The NHL is barring five players acquitted of sexual assault from re-entering the league, announcing the decision in a statement on Friday. The five players — Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton and Carter Hart — were found not guilty of sexual assault charges on Thursday.

The charges dated back to an incident in 2018, when the players were in London for a gala and golf tournament in honor of their championship win as part of Canada’s world junior hockey team. A woman, known as E.M. in the trial, alleged that the players sexually assaulted her over several hours in a hotel room after the event, but the judge, Maria Carroccia, found that the prosecution had not proven the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

With the Hockey Canada trial complete, the NHL has determined that the five players involved in the trial will be ineligible to play in the League — bluntly answering post-trial questions about the players' hockey futures.

"The allegations made in this case, even if not determined to have been criminal, were very disturbing and the behavior at issue was unacceptable. We will be reviewing and considering the judge's findings," the league said in Friday's statement. "While we conduct that analysis and determine next steps, the players charged in this case are ineligible to play in the League."

The NHL Players' Association quickly pushed back on the decision, releasing its own statement defending the players and saying that they are "addressing this dispute with the League."

"Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, and Michael McLeod were acquitted of all charges by Justice Carroccia of the Ontario Superior Court," the NHLPA said. "After missing more than a full season of their respective NHL careers, they should now have the opportunity to return to work. The NHL’s declaration that the Players are 'ineligible' to play pending its further analysis of the Court's findings is inconsistent with the discipline procedures set forth in the CBA."

McLeod, Dubé and Hart were all selected in the 2016 NHL Draft, while Foote and Formenton were drafted in 2017.

Despite the alleged incident occurring in 2018, charges were not filed until February 2024; those charges prompting all five players to take an immediate leave of absence from hockey.

At the time, four of the five players were playing in the NHL: McLeod and Foote played for the New Jersey Devils, Dubé for the Calgary Flames and Hart for the Philadelphia Flyers. Formenton, who previously played for the Ottawa Senators, was playing in the National League in Switzerland at the time.

During the year and a half between the charges being filed and Thursday's verdict, two of the players joined other teams, with McLeod spending some time in the Russian KHL and Foote joining the Slovakian league. It is unclear whether the players will try to play in Europe while being barred from the NHL.

Fresh off an NHL championship, Brad Marchand is staying with the Florida Panthers long-term.

The veteran left wing, who joined the team after a late-season trade from the Boston Bruins in March, has agreed to a six-year extension with the Panthers, per multiple reports. The deal is reportedly worth just under $32 million in total.

Marchand, 37, was traded to the dominant Panthers after 16 seasons with the Bruins, including the past three as team captain. The winger's eight-year contract with Boston, which started in 2016, expired this offseason.

After negotiations for a new contract fell through with Boston, the team opted to trade him.

But Marchand thrived with the Panthers, becoming a key part of Florida's postseason run. He scored a career-high 10 playoff goals, plus 10 postseason assists; six of those goals came in the Panthers' 4-2 series win over the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final.

With Marchand sticking around, Panthers star forward Matthew Tkachuk seemed pretty pleased with the re-signing.

It's been a busy weekend for Florida, which has managed to keep its back-to-back championship-winning team together so far this offseason. The Panthers re-signed forward Sam Bennett on Saturday, with defenseman Aaron Ekblad reportedly signing a multi-year extension as well.

With those three deals, the team will now have eight of its key players — including Tkachuk, forward Sam Reinhart, defenseman Seth Jones and more — locked up through 2030, setting the stage for a dominant couple of seasons in Florida.

Fresh off an NHL championship, Brad Marchand is staying with the Florida Panthers long-term.

The veteran left wing, who joined the team after a late-season trade from the Boston Bruins in March, has agreed to a six-year extension with the Panthers, per multiple reports. The deal is reportedly worth just under $32 million in total.

Marchand, 37, was traded to the dominant Panthers after 16 seasons with the Bruins, including the past three as team captain. The winger's eight-year contract with Boston, which started in 2016, expired this offseason.

After negotiations for a new contract fell through with Boston, the team opted to trade him.

But Marchand thrived with the Panthers, becoming a key part of Florida's postseason run. He scored a career-high 10 playoff goals, plus 10 postseason assists; six of those goals came in the Panthers' 4-2 series win over the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final.

With Marchand sticking around, Panthers star forward Matthew Tkachuk seemed pretty pleased with the re-signing.

It's been a busy weekend for Florida, which has managed to keep its back-to-back championship-winning team together so far this offseason. The Panthers re-signed forward Sam Bennett on Saturday, with defenseman Aaron Ekblad reportedly signing a multi-year extension as well.

With those three deals, the team will now have eight of its key players — including Tkachuk, forward Sam Reinhart, defenseman Seth Jones and more — locked up through 2030, setting the stage for a dominant couple of seasons in Florida.

After nine seasons in Toronto, Mitch Marner is moving on.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have reportedly signed Marner to an eight-year deal worth $12 million annually, with the plan to send his rights to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade deal prior to free agency, per multiple reports. Though Marner has signed the contract, the trade has not yet been completed.

The 28-year-old right wing was set to be an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday; instead, he will be heading to Vegas under a contract worth $96 million total.

By acquiring the rights, Vegas are able to keep Marner under a maximum-length eight-year contract, as opposed to signing him in free agency, where any deal would be limited to seven years. Additionally, by working with Vegas, Toronto will be able to get something in return for Marner, one of their star players.

On Saturday, TSN's Darren Dreger reported that Toronto and Vegas were in talks on the deal, with The Athletic's Chris Johnston confirming soon after. Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving chose not to comment on the trade Saturday, but did tell reporters that the team would rather get something for Marner rather than letting his contract expire, via The Hockey News' David Alter.

Marner, a Toronto area native who was drafted by his hometown team in 2015, was the Maple Leafs' leading scorer last season, putting up 102 points, with a career-high 75 assists. At age 28, he has 741 career points in the NHL.

But Marner has faced a lot of pressure while playing for Toronto. For years, the Maple Leafs have fallen short in the playoffs, failing to make it past the second round of the NHL playoffs since 2001; much of that playoff pressure has fallen on Marner.

This season, after winning the Atlantic division with a 52-26 record, Toronto beat the Ottawa Senators in the first round, but fell to the Florida Panthers (the eventual champions) after forcing a Game 7.

On Thursday, Treliving told reporters that Marner was going to test the free agency market, signaling that an extension to stay in Toronto was less likely.

Toronto has tried to make chances to alter the team's postseason success, most recently choosing not to renew the contract of team president Brendan Shanahan in May. Now, the Maple Leafs may be starting next season without one of their stars.

On Thursday night, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are beating the heat in Florida. The pair are in attendance at Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, with the Florida Panthers hosting the Edmonton Oilers.

The singer and Kansas City Chiefs tight end are seated in a box in the Panthers' Amerant Arena in Sunrise, Florida. It is unclear which team the two are rooting for, though Kelce is wearing red.

Swift and Kelce arrived shortly before puck drop, with a helicopter landing near the arena, per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. The VIP Entrance and the elevators to the press box were closed to the public, presumably while the two entered the arena.

With Swift in the house, Florida got red-hot in the first period, scoring three goals in less than 10 minutes. Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk scored the first two goals of the early lead.

Edmonton adjusted, pulling goaltender Stuart Skinner — notably, a Swifitie in his own right — to start the second period as a result of the defensive breakdown. The Oilers then picked up their first goal of the game early in the period to cut Florida's lead to 3-1.

As the high-spirited rematch of last year's Stanley Cup continued on Thursday, the Panthers took a 2-1 series lead on Monday in a 6-1 home win that had plenty of high emotions. Halfway through the third period, both teams erupted into a melee that involved all 10 players on the ice.

This year, the Stanley Cup Final will look familiar, as the Edmonton Oilers face off against the Florida Panthers for the second straight year. The 2024 Final rematch will begin next week in what is likely to be another exciting series.

Edmonton secured its 2025 Final appearance with a 6-3 win over the Dallas Stars on Thursday, icing a 4-1 series win and the Western Conference championship. The victory set up a rematch against Florida, which picked up its own 4-1 series win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday.

As the Oilers chase their first Stanley Cup since 1990, their final obstacle will once again be the Panthers, who defeated Edmonton in a thrilling series in 2024. Florida went up 3-0 in the series before Edmonton went on a run to force a Game 7; the Panthers staved off a historic collapse with a 2-1 victory over the Oilers to earn the franchise's first title.

It's been more than 30 years since a Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup — and the Oilers, out for revenge, have extra motivation to break that drought. Edmonton will also open the series as a slight betting favorite over the Panthers.

Hockey superstitions may also come into play here. After not touching the Clarence S. Campbell trophy last year and subsequently losing the Finals, Oilers captain Connor McDavid grabbed it right away this year — opening the hope that Edmonton's luck might change.

Both teams have been on strong postseason runs heading into the rematch. Florida kicked off the playoffs with a 4-1 series win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, before dashing the Toronto Maple Leafs' postseason dreams with a 6-1 Game 7 victory.

As for Edmonton, the Oilers pulled through the first two rounds with a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings with a 4-2 win and a 4-1 win over the Las Vegas Knights before dispatching the Stars.

The Stanley Cup Final will begin on June 4, with Edmonton hosting the first two games.

A referee left the Game 7 matchup between the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday after a high stick to the face.

Chris Rooney, a veteran official with two decades of NHL experience, was hit in the face with the stick of Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola, leaving him bloodied and forcing him to exit the game.

The incident took place a few seconds into the second period, with Mikkola's stick grazing Rooney's face and nearly knocking off his helmet. Rooney went down, clutching his face and bleeding. Players on both teams instantly waved over the medical staff.

After a few moments, Rooney was escorted off the ice while holding a bloody towel to his face. He was replaced by alternate referee Garrett Rank.

During the third period, TNT reported on the broadcast that Rooney had received stitches on the cut, which was above his eye.

Rooney, who has been a referee in the NHL since 2002, has officiated more than 1,500 games in his tenure, according to the NHL Officials Association. Rank, his replacement, has been an NHL referee since 2015.

The game was 0-0 at the time of Rooney's injury. But a few minutes later, Florida defenseman Seth Jones broke through with a goal. The Panthers then picked up two more goals, from forwards Anthon Lundell and Jonah Gadjovich, to bring the score to 3-0.

Florida nearly made it 4-0, but another second-period goal from Jones was called back by Rank, the replacement ref, for goalie interference. Despite the Panthers' objections, video replay confirmed the call, showing that Jones' leg made contact with the stick of Toronto goaltender Joseph Woll.

In the third period, the Maple Leafs took one back, with Max Domi reawakening the crowd with a great goal to bring things to 3-1. But the Panthers quieted them again with a fourth goal less than a minute later, with Eetu Luostarinen scoring off an assist from Brad Marchand.

The Dallas Stars are moving on in the NHL playoffs, after a thrilling comeback win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. Dallas winger Mikko Rantanen notched a hat trick as the Stars motored to a 4-2 win behind four third-period goals, giving the first Game 7 of the playoffs some extra bite.

After a 0-0 stalemate throughout the first period, Colorado struck first, with Josh Manson scoring a short-handed goal halfway through the period. Nathan McKinnon doubled the Avalanche's lead with another goal to open the third period.

But that's when Rantanen woke up, scoring to keep Dallas in the running.

Rantanen struck again six minutes later, hitting a power play goal to tie things up at 2-2. Less than three minutes later, center Wyatt Johnson hit another power play goal to give Dallas the lead.

An empty net goal from Rantanen in the final seconds sealed the deal — on the hat trick, the game, and the series. Hats went flying onto the ice from the Dallas home crowd.

Rantanen's hat trick also served a level of revenge: The 28-year-old winger played for Colorado for a decade before the team traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes in January. Rantanen then landed with the Stars, where he is able to lift his team into the second round — and get a special type of vengeance in the process.

With the win, the Stars will now face the winner of the St. Louis Blue and the Winnipeg Jets, who face off Sunday in another Game 7 — one that is hopefully just as thrilling.

On Friday, Alex Ovechkin made history. The Washington Capitals winger notched two goals against the Chicago Blackhawks, scoring his 893rd and 894th career goals to tie Wayne Gretzky for the all-time NHL scoring record.

Ovechkin's record-tying goal came off a power play in the third period, break a 3-3 tie with Chicago. Soon after the goal, Gretzky went on the broadcast to sing Ovechkin's praises.

"This is what the game is all about. Alex has been great for the game, great for Washington, great for his own country. It’s wonderful. I’m very proud of him. I’m proud of what I accomplished and that’s what makes our game so wonderful, the great athletes that we have and the wonderful people that they are," Gretzky said on the broadcast.

"He’s special. You know, when [Mark] Messier retired and Gordie Howe retired and [Mario] Lemieux retired and Bobby Orr retired, we thought, ‘OK, what’s going to happen to our game now?’ And then along came Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, and now we’ve got [Connor] McDavid, [Nathan] MacKinnon, Matthew [Tkachuk]," Gretzky added. "Our game just gets better all the time, and that’s why it’s so special."

Gretzky added that he hoped that Ovechkin would break the record that night: "I hope it happens tonight. It would be fun. He deserves it in front of the fans," he said.

Unfortunately, the game ended before Ovechkin could secure a hat trick. But the two goals alone was enough to fire up the crowd.

Ovechkin reached the milestone in front of an electric home crowd in Washington's Capital One Arena. After hitting the goal, Ovechkin celebrated with the rest of his teammates on the ice, with the entire Capitals bench clearing to cheer on their captain. Ovechkin also took a victory lap to celebrate with his family on the other side of the glass.

While celebrating, Ovechkin took a moment to bow to Gretzky in the stands. Gretzky has been attending the past few Capitals games as Ovechkin closes in on the record.

Even after the 5-3 Washington win, the Blackhawks stayed on the ice to congratulate Ovechkin for the feat.

Ovechkin is now just one goal shy of breaking Gretzky's all-time record, and he has six regular-season games left to do it.

Scott Taetsch via Getty Images

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have discussed the possibility of a game between American and Russian hockey players, according to a summary of the conversation released Tuesday by the Russian government.

A release from the Kremlin, which summarized various topics from a call between the two presidents on Tuesday, included a mention of a potential hockey matchup between players from the NHL and the KHL, the Russian hockey league. Per the release, President Trump supported President Putin's suggestion to hold hockey games between NHL and KHL players in both the United States and Russia.

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The NHL responded to news of the phone call with identical statements shared with ESPN and The Athletic.

"We have just become aware of the conversation between President Trump and President Putin," the NHL said in the statement. "Obviously, we were not a party to those discussions and it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time."

Russian hockey has not competed internationally since February 2022, after the International Ice Hockey Federation placed sanctions on the team when Russia invaded Ukraine. Last month, the IIHF extended the ban through 2026, meaning the team will not be allowed to participate in the 2026 Olympics in Milan, under the Russian flag. 2026 is set to be the first time in a decade NHL players will participate in the Olympics.

The NHL broke off from the KHL in 2022, around the same time as the initial sanctions from the IIHF. Prior to the invasion, the NHL was connected to the KHL, with the two even holding a few cross-league friendlies in 2008 and 2010.