Blackhawks' Andrew Shaw accused of using gay slur against referee in loss to Blues (VIDEO)

Andrew Shaw was called out on Twitter after shouting what appeared to be an expletive and a gay slur at a referee during Chicago’s 4-3 loss to St. Louis in Game 4 on Tuesday night.

The Blackhawks right winger took a penalty with two minutes to go in the game for an interference call. Cameras showed he flipped a double middle-finger and continued yelling at referees from the box.

here is the stuff from the Blues broadcast pic.twitter.com/S5bGm4qVqP

— Stephanie (@myregularface) April 20, 2016

Lip readers on social media said that Shaw’s comments included the gay slur.

“Emotions were high. I don't know what I said. I wasn't happy with the call,” Shaw said afterward, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The You Can Play Project, an organization for equality in sports tweeted this in response to the Shaw video: “We are aware of tonight's incident and will be reaching out to the NHL immediately to assist in an appropriate response.”

Here's the two-finger salute for your enjoyment:

Andrew Shaw flipped a ref the double bird on his way to the box pic.twitter.com/NLAYnXYpsj

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 20, 2016

The Blackhawks lost the game 4-3 and trail the Blues, 3-1, in the series.

Flyers offer free admission, snacks to attract fans during snowstorm

Thursday's constant snowfall and dropping temperatures made conditions for traveling around Philadelphia very difficult for most Flyers fans.

And Mother Nature's wrath left a whole lot of empty seats at Wells Fargo Center for a very important and tough game for the back-in-contention Flyers.

By the opening faceoff, the arena was more than half empty, so quick-thinking management came up with a plan to reward fans who would brave the weather: Free admission!

Use @SEPTA to head down to @WellsFargoCtr & get FREE admission to tonight’s game. Stop by the box office to claim your tickets. #STLvsPHI
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 6, 2015

And then as an added bonus for slogging through the white stuff, the Flyers fed everyone, too, with free pretzels, free hot dogs and free soda refills.

As our way of saying thanks for coming out tonight, enjoy free hot dogs, pretzels, and soda refills! #STLvsPHI pic.twitter.com/FhZWM2uAuX
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 5, 2015

And the freebie offer paid off.

After falling behind in front of the small opening crowd — 12,531 fans ended up showing up, about 9,500 on paid tickets and the other 3,000 getting in for nothing — the Flyers scored three third-period goals to pull out a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues to get to within four points of a playoff spot.

"With weather like that, 12,000 is amazing," defenseman Mark Streit said. "They showed up and supported us, and it was still a good atmosphere when we scored those goals. Great fans always in Philadelphia, and I thought it was a great game to watch."

Snow days aren't just for kids.

Martin Brodeur calls hockey 'too dangerous of a game': Report

Since joining the St. Louis Blues as a senior advisor last week, newly retired goaltender Martin Brodeur has been giving the team reports looking down from a scouting booth. But now the NHL veteran wants everyone to know about the ever-evolving game from the perspective of 20 years in front of the net too.

Brodeur spoke with Sportsnet to discuss what he likes and what he’d like to change about the game the future Hall of Famer played for almost his entire life.

The 42-year-old former New Jersey Devils legend pointed to the speed of the game and the resulting hits as something that he dislikes.

"It’s too tough of a game, too dangerous of a game. I think it goes… all the speed that they wanted to bring into the game, it kind of makes it up on those tough hits and it’s hard for the players to police themselves. First of all because fighting is going away from the game,” said Brodeur. “You have a lot of guys that are taking liberties and some guys they don’t, but because the game is so fast, they don’t have time to react to a lot of things.

"The dangerous part of the game, the accidents, some of the head injuries needs to get cleaned out."

Brodeur didn’t know exactly how the league needs to go about changing the game, but did have a couple of suggestions.

“The trapezoid has to go. I think the goalies have to help their players a little bit more, but a lot of the hits come because there’s no interference,” Brodeur said. “Put in the interference on the table for the players to use to help each other.

“In the neutral zone I understand the guy skating 100 miles an hour with the puck nobody should touch him, but when you see your guys getting lined up, you should be able to hook that guy a little bit to make him realize ‘hey, you got to stop buddy, you can’t hit him’. But if he does that, the guy gets a penalty. Interference needs to get back in the game.”

Brodeur was in Philadelphia on Saturday night scouting the Flyers and Leafs as part of his new role with St. Louis and spoke with NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman about his new vantage point on top of the ice.

“I think it’s a lot easier to judge people from up here,” Brodeur said. “That’s where I’m trying to find the way of doing it, the right way of doing it, to give the best input I can knowing that two weeks ago, three weeks ago I was the one down there.

“Hockey’s hockey. Right here I think it exposes it a little bit, but it’s all productive.”

Porn sounds heard on-air during Nashville Predators broadcast (VIDEO and AUDIO)

If you thought you heard some lusty female moaning in the audio background during the Predators-Blues broadcast on Fox Sports Tennessee Thursday night — you would be right.

Not once, but twice, during the telecast of the NHL matchup, viewers — more precisely, listeners — picked up the distinctive sounds of a porn scene.

How the sexy soundtrack got there is anyone's guess but, luckily, the announcers didn't confuse slap shot with money shot.

And what a time to run a Cialis spot.

Martin Brodeur gives up ridiculous center-ice goal to Dwight King (VIDEO)

Martin Brodeur has more saves than anyone in the history of the NHL, which means the Blues' new netminder has also given up his share of goals too. But Ol' Marty probably never saw the puck get by him as ridiculously as this shot from Dwight King Thursday night.

When the Los Angeles Kings forward sent this seemingly harmless shot from center ice towards Brodeur, nobody in the arena thought twice about him making the simple glove save. But after the puck hit the ice, it skipped up once and then bounced off the ice, over Brodeur and actually got a piece of the water bottle for the comedic goal.

Dwight King just scored on Martin Brodeur. From center ice. http://t.co/0AzeiejR7H https://t.co/WwoyD1g6Ei
— theScore (@theScore) December 19, 2014

Adding insult to injury, that was the sixth goal that Brodeur gave up in the game — one that the Blues led 3-0 — tidying up the Kings' 6-4 come-from-behind victory.

Sure the 42-year-old future Hall of Famer looked silly but, we'll blame it on the bounce.

Martin Brodeur's debut in a Blues uniform doesn't look right (VIDEO)

For the first time in his NHL career Martin Brodeur made a start for a team other than the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.

The 42-year-old goalie who won 688 games over 21 years wearing a red Devils sweater was now in front of the goal wearing a St. Louis Blues uniform.

And to Devils fans, like pineapple on a slice, seeing Brodeur sporting a blue note didn't look right.

Brodeur, who hadn't played in a game since April 13, made 20 saves in his season debut for the Blues — a 4-3 loss to the Nashville Predators.

He signed a one-year deal with St. Louis on Tuesday.

The future Hall of Famer who won three Stanley Cups and four Vezina Trophies with the Devils, refused to call it a career after going 19-14-6 with a 2.51 goals-against average, .901 save percentage and three shutouts in 39 games last season.

Brodeur is 688-394-176 and holds most major regular-season goalie records including games (1,259).

It's too bad the Blues and Devils have already played out this season and Mar-tan won't be coming back to Jersey one more time.

Steen scores game-winner to lift Blues over Blackhawks in triple overtime (VIDEO)

It took the St. Louis Blues five overtime periods, and then some, to take advantage of the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Alexander Steen scored at 26 seconds of the third overtime to cap the longest playoff game in franchise history and give the Blues a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Thursday night.

Steen beat Corey Crawford off a pair of short passes from Steve Ott and David Backes to end the exhausting opening game. 

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock greeted reporters for the postgame news conference with a humorous "Good morning" early Friday after the marathon match.

"It's big. We want to start this series off on a good note," Steen said. "Especially at home in front of our fans."

Both teams will certainly enjoy a day of rest before meeting in Game 2 Saturday afternoon.

Sochi stray dogs one step closer to new U.S. homes (PHOTOS)

American Gus Kenworthy seemed to make more headlines in Sochi for his efforts to give homes to some adorable stray dogs rather than his silver medal in ski slopestyle. 

Not only has Kenworthy managed to rescue four puppies, but he has also made the arrangements to bring the puppies' mother to the United States as well.

Now it looks like a lot more Sochi stray dogs will find homes in America and around the world due to Kenworthy's public efforts.

And celebrities are following suit.

After the U.S. athletes brought dogs home with them from the Olympic Games, former “Bachelorette” star Ali Fedotowsky returned from Sochi, where she was an Olympic correspondent for E! News, with two stray pups.

She was met Saturday at Los Angeles International Airport by actress Katherine Heigl, who is teaming up with Fedotowsky to find homes for the two Sochi strays.

St.  Louis Blues captain David Backes and his wife also rescued two of the thousands of stray dogs that were all around Sochi. And brought them back first class.

From street dogs to first class seats on a charter! So much hard work went into this! @dbackes42 @A4A_org pic.twitter.com/396PoLTBGP
— Megan Elizabeth ➰ (@meganekay) February 24, 2014

The new American citizens will remain contained for a two-to-four week quarantine process before they can be adopted out.

Fedotowsky said she received some “criticism” for bringing strays back from Russia when there are so many dogs in America in need of homes. But she told KABC, “If you saw what I saw every day in Sochi, you would have brought back one too.”

Dan Boyle stretchered off ice after nasty hit from behind (VIDEO)

There was much concern during the first period of Tuesday night's game between the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks after defenseman Dan Boyle was taken off the ice on a stretcher.

Boyle was playing the puck in the corner boards when Maxim Lapierre hit the Sharks player from behind. Fights broke out all over the ice after the hit while Boyle lay motionless in the corner and the Sharks trainer ran onto the ice to help him. Eventually Boyle was taken off the ice on a stretcher and Lapierre was given a five-minute major for boarding

The good news is that things do sound encouraging for Boyle via this tweet.

#SJSharks spokesman says: "Dan was alert and moving his extremities and has been taken to a local hospital for evaluation."
— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzCSN) October 16, 2013

Jake Allen robs T.J. Brodie of goal with spectacular stick save

Jake Allen was making only his second NHL start in goal last night, but the St. Louis Blues netminder already has a stick save for the ages.

 The rookie backstop didn't let the sweet passing of the Calgary Flames — a highlight in itself — distract his hand-and-eye coordination as he stopped the Flames' T.J. Brodie from scoring on what looked like an open shot. Allen not only snuffed out Brodie's wide open shot by waving his stick, but he casually snags the puck mid-air with his glove like an old veteran.

The young goaltender might have stolen what would have been Brodie's first goal of the season — and the Flames' own top play highlight — but at least Brodie will be able to see what could have been on Allen's highlight reels for the rest of the season.

The Blues went on to win 5-2.