesitate to participate in the ad. “They asked me to do that. I say yes,” he said. “So it’s as simple as that.” Capitals general manager Chris Patrick addressed the issue, but only …

No One Loved Hockey More Than Barry Melrose

No One Loved Hockey More Than Barry Melrose

Published by Jenni Sidey

Even when the NHL was at the peak of its popularity, the league has always had to fight an uphill battle to secure a foothold in the busy ecosystem of American sports. It spent more than a decade without a TV rights deal on ESPN, which is about as devastating a blow to an American sports league as you can imagine. Combine that with hockey’s somewhat niche status here in the States, and finding NHL coverage on ESPN—or anywhere in mainstream American sports culture, really—often felt impossible. But you couldn’t tell that to Barry Melrose, the beloved analyst, coach and former defenseman who passed away last week at the age of 70 after a battle with Parkinson’s disease. From the moment he joined ESPN in 1996 to his retirement from broadcasting three years ago, Melrose became one of the faces of hockey in the United States, acting as one of the sport’s sharpest and most notable analysts but also as its fiercest ambassador. So contagious was his passion for hockey that, when he made an …

ESPN Analyst, Former NHL Player, Coach Was 70

ESPN Analyst, Former NHL Player, Coach Was 70

Published by Daniella Wilson

Barry Melrose, the blue-collar NHL defenseman who brought flash to the Los Angeles Kings as their coach and fun to ESPN during his nearly three decades as a colorful hockey analyst, has died. He was 70. National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed Melrose’s death in a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “From the flowing locks of his distinctive mullet to the flared lapels of his trademark long suit coats, Barry Melrose cut an unmistakable figure whenever you were fortunate enough to run into him at a rink or catch him on your television screen. You were even more fortunate if you engaged him in conversation or listened to his analysis, because he never failed to boost your love of the game of hockey,” he wrote. Melrose’s cause of death wasn’t immediately available. In October 2023, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and was retiring. “I’ve had over 50 extraordinary years playing, coaching and analyzing the world’s greatest game, hockey,” he said then in a statement. “It’s now time to hang …

Justin Bieber Makes Surprise Appearance at 2026 NHL Draft

Justin Bieber Makes Surprise Appearance at 2026 NHL Draft

Published by Daniella Wilson

Justin Bieber made a surprise appearance at the 2026 NHL Draft. The Canadian singer stopped by the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York to announce the No. 1 draft pick for his favorite team the Toronto Maple Leafs Friday evening. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced Bieber as one of the team’s “most diehard and iconic fans.” The singer started in the audience before taking the stage alongside the commissioner The singer, unsurprisingly given the Buffalo crowd, was met with boos when he began lamenting his love for his favorite team. “What’s going on Buffalo? What’s up Toronto? The child in me is ecstatic right now, I’ve been a Leafs fans since I was a little boy,” he told the crowd. Bieber then announced that Penn State’s Gavin McKenna had been drafted to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The hockey player, who hails from Whitehorse, Yukon, walked out to Bieber’s song “Yukon” and posed for photos with the singer. Bieber directed McKenna to watch a message from Toronto’s captain Auston Matthews. Bieber also joined McKenna during his …

NHL Clears Mike Babcock to Coach the Oilers After Review of His Columbus Tenure

NHL Clears Mike Babcock to Coach the Oilers After Review of His Columbus Tenure

Published by Sam Flores

The league launched an investigation at the request of the NHL Players’ Association in light of the Edmonton Oilers’ interest in hiring Babcock. The league in a statement said even in the least favorable light, there was no basis to restrict Babcock’s employment. It was not immediately clear if or when the Oilers would name Babcock coach. They have been looking for a replacement since firing Kris Knoblauch following a first-round playoff exit that came after back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Final. A statement from the NHLPA called the allegations very concerning and said, “Moving forward, we expect that Mr. Babcock will uphold the high standards required of NHL head coaches.” The NHL dropped its planned investigation at the time because Babcock stepped down. It got underway this week after the final ended Babcock coached Detroit to the Stanley Cup in 2008 and has made two other trips to the final, along with guiding Canada to Olympic gold medals in 2010 and ’14. Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not …

World Cup, NBA, NHL Ride a Huge TV Ratings Wave

World Cup, NBA, NHL Ride a Huge TV Ratings Wave

Published by Daniella Wilson

The close of the NBA and NHL seasons usually signals a relatively quiet time in the U.S. sports landscape. Baseball, the WNBA, NASCAR and the domestic soccer leagues roll on, but the noise dies down through the summer. Not this year. With the NBA Finals and NHL’s Stanley Cup Final both hitting multi-year ratings highs, and the men’s World Cup off to a huge start (in both English and Spanish), the summer lull for sports on TV will be postponed for at least a month. In fact, not including Olympic years, June and July are setting up to be the biggest sports summer in more than a decade. The Stanley Cup Final, won by the Carolina Hurricanes in six games, had its largest TV audience since 2019. The NBA Finals, which saw the New York Knicks take their first title since 1973, drew the most viewers since the end of the Michael Jordan era in Chicago. And the World Cup? It appears to be off to its best start ever in the United States. It’s …

2026 NHL Stanley Cup Final TV Ratings Hit 7-Year High

2026 NHL Stanley Cup Final TV Ratings Hit 7-Year High

Published by Daniella Wilson

The 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Final produced a lot of goals, several wild comebacks and the largest TV audience for the series in seven years. ABC‘s broadcast of the sixth and deciding game of the series on Sunday drew 5.9 million viewers, the most for a game six of the Stanley Cup Final since 2019. The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 on Sunday to win the Stanley Cup, four games to two. It’s the franchise’s second NHL championship; the Hurricanes previously won in 2006. The six-game series averaged 5.2 million viewers, also the highest since 2019 (which went to seven games). This year’s series was easily the most watched under the NHL’s current media rights deal, in which ABC and TNT Sports alternate years airing the Cup final. It more than doubled the 2.55 million viewer average on TNT Sports for the 2025 series and was up 26 percent from ABC’s last turn in 2024. Sunday’s audience peaked with 7.2 million viewers from 10:45-11 p.m. ET as the Hurricanes skated to the …

NBA, Stanley Cup Finals Open to Big Ratings for ABC

NBA, Stanley Cup Finals Open to Big Ratings for ABC

Published by Daniella Wilson

ABC has aced the first test of its finals week. The network saw big audiences for the opening games of both the NHL Stanley Cup Finals on Tuesday and the NBA Finals on Wednesday. Both telecasts were the best this decade for the first game of either series. Starting with the larger audience: Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs averaged 16.93 million viewers, the best for the series opener since 2018. Wednesday’s game grew by 90 percent from the last year’s game 1 (8.91 million). The Knicks’ 105-95 win in San Antonio drew the fifth largest audience for the NBA Finals opener in the 24 years ABC has had rights to the series, behind the four straight matchups between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers from 2015-18. Having a team from the country’s largest media market in the Knicks certainly helped ABC. The Spurs, led by rising superstar Victor Wembanyama, have also been a big draw during the postseason: Their Western Conference finals clincher against …

Watch Stanley Cup Final 2026 Online Free: Golden Knights vs Hurricanes

Watch Stanley Cup Final 2026 Online Free: Golden Knights vs Hurricanes

Published by Daniella Wilson

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission. The Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights will face off for the first game of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday, June 2, at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET. Since this and all remaining games in the championship series will be broadcast on ABC, they can also be livestreamed on any streaming service that carries said network, namely DirecTV (with a five-day free trial), Fubo (with a five-day free trial), Sling and Hulu + Live TV. At a Glance: How to Watch 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Final Learn more about each streaming option — plus their free trials and new subscriber discounts — below. Where to Watch Stanley Cup Final 2026: Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes Livestream ABC is the exclusive U.S. broadcast home for the 2026 Stanley Cup Final, meaning games can be streamed live on any TV streaming service that carries the network, including DirecTV (with a five-day free trial), …