Rick Fox isn't just investing in esports - he's helping other sports personalities and investors find their footing in the new environment, while also defending the scene's long-term audience.
TMZ caught up with Echo Fox's charismatic owner outside LAX and asked for his thoughts on the recent addition of Shaquille O'Neal and Alex Rodriguez to NRG eSports' list of investors.
His usual gracious self, Fox said he wasn't threatened by the high-profile athletes' entry into the scene, and revealed that he had previously spoken with Shaq about esports.
"The more that get in, the merrier," he said.
TMZ also asked Fox how soon he believed esports would surpass a major sports league.
"It's in that conversation now, it's fifth right now. We're in fifth place, it's coming," Fox replied.
Pressed to provide a more concrete answer, Fox responded quickly before ducking back into his car.
"In two years, it'll be on par with the NHL," he said.
P.K. Subban was a participant at Montreal Canadiens practice Tuesday, and could return to game action before the week is up.
According to TSN's John Lu, head coach Michel Therrien said after practice that Subban won't be in the lineup Tuesday, but hopes his superstar blue-liner can return for Thursday's clash with the Detroit Red Wings.
That timetable puts him in line to resume his season two weeks after being stretchered off the ice and taken to hospital with what was eventually deemed a non-serious neck injury.
Subban has six goals and is tied for fifth in the league with 45 assists.
Who's the NHL's best centerman - Sidney Crosby or Tyler Seguin? Cast your vote on the banner below.
C | LW (3/23) | RW (3/23) | D (3/24) | G (3/25)
Sidney Crosby is the NHL's best centerman
Crosby's been as reliable as they come, ranking inside the top three in NHL scoring each of the past three seasons. Since his debut in 2005-06, no player comes close to Crosby's per-game scoring average, which sits at better than 1.3 points per game. On the all-time list, only four players rank ahead of Crosby in points per game: Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Mike Bossy, and Bobby Orr. Statistically speaking, last season may have been the worst of his career, compiling 84 points and a plus-5 rating in 77 games, ranking third in NHL scoring. That's a pretty lofty floor. He plays a better two-way game than Seguin and has established himself as the better playmaker.
Tyler Seguin is the NHL's best centerman
Since his rookie campaign, Seguin has scored more goals than Crosby each year, and he's on pace to do it for the fifth consecutive time this season. No centerman in the game today is as good at finding the back of the net when playing at even strength as Seguin. He's partnered with Jamie Benn to create arguably the most dominant scoring tandem in the NHL. At only 24 years of age, we still haven't seen Seguin's best, as he continues to develop into the peak performer he could be for the Stars. Dallas fans saw a flash of that potential as Seguin carried a plus-19 rating through the first three months of this season.
Who do you think is the NHL's best centerman - Sidney Crosby or Tyler Seguin? Cast your vote on the banner below.
Team owner Eugene Melnyk was candid Tuesday in sharing his assessment of an organization he plans to thoroughly vet across all levels of management and down to player personnel.
"I'm looking at all of that. All of it. Right across the board. Nobody is safe when you have a year like we just did," Melnyk said via Sportsnet.
He added: "We will fix this."
Melnyk's blunt dissatisfaction appeared to center around the coaching staff. He traced his angst as far back as the "stupidity" of having rookie Matt O'Connor start the Senators' home opener.
There's just two-and-a-half weeks left in the regular season, if you can believe it. So time is clearly of the essence for teams, players, and coaches looking to make their mark on the 2015-16 campaign.
But if Jamie Benn has taught us anything, it's that a skater only needs a few weeks to swoop in and rip a major individual award from another superstar's grasp.
Nonetheless, here are the favorites for the five major awards:
Kane has seen his lead in the NHL's scoring race cut down from 17 to 12 over the last month, as he's cooled in concert with the Blackhawks. He's also no longer a lock to hit 100 points, either, as he sits at 92 points with nine games left on the schedule.
Still, it would take a monumental effort - one far greater than his dethroning of John Tavares last season for the Art Ross - for Benn to chase down the shifty winger, who has the edge in goals, assists, points, power-play points, and even-strength contributions.
It should be noted that Sidney Crosby has risen again, and is actually more efficient than Kane at even strength, but is surging for a nomination, not his third win.
Chicago is four points out of first place in the Central and also four from falling into the wild-card wading pool. Should the Blackhawks back into the playoffs, and Kane continue to stumble, the door might be left open. Problem is, the next-best candidate might not have the portfolio to barge through.
The past month brought clarity as to who the three nominees probably should be, but the category remains in flux.
Artemi Panarin is destined to go wire-to-wire, still with a comfortable 14-point lead over Jack Eichel in the rookie scoring race with 25 goals and 38 assists. But, like Kane, he's slowed down, which Panarin detractors will argue only perpetuates the notion that he's leaned on the league's presumed MVP all season.
Gostisbehere has had a couple substandard games over the past week, and at an important time in Philadelphia's postseason chase. But with the Flyers now controlling their destiny in the Eastern conference, it's almost impossible to argue that Panarin has had a greater impact on his club than Gostisbehere.
And then there's Connor McDavid, who's producing at an 86-point pace and who's per-game output trails only Kane, Benn, and Crosby. He's also just nine points behind Eichel in 34 fewer games, which clearly vaults him ahead for at least that third nomination.
As Braden Holtby continues to sag (his adjusted save percentage has fallen below .900 since the All-Star break) it's only illuminated Bishop's remarkable consistency.
The Bolts goalie now leads all featured No. 1s with a .928 save percentage and 2.02 goals-against average - numbers that far exceed his Vezina-nominated 2013-14 season. And though his 30 wins rank seventh, he's kept the Lightning in games all season, allowing two goals or fewer in 70 percent of his starts.
Corey Crawford's numbers are very close to Bishop's, and he has five more wins. But, like Holtby, he seems to have hit another valley on his season, having been chased three times over the last 11 games.
It appears as though, for the first time in 61 years, the Norris Trophy will be handed out to a defenseman who won't partake in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
With 13 goals and a league-best 60 assists, Karlsson is tied for fourth in NHL scoring, and with a late surge, can become just the third defenseman to finish top three, joining Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey.
Karlsson is eight points clear of Brent Burns in scoring among blue-liners, and has half as many goals. So the divide between Karlsson and the rest of his class, at least offensively, isn't as wide as we're made to believe.
But with a hand in 36 percent of his team's offense, which trails just Kane and Crosby, he has a case for an MVP nomination as well.
Jack Adams Trophy: Dave Hakstol, Philadelphia
This hinges on the Flyers making the postseason, of course. But why not?
The Jack Adams is often handed out to the coach who's team has exceeded expectations the most, and with the playoff bracket housing who we expected, for the most part, that's likely Philadelphia.
But with Hakstol, the improvement from the start of the season is discernible. This iteration, and what we've seen over the last few months, is the best, most exciting from the Flyers in some time.
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The Florida Panthers lost their second straight game and third in five Monday in Manhattan, and it was a night on which little went their way.
Jussi Jokinen missed a gaping net on a play that saw the referee leaping in the crease, and Steven Kampfer had a goal called back after it was ruled he batted the puck in with a high stick. The goal was reviewed, but Toronto deemed the play inconclusive, so the call on the ice stood. It was an integral decision - the New York Rangers won 4-2, their final goal an empty netter.
Head coach Gerard Gallant wasn't making excuses after the game, however.
"It was a bad night. We can't show up and play 15 minutes," Gallant said, according to the Sun Sentinel's Harvy Fialkov. "That's all we played tonight. The Rangers dominated the first two periods; there's no excuse for that."
Florida had only three shots in the first period, and was outshot 23-12 through 40 minutes. By the time the Panthers woke up, firing 15 shots in the third period, it was too late.
"Some of those calls didn't go our way," Gallant added. "That was frustrating to see that happening. The (referee) standing in the net. I've never seen that before. It's frustrating when the guy has an open net and he can't put it in."
Jokinen, to his credit, spoke to the media about a miss that will surely keep him awake Monday night.
"We had enough chances to score four or five goals. At the end of the day I need to put the puck in," he said. "It's on me. That's been the deal here the last two weeks; we haven't been able to get that 60-minute effort."
The lack of finish is having an influence on the Panthers' place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Rangers are now the second-best team in the East, leapfrogging the Panthers with the win. New York has 90 points to Florida's 89, though the Panthers remain atop the Atlantic Division. They're up over Tampa Bay by two points, but the Lightning have a game in hand.
The standings are tight, with movement after each night. But the Panthers know they can only worry about themselves.
"You could only blame the refs so much," said forward Nick Bjugstad. "You can blame the refs or other people but it comes down to us creating our own luck."
"Frustration," Kampfer added. "You don't want to lose games, especially back-to-back this late in the season. It's time to get on a roll and head into the playoffs with a full head of steam."
Florida's next two games are big. The Panthers are in Boston on Thursday, and are up on the Bruins by three points. Then they're off to Tampa Bay for a huge tilt against the Lightning on Saturday.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - In a preview of their potential playoff matchup, the Nashville Predators gave the Los Angeles Kings plenty to think about.
Ryan Johansen had a goal and two assists, leading Nashville to a 5-2 victory over Los Angeles on Mon...
NEW YORK, N.Y. - To a man, the Philadelphia Flyers were feeling good about themselves and the brand of hockey they've been playing nearly every night.
Down the hallway, the New York Islanders were searching for a solution to halt their late-s...
