TMZ Sports - Page 2

N.J. Devils star Jack Hughes was back on home ice Wednesday night after lifting the U.S. men's hockey team to Olympic gold ... and the 24-year-old star received a rousing ovation from the hometown faithful!!!

Hughes also briefly addressed the team's controversial phone call with the President of the United States.

Jack received a standing ovation when he took center ice at the Prudential Center in Newark, where he spoke to Devils fans about the experience. He also brought out his Team USA teammate turned opponent for the night, Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson.

"I'm so proud and so happy that the men's and women's USA hockey teams brought gold medals back to the United States of America," Hughes said. "I'm so proud to represent the New Jersey Devils organization, and I'm so, so proud to represent the great state of New Jersey."

Mike Eruzione isn’t here for the outrage … he’s here for the red, white and blue.

The "Miracle on Ice" captain -- who scored the most iconic goals in U.S. hockey history at the 1980 Winter Olympics -- tells TMZ Sports he’s fed up with the pearl-clutching and is firing back at haters taking shots at today’s Team USA stars.

“Shut up and just enjoy what they did,” he told the critics in an interview with Babcock on Wednesday.

Eruzione pointed to his own experience in 1980, when political figures were openly supporting the team without controversy. He recalled then-Vice President Walter Mondale sitting in the stands -- and even a phone call in the locker room from the POTUS after the "Miracle on Ice" win.

“Jimmy Carter called the locker room and I spoke to him,” Eruzione said, adding the team was invited to visit the White House the very next day -- and there was zero backlash.

TMZ locked in this week's "Cheek of the Week" at first glance -- these Paige VanZant hot bum shots will make you dance!

Paige busted onto the scene fighting in the UFC over a decade ago ... She's definitely known for her fighting style and mainstream appeal ...

Peak at the cheek and check out our gallery ... Then put the pieces of Page back together:

NeNe Leakes isn't hiding her new man … she's showing him off.

TMZ obtained video of the former "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star at Wednesday night's Memphis Grizzlies game with attorney Arthur Horne III and at one point, he leans in and plants a kiss on her as they walk out together.

Earlier in the night, the two were posted up courtside, cuddled close and clearly coupled up. Witnesses tell us they were "hugged up" and "really touchy-feely" throughout the game ... making it crystal clear this wasn't just a friendly outing.

Tom Brady might think pro wrestling is “very cute” … but WWE Superstar Kiana James says if the NFL legend wants to truly find out how tough it is, there’s an easy solution -- step into the ring!

The WWE Superstar joined TMZ’s Inside The Ring podcast this week … where she was asked about Brady’s viral comment, aimed at Logan Paul.

“I don’t want to fault anyone for their ignorance,” James told us. “When you’re unfamiliar with something, there’s a level of ignorance there.”

U.S hockey star Hilary Knight isn't letting all the controversy overshadow her relationship with her male counterparts -- describing the moment as simply "a quick lapse."

Knight spoke about the now-infamous phone call between the men's team and President Trump, not long after Jack Hughes scored the winning goal against Canada ... where POTUS joked he'd "probably be impeached" if he didn't invite the women's team to the White House following their gold medal win.

Folks online were big mad after the team laughed following DT's comment, but Knight says the group was put in "a tough spot."

Lamar Odom has checked out of rehab after completing a 30-day program at iRely Recovery in Los Angeles.

The 46-year-old former NBA star entered the program after getting arrested for DUI. At the time his arrest news broke, Odom stated neither alcohol nor narcotics played a role in the arrest ... but police said Odom's car reeked of weed when he was pulled over and said Odom admitted to smoking earlier in the day.

Lamar's manager, Gina Rodriguez, told us he wanted to shake his marijuana use -- out of concern it could lead to doing hard drugs again.

That locker room phone call heard ’round the internet? Jeremy Swayman says Team USA would do it differently.

The Boston Bruins goalie is speaking out about the viral moment that followed Sunday's gold medal win ... when President Donald Trump called to congratulate the team and players huddled around a phone in the locker room.

“We should have reacted differently. We know that,” he told reporters after Bruins practice on Wednesday.

After congratulating the team and inviting them to the State of the Union, the POTUS said, "I must tell you, we're gonna have to bring the women's team. You do know that," he said. "I do believe I probably would be impeached."

Professional rock climber Alex Honnold has found himself in some sh**ty situations in his death-defying line of work ... and he tells Hasan Minhaj what it's like when you're scaling a mountain -- and nature calls.

When you gotta go, you gotta go ... that was pretty much Alex's motto when Hasan asked him how he goes to the bathroom while climbing.

According to Alex ... you just go!

In fact ... there's apparently been multiple times where Alex found himself hanging off the side of a cliff, one-handed, while taking a dump.

Audio of a 911 call from a Las Vegas mother-daughter murder-suicide before a cheer competition this month has been released by police ... revealing the moment officers responded to their hotel room, as well as the missing-person report the girl's father called in.

In the audio, obtained by TMZ, the first call to Las Vegas Metropolitan PD comes in from the local fire department, asking for an ambulance response to the Rio Hotel & Resort for 2 patients at the scene ... each suffering a gunshot wound to the head.

The caller notes a medication bottle located in the room with the mother's name on the label. Later, the fire department calls LVMPD back and confirms the incident was a murder-suicide involving mother and a juvenile.

Don't go looking in your local haystack for a needle ... just head on down to the "Fear Factor: House Of Fear" set and take them right out of a contestant's skin!

A new episode of the hit "Fear Factor" reboot is airing tonight ... and it features Johnny Knoxville's "Pain Auction" -- a challenge in which contestants undergo painful ordeals in hopes of staying in the game to win $200K.

One contestant -- 21-year-old professional soccer star Dida Armstrong -- agreed to have 13 needles pierced into his arms ... and the video's hard to watch.

Shocking and disturbing moment at a high school basketball game ... a student yelled the N-word at a Black player as he was shooting free throws, and it was all captured on video.

The racist moment happened last Tuesday during the Flint Metro League boys basketball semifinals matchup between Goodrich High School and Flint Kearsley High.

In the second quarter, a Kearsley player was preparing to set up to the charity stripe ... and that's when a fan from the Goodrich student section abruptly shouted the N-word.

The crowd immediately reacted, making it clear they were disgusted by the slur.

Former NBA star Chris Bosh is opening up on a recent medical emergency ... revealing he was getting ready for a date night with his wife when he blacked out and woke up in a pool of his own blood.

The Hall of Famer shared the news with his followers ... saying he was walking into his bathroom when a numbing sensation shot down his left leg.

When he came to, Bosh said he was covered in his own blood and his wife was on the phone with emergency responders. He said he tried to move his body, but was unsuccessful.

Tiger Woods reunited with a familiar face this week -- ex-wife Elin Nordegren -- as the former couple, once at the center of a super contentious divorce, put their issues aside to celebrate their son's accomplishments on the golf course.

The golf legend showed up alongside Elin to support their son, Charlie Woods, as he received his Florida high school state championship ring.

Although it's not the first time, seeing Woods and Nordegren together is surprising. In the aftermath of Tiger's cheating scandal, the couple's 2010 split dominated headlines for months.

The drama is clearly in the rearview mirror, 'cause mom and dad were all smiles on stage with their boy ... one of the most talented teenage golfers in the world.

Hailee Steinfeld is getting closer and closer to her due date ... and as she awaits her baby's arrival, she dropped a series of new pics of her growing bump, including one with her NFL husband, Josh Allen.

The "Sinners" actress shared the photos on Wednesday in her weekly newsletter, Beau Society, and the first image is a Kodak moment of her and the Buffalo Bills quarterback sipping coffee.

The next pics show Steinfeld proudly showcasing her popping baby bump in a variety of outfits ... something she said she recently feels excited to embrace.

"Now, I feel like I've finally rounded the corner," Steinfeld said. "Over the past few weeks, I've felt energized to get dressed and put together cute little outfits for dinners with friends or just to run out to the grocery store."

While a good amount of the U.S. men's hockey team visited the White House following their gold medal win over Canada in the Winter Olympics, a handful of players like Jake Guentzel opted to pass on the opportunity ... and the Tampa Bay Lightning winger said he was absent due to a "timing thing for me and my family."

Guentzel -- along with Brock Nelson, Kyle Connor and Jake Oettinger -- was not spotted when President Donald Trump welcomed the team to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to celebrate their huge win. But the Stanley Cup champion made it clear there was no political message behind it.

"I was definitely not denying the request to go," Guentzel said. "It was a dream come true to go, I was fortunate to go in 2017 when Trump was in office."