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The Philadelphia Flyers have suspended radio play-by-play broadcaster Tim Saunders after he was heard making an inappropriate comment during Thursday's game against the Buffalo Sabres.

Thinking he had just thrown the broadcast to a commercial break, Saunders made a reference to oral sex before being alerted by his partner, former NHLer Todd Fedoruk, that they were still live on air.

"I think we’re still on the air, Tim," Fedoruk informed Saunders.

"No we're not, are we?" Saunders replied after chuckling.

The Flyers announced on Friday that Saunders has been suspended for two games.

"These remarks do not reflect the standards of conduct or values we expect from anyone associated with our organization," read the team's statement.

Saunders released a statement through the Flyers Broadcast Network X account apologizing for his comments.

"During last night's game in Buffalo, I made an error in judgement with my comments that were made when I thought we were in a commercial break," Saunders wrote in a statement. "I recognize how offensive my remarks were, and the harm it has caused.

"I take full responsibility and sincerely apologize to the Flyers, 97.5 The Fanatic and all those affected by my remarks.

"To all Flyers fans and listeners of our broadcast, I promise that I will hold myself to a higher standard moving forward to ensure our broadcast is a safe and respectful place everyone can enjoy."

Saunders has called Flyers games for 29 seasons since joining the team in 1997.

He will miss the the Flyers upcoming games against the New York Rangers on Saturday and Monday against the Vancouver Canucks.

Saunders will be back in the broadcast booth for the Flyers' final game before the NHL holiday break on Dec. 23 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

New York Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri suffered a torn ACL during Friday night's 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. His final on-ice contribution for the season helped kickstart a comeback for his teammates.

Early in the second period, the Islanders found themselves down 3-0. Nearly four minutes after Trevor Zegras scored the Flyers' third goal, Palmieri chased down a puck deep in the Philadelphia defensive zone and collided with defenseman Jamie Drysdale, falling awkwardly to the ice.

As play continued, Palmieri eventually began to slowly make his way to the Islanders' bench. During his route off the ice, he swiped the puck from a back-skating, unsuspecting Emil Andrae and dropped it off to Jonathan Drouin, who then left it for Emil Heineman for New York's first goal.

The Islanders confirmed on Saturday that Palmieri, who is signed through the 2026-27 NHL season, will undergo surgery to repair an ACL tear in his left knee. The 34-year-old veteran will miss the next 6-8 months.

The injury will also end Palmieri's ironman streak of 223 consecutive games played.

"What a gutsy effort for him on that," captain Anders Lee said after the game. "Going through a lot of pain, he's one of the toughest teammates that I know. Takes a lot for him to feel pain and get keeled over, but you can also see how strong he is to battle through and make a huge play."

The assist was Palmieri's 12th of the season through 25 games. He is currently tied with Matthew Schaefer and Mathew Barzal for second on the team with 18 points.

Schaefer and Lee scored to complete the second-period comeback and knot the game at three apiece. The Flyers prevailed, however, after a shootout with Zegras and Travis Konecny scoring.

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Jennifer Botterill, Zdeno Chára, Brianna Decker, Duncan Keith, Alexander Mogilny, Jack Parker, Danièle Sauvageau, and Joe Thornton were officially inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday night in Toronto.

The eight-member class made up of players and coaches were elected by the 18-member selection committee in June after receiving at least 75 of the vote required for induction.

Let's take a look at each of the inductees:

Jennifer Botterill (player) — A three-time Olympic gold medalist, Botterill helped Canada win five IIHF World Championship gold medals while averaging over a point per game in her international career (62 goals and 164 points in 162 games). Before starring on the international level, Botterill was a standout player at Harvard and was a back-to-back winner of the Patty Kazmaier Award, which recognizes the top women’s collegiate player.

Zdeno Chára (player) — "Big Z" played for the New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals over a 1,680-game NHL career that saw him score 209 goals and 680 points. An unmistakeable presence on the ice at 6-foot-9, Chara was one of the best defensemen of his era, winning the 2008-09 Norris Trophy as the league's top blue liner. He was also a three-time NHL first-team All-Star and was a part of the 2010-11 Stanley Cup winning Bruins squad. Chára also holds the hardest shot record with a 108.8 mph blast during one of his five Hardest Shot competition victories during NHL All-Star Weekend. Internationally, Chára won silver medals at the IIHF World Championship and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey representing Slovakia.

Brianna Decker (player) — Decker finished her decorated hockey career in 2017 with a mantle full of individual and team honors. While playing collegiately at Wisconsin, she won the 2011-12 Kazmaier Award. She began her international career while still in college and would go on to win six gold and two silver medals at the IIHF World Championships, along with one gold and two silvers at the Olympics. Decker also claimed two CWHL Clarkson Cups and the NWHL's Isobel Cup, where she was also two-time league MVP.

Duncan Keith (player) — Keith spent all but one season of his 17-year NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks where he helped the franchise win three Stanley Cups. During that time he also won two Norris Trophies, was named the 2015 Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP and was twice voted a first team NHL All-Star. Over his career, he scored 106 goals and recorded 646 points. He was also a part of the 2010 and 2014 Canadian Olympic teams that claimed gold.

Alexander Mogilny (player) — Mogilny was the first Soviet player to defect west, and when he arrived in the NHL he quickly made his mark. His 76-goal season in 1992-93 tied him for the NHL’s goal scoring lead with Teemu Selänne. He would finish with 127 points that season. A year later, the Sabres named him the first European captain in league history. When it was all said and done, the six-time All-Star had scored 473 goals and recorded 1,032 points. He’s a member of the IIHF’s Triple Gold Club after winning the Stanley Cup, Olympics and IIHF World Championship. He also helped the Soviet Union to gold at the World Junior Championship.

Jack Parker (builder) — Parker coached Boston University for 40 years and helped the Terriers claim three NCAA national championships and six Hockey East tournament titles. He's a three-time Spencer Penrose Award winner as the top Division I men's coach and owns the record for most wins with one school, at 897, and the most NCAA tournament appearances, with 24.

Danièle Sauvageau (builder) — Sauvageau is the first woman to be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builder category and earned the honor following a coaching career that saw her guide Canada's women's team to a silver medal at the 1998 Olympics and then gold four years later in Salt Lake City. She's been part of seven Olympics with Canada serving as head coach, general manager and consultant.

Joe Thornton (player) — Thornton's 24-year NHL career saw him suit up for the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers after being the No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 NHL Draft. He fell short of Stanley Cup glory, but did win an Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer, a Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and was a first-team NHL All-Star. Thornton did find success on the international stage with Canada, winning gold at the 1997 World Junior Championships, 2010 Olympics, and two World Cups of Hockey. "Jumbo" finished with 430 goals and 1,539 points in 1,714 games. He is one of only 16 players in NHL history to have reached the 1,500-point mark.

The class of 2026 will be announced in June and there are a number of good options for when the selection committee meets to elect another impressive group.

Longtime Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron, who is in his first year of eligibility, and former Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price are slam-dunk choices. Patrick Marleau, who holds the NHL record for career games played (1,779), and Keith Tkachuk, who is in his 14th year of eligibility, would also be solid choices.

As the Hall of Fame continues catching up on the women's side, any two of American stars Meghan Duggan and Julie Chu, as well as Canada's Meghan Agosta and Shannon Szabados, could easily find themselves giving speeches next year.

Jordan Binnington said he wasn't really going to keep the historic goal puck scored by Alex Ovechkin on Wednesday night when the Washington Capitals star became the first NHL player to ever reach 900 career goals.

The St. Louis Blues goaltender allowed the goal in the second period of Washington's 6-1 victory. As the Capitals and the sold-out Capital One Arena celebrated the accomplishment, Binnington scooped up the puck and stuck it inside of his pants. 

It wasn't until linesman Michel Cormier skated over and had a conversation with Binnington that the puck was handed over.

"Yeah, I figured I basically had an assist on the goal there, turning the puck over. [I] didn't think he'd mind sharing it," Binnington said, via The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford. "I had full intention to give it back to him."

When asked afterward, Ovechkin said he was aware that Binnington tried to hide the puck after the goal was scored.

"Yeah, I just saw it. I'm not going to comment," Ovechkin said.

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Binnington was later pulled from the game after allowing four goals on 15 shots. The goal ended up being the 138th game-winner of Ovechkin's career, another NHL record that he holds.

Ovechkin's 900th NHL goal was the fourth he's scored against Binnington in his career.

"Incredible play by him to catch that, spin around and get that on net from a bad angle. Obviously, he's such a legendary player. Seeing a play like that still happening at his age, it's next level. He continues to impress," Binnington said.

Alex Ovechkin became the first player in NHL history to reach 900 career goals scored when he scored Wednesday night against the St. Louis Blues.

With his Washington Capitals holding a 1-0 lead in the second period, Ovechkin coralled a rebound off a missed Jakob Chychrun slapshot at the right goal line. He then slipped the puck into the net past goaltender Jordan Binnington for a 2-0 Washington lead. 

As the horn sounded, Capitals players poured off the bench to swarm Ovechkin at the glass to celebrate the latest milestone for hockey's greatest goal scorer. An appreciate home crowd in Washington joined in on the celebration from the stands. 

The Capitals captain hit the milestone more than 20 years after he made his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2005, where he scored the first two of his 900 career goals.

Ovechkin began this season with 897 regular-season goals. He reached 900 in Washington's 13th game of the season.

In April, Ovechkin scored his 895th career goal to break Wayne Gretzky's long-standing NHL record. He finished with 44 goals last season with the Capitals, the 14th time he's scored at least 40 goals in a season. 

On Saturday, he became the eighth player in NHL history to play 1,500 games with one franchise.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NHL draft entered the league and immediately made an impact, scoring 52 goals during his first season and earning the 2005-06 Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie. His ability to beat goaltenders on a regular basis has earned him nine Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophies as the top goal scorer.

Other accolades Ovechkin has earned includes three Hart Trophies as regular-season MVP, eight appearances as an NHL first-team All-Star, and a Stanley Cup title and playoff MVP in 2018.

The 40-year-old Ovechkin will see his contract expire following the 2025-26 NHL season, but he's yet to confirm his future plans. 

"I'm just going to enjoy it," Ovechkin said before the season. "I'm going to enjoy the season, and we'll see what’s going to happen."

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The Minnestota Wild and Kirill Kaprizov have worked out a record deal for the Russian forward.

On Tuesday, Kaprizov signed an eight-year, $136 million contract extension that will keep him in Minnesota through the 2033-24 season. The average annual value of $17 million and total contract dollars are the highest in NHL history, with the AAV surpassing that of previous record holder Leon Draisaitl's $14 million.

According to The Athletic's Michael Russo, Kaprizov will receive a $1 million salary per season, along with a July 1 signing bonus structure of $18.1 million from 2026-2029, then $16 million in 2030, $14.2 million in 2031, and $12.7 million in the final two years. The extension also features a full no-move clause.

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Kaprizov's new deal will kick in with the 2026-27 NHL season. His current contract, a five-year, $45 million extension signed in Sept. 2021, will expire after this coming season.

The 28-year-old Kaprizov, a fifth-round pick by the Wild in the 2015 NHL draft, is entering his sixth season. Since coming into the league in 2020-21, he has scored 185 goals, including three 40-goal seasons, and recorded 386 points.

Negotiations between the two sides had been ongoing as training camp approached. But a week before players reported, Kaprizov reportedly rejected an eight-year, $128 million contract.

"You guys know I like Minny and everyone knows this," Kaprizov said after camp opened two weeks ago. "We have a lot of time [to sign]. It's just 2025 and it's one more year I have. I just want to play hockey and focus and win some games and go into [the Stanley Cup] playoffs and win there. Just focus on this now."

How the massive Kaprizov deal affects future NHL contracts will be intriguing. Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid can be an unrestricted free agent next summer and currently carries a $12.5 million salary cap hit on his eight-year, $100 million contract, which he signed in 2017.

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Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin isn't sure if this coming NHL season will be his final one in the league.

Following the start of on-ice action at Capitals training camp on Thursday, Ovechkin, who left practice with a lower-body injury, told reporters he's not made a decision yet on his future.

"I don't know if this is going to be the last. We'll see," Ovechkin said, via Sammi Silber of The Hockey News.

Ovechkin, who turned 40 this week, is entering his 21st season with the franchise and the final year of his contract with the Capitals. He said he has not had any discussions with general manager Chris Patrick and president of hockey operations Brian MacLellan.

Patrick said Thursday that the team isn't sure which way the NHL's all-time leading scorer is leaning when it comes to a decision and that they will give him time to figure out what he wants to do next.

"I want him to have the space to have this season go how he wants it to go," Patrick said. "If he wants to talk, we'll talk. If not, we'll figure it out later."

In April, Ovechkin scored his 895th career goal to break Wayne Gretzky's long-standing NHL record. He finished with 44 goals last season with the Capitals, the 14th time he's scored at least 40 goals in a season.

Ovechkin enters this season three goals away from becoming the first player in league history with 900 regular-season goals.

"I'm excited for 900. That will be really neat to see," Patrick said. "I'm just at a point where every time I see him play, I'm just appreciating it, because he's 40 years old. We're not going to have this forever. To get to witness it every night is a treat."

Other milestones in reach for Ovechkin this season include most NHL goals regular season and playoffs combined (Ovechkin: 974, Gretzky: 1,106), most 50-goal seasons (Ovechkin and Mike Bossy: 9) and most goals scored by a 40-year-old (Gordie Howe: 44, 1968-69).

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NHL draft entered the league and immediately made an impact, scoring 52 goals during his first season and earning the 2005-06 Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie. His ability to beat goaltenders on a regular basis has earned him nine Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophies as the league’s top goal scorer.

Other accolades Ovechkin has earned includes three Hart Trophies as regular-season MVP, eight appearances as an NHL first-team All-Star, and a Stanley Cup title and playoff MVP in 2018.

The Capitals will begin their final season with Ovechkin on Oct. 8 when they host the Boston Bruins.

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Marc-André Fleury isn't hanging up his skates just yet.

The longtime goaltender has signed a professional tryout contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins and will play in parts of the team's Sept. 27 preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at PPG Paints Arena.

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Fleury will practice will the team on Sept. 26 and it is expected that he will officially announce his retirement from hockey after playing one final game in the city where he spent the first 13 seasons of his career.

“The entire Penguins organization is honored to welcome Marc-Andre Fleury back to the ice in Pittsburgh,” said Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas in a statement. “This past year everyone witnessed how beloved and respected Marc is in the game of hockey, but the adoration goes beyond his accolades and career. Marc means so much to our team, our fans and the City of Pittsburgh because of the person he is and the example he set. The Penguins feel he and his family are most-deserving of this opportunity to celebrate this full-circle moment back where it all started in front of the black and gold faithful.”

In April 2024 Fleury announced that the 2024-25 season would be his final one in the NHL. He appeared in 26 regular season games and one playoff game with the Minnesota Wild last season as he received send-offs from NHL teams, as well as players from around the league.

Fleury was a part of three Stanley Cup championships with the Penguins in 2009, 2016 and 2017 and also played for the Vegas Golden Knights and Chicago Blackhawks. He appeared in 1,051 regular-season games and won 575 games, which is second all-time behind Martin Brodeur. His 76 shutouts is tied for eighth-most in NHL history.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NHL draft, Fleury was a four-time All-Star and winner of both the 2020-21 Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender and the William M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltender with the fewest goals scored against them during the regular season. On the international stage, he was part of Canada's gold medal-winning team at the 2010 Olympics and also won two silver medals at the IIHF World Junior Championships.

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On the day that Matthew Schaefer could have been celebrating his high school graduation, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft had an appointment that was close to his heart.

While in Buffalo for the NHL Scouting Combine earlier this month, the newest New York Islanders defenseman spent the day at the Western New York Compassion Connection. There, Schaefer shared his story with an audience of young people between the ages of 7 and 17 who recently lost a loved one — a life experience that he’s still grieving through.

As Schaefer’s NHL prospects rose in 2023 while playing for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League, his billet mom, Emily Matson, died by an apparent suicide. Months later, his mother, Jennifer, passed away following a two-year battle with breast cancer.

The following December, Otters owner Jim Waters died unexpectedly of a heart attack.

That amount of tragedy in such a short period of time is a lot for anyone, let alone a 16-year-old. But Schaefer was inspired by his mother’s fight and allowed it to push him forward rather than hold him back in his journey to the NHL.

"My mindset has changed a lot with everything. Just seeing what my mom went through, having a smile on her face with cancer kind of trying to bring her down, but she wouldn’t let it,” Schaefer told reporters recently. “She’s the strongest person I’ve ever known.”

Helping others through their own grief

What Schaefer dealt with inspired him to want to assist other young people who might benefit from hearing from someone with a shared experience.

“There’s young kids that are going through tough times,” Schaefer said. “A lot of people love to keep it in, and I want to try to put their minds at ease in any way. If love could have saved them, they would have lived forever. That’s a good saying I go by. But everything happens for a reason in life. Makes me super strong. And I want to help people.”

There is a lot that goes into developing a professional hockey player, and Jennifer played a role beyond mother as Schaefer went about bettering himself away from the rink. It wasn’t odd to see her throw on the goalie pads and take shots from Schaefer and his brother, John.

While Jennifer may no longer be here, she’s not far from Schaefer’s mind when he’s shooting pucks in his basement. She’s there in spirit, he says, still trying to save her youngest son’s shots. When he misses the net, Schaefer says he credits his mom “because she's probably blocker saving [them].”

Jennifer was still with Schaefer at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Friday night when he heard his name called first by the Islanders. Inside his custom suit jacket were family pictures of his mom.

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More obstacles on his way to becoming a top prospect

Schaefer’s draft year saw more challenges that he needed to overcome. He missed the Otters’ first nine games of the season after battling mononucleosis, and in December, he suffered a season-ending clavicle fracture while representing Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship.

Despite only playing 17 games with Erie this past season, Schaefer scored seven goals and recorded 22 points. He had already played his way into being one of the 2025 NHL Draft’s top prospects after a six-point performance last August while helping lead Canada to a win at the U-18 Hlinka/Gretzky Cup.

Schaefer’s play, while a limited sample size, was enough to convince scouts and those around the NHL that he could become an impact player at the next level.

“He is the complete package playing a dynamic style that generates results and influences the outcome of games,” said Dan Marr, Vice President of NHL Central Scouting. “Schaefer easily projects as a future All-Star in the NHL.”

"He is consistent, mature, and has all of the tools to be a No. 1 defenseman in the NHL,” writes Chris Peters of FloHockey. “His skating is among the best in the class and his hockey sense is right up there, too. Schaefer has been through a lot in his young life, but has met his challenges with grace well beyond his years. As a pick, he is not without risk, but there’s so much upside that teams have mostly dismissed the long absence and still view him as a potential long-term No. 1 defenseman at the top of his projection."

Schaefer will turn 18 in September and, weeks later, will enter his first NHL training camp. He will be prepared for his next challenge — making the Islanders — and he will be inspired by his mom, who may no longer be here, but supported him on his road to a budding professional career.

"She's always with me in spirit,” Schaefer said. “I know she has a front-row seat every game. I get to play for someone even more. She was a strong woman. I like to talk about her. If she was here, you guys would know exactly who she was even though you haven't met her because I love talking about her."

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Defenseman Matthew Schaefer was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft on Friday by the New York Islanders.

The 17-year-old Schaefer, the No. 1 ranked player by NHL Central Scouting, had a shortened 2024-25 season with the Ontario Hockey League's Erie Otters after missing the first nine games due to mononucleosis and then suffering a broken clavicle during the IIHF World Junior Championship in December.

The 6-foot-2, 186-pound Schaefer recorded seven goals and 22 points in 17 games with Erie this past season. 

"He does it all on the ice – defends well as an elite skater with good gap control and has the ability and smarts to consistently produce offensively," according to NHL Central Scouting's report on Schaefer. 

"He has a great feel for the game and knows when to make a simple play, when to block a shot and how to get the job done. His puck retrievals are on point, he can skate his way out of trouble and capably lead the rush offensively. He quarterbacks the power play and is an offensive threat to score or set up teammates."

Schaefer is now just the fifth defenseman to be selected No. 1 overall following Owen Power (Buffalo Sabres, 2021), Rasmus Dahlin (Sabres, 2018), Aaron Ekblad (Florida Panthers, 2014) and Erik Johnson (St. Louis Blues, 2006).

2025 NHL Draft, first round selections

1. New York Islanders: Matthew Schaefer, D - Erie (OHL)
2. San Jose Sharks: Michael Misa, F - Saginaw (OHL)