Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Cody Ceci and his partner filed a statement of defense Tuesday against the $8.6-million lawsuit by a woman who was burned at a 2018 dinner party at Ceci's house, according to The Canadian Press.

Hana Engel suffered severe burns in an incident involving an outdoor tabletop fireplace. According to Engel's suit, Ceci's partner Jamie Thompson ignited Engel with flaming liquid fuel while trying to refill a burner on the fireplace. Ceci and Thompson denied any negligence in Tuesday's filing.

Engel filed the initial lawsuit July 23 against Ceci, Thompson, fireplace manufacturer Clair De Lune Products Inc., and its distributor Orca Lite.

No criminal charges were laid.

Ceci and Thompson's statement of defense includes a crossclaim against the manufacturer and distributor of the product, seeking to have all their legal costs covered. The statement also alleges that any damages were caused solely by the negligence of Clair De Lune and Orca Lite.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

There's growing speculation the Toronto Maple Leafs will name a captain for the first time since Dion Phaneuf's departure in 2016. Auston Matthews, the face of the franchise, is one of a handful of logical candidates to don the "C," and he understands its importance.

"The captaincy in hockey, in general, is a huge honor, but especially in Toronto," Matthews told The Athletic's Craig Morgan. "You see the names of the guys that have come before you. We have all the captains' banners lined up for us in our practice rink. You know the names, what they brought to the team, their competitiveness, what they did throughout the community, so it’s a bit of a bigger honor, in my opinion, to bestow that in Toronto.

"Whether it's me or it's someone else, it comes with a lot of responsibility, but whether I get it or not, I feel comfortable regardless. We've got a lot of good candidates, guys that have been in the league for a while, guys that have been captains before like John Tavares, and guys that have worn letters for quite some time."

Matthews, Tavares, and Morgan Rielly are generally considered to be in the running. Tavares was the captain of the New York Islanders before signing a seven-year deal with his hometown team in the summer of 2018. Rielly is the longest-serving Leaf and has worn an "A" as an alternate captain for the past few seasons.

Asked if he thought it might be odd for Tavares to be passed over for the honor - given he's the elder statesman of the group and has a been a captain before - Matthews dismissed the theory.

"I don't think it would be awkward," he said. "Everybody has the same goal in mind. Everybody wants to contribute in their own way and do what's best for the team. When somebody is ready, (GM) Kyle (Dubas) and the staff will make a good choice. No matter who it is, you move forward, do your thing and put in the work."

Faced with similar questions about the captaincy prior to the start of last season, Matthews said he's never won the "C" in his life; since he consistently played a level or two higher than his own age group growing up, he was always one of the youngest players on his team.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban and Olympic gold medal-winning skier Lindsey Vonn are engaged.

The couple, who started dating in June 2018, broke the news in an interview with Alexandra Macon of Vogue.

"I got the ring and said, 'You know what, I'm just going to do it (at) home,'" Subban said. "Everything kind of came together on that day. Everyone says the stars aligned - well, it was actually a full moon. I was worried because I knew she would want to be dressed up and not in her pajamas, and it just so happened she had a business meeting, so she was fully dressed up."

Vonn said they aren't in a rush to walk down the aisle and are focused on settling in for the upcoming NHL season - Subban's first with the Devils following a summer trade from the Nashville Predators.

"We're in such a busy time right now. We're trying to move to New Jersey," she explained. "I just want to enjoy the moment and the engagement. We're not in a big hurry to get married. It kind of depends on his playing schedule, and when we have time to sit down and go through it. I don't want to stress him out because he has a big season coming."

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Warning: Video contains graphic content

Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov has been suspended by the IIHF for four years after testing positive for cocaine at the 2019 World Championship.

"The prohibited substance was found in a doping control which occurred on 26 May 2019 at the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship," the IIHF stated in its release.

Kuznetsov did not require the analysis of his B-sample - a secondary procedure to verify the accuracy of the initial test - and was provisionally suspended June 13, 2019, the IIHF said. His suspension will conclude June 12, 2023. If the NHL goes to the Olympics in 2022, he will not be eligible to participate.

A video surfaced on May 27 showing Kuznetsov sitting at a table next to two lines of white powder.

Following the release of the video, Kuznetsov claimed he had "never used drugs" and said the footage was taken after the Capitals' Stanley Cup victory in 2018.

The NHL issued a statement on the matter in May, saying, "while we certainly do not condone or endorse some of the decisions he made on the night in question, Mr. Kuznetsov's account of the events that transpired aligns with other information we have been able to gather, and we have found no basis to question his representations with respect to what did - and what did not - occur. We consider the matter formally closed."

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly addressed Kusnetsov's suspension Friday morning, noting, "cocaine isn't considered a performance-enhancing drug and is therefore not a prohibited substance under the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program."

Kuznetsov also issued a statement Friday, taking ownership of the situation and accepting the IIHF's four-year ban:

The 27-year-old center helped lead Russia to a bronze-medal finish at the 2019 worlds after the Carolina Hurricanes bounced his Capitals in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Kuznetsov was phenomenal during the Capitals' postseason run in the spring of 2018, leading all players with 32 playoff points en route to Washington's first championship. He followed that up with a 72-point campaign in 2018-19.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith says the club won't name a captain for the 2019-20 season.

"No we're not," Smith told Sportsnet's Wayne Scanlan. "The captain will emerge in time. I think the biggest thing is that we will allow the older guys to mentor these younger guys and blunt the blow until we turn the corner here. After a tough night, I don't want the young guys having to answer all the questions. The veterans and myself are going to answer to it."

The Senators were without a captain last season after the team traded Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks. He donned the "C" for Ottawa from 2013 to 2018, and was the ninth captain in franchise history.

After Karlsson was dealt, Ottawa unloaded a slew of other veterans who were playing on expiring contracts and could have assumed the role of captain, including Mark Stone, Matt Duchene, and Ryan Dzingel.

While the timeline to name a captain is unclear, the Sens possess a good core of young players who could take on a leadership role, with Thomas Chabot, Brady Tkachuk, and Colin White all worthy options.

Ottawa finished last in the NHL in 2018-19, posting a 29-47-6 record.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.