Ice Hockey

5/21/2026 |  Jelly Roll records 'Rise Up' theme song for 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs (United Press International (UPI)) May 21 (UPI) -- Singer-songwriter Jelly Roll has recorded "Rise Up," the official theme song of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the NHL and Amazon Music announced Thursday.
"Jelly Roll doesn't just make music. He sets a tone, and it's exactly right for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Watching him experience the Stanley Cup for the first time was a special moment," Steve Mayer, president of NHL Content and Events, said in a statement. 

5/21/2026 |  Canadiens-Sabres scores top audiences of resurgent Stanley Cup Playoffs (Sports Media Watch) Despite pairing the league’s smallest U.S. market against a Canadian team, Canadiens-Sabres delivered the two largest audiences of a strong Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Monday’s Canadiens-Sabres second round Stanley Cup playoff Game 7 averaged 2.96 million viewers on ESPN, trailing only Red Wings-Blackhawks Game 7 on NBCSN in 2013 (3.35M) as the most-watched second round game to air on a cable network.

5/20/2026 |  NHL Playoffs Deliver Record Second-Round Ratings for ESPN, TNT (Front Office Sports) Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
The NHL extended its massive viewership tear during the postseason’s second round, once again posting unprecedented audiences in the league’s current set of U.S. media deals. 
ESPN said it averaged 2.2 million viewers for the now-complete second round, up 76% from 2025 and the largest such figure in the NHL rights agreement that began five years ago. 

5/19/2026 |  PWHL goes the way of San Jose in adding a fourth expansion team and growing to 12 overall (Associated Press (AP)) San Jose landed a pro women’s hockey franchise on Tuesday with the PWHL completing its ambitious four-team expansion process with a first entry into California.
The league now has 12 teams entering its fourth season, and has doubled in size since the PWHL was established in June 2023. In selecting San Jose, the PWHL adds a region with a population of about 7.6 million, strengthens its geographic footprint with a third Pacific Coast-based franchise, and enters a market with a strong history of supporting women’s sports and girls hockey development.

5/12/2026 |  PWHL Adds Teams in Detroit, Las Vegas Amid Expansion Spree (Front Office Sports) The PWHL is headed to Las Vegas. The location of the next expansion franchise in the pro women’s hockey league’s was confirmed by The Athletic in advance of a Wednesday announcement at T-Mobile Arena. PWHL Las Vegas, which will begin its season in 2026–27, will likely share the 18,000-seat venue with the Golden Knights and the Aces.