Next season, Russian hockey fans will have options.

The nation's greatest athletic exports will be carried live for the first time, as it has been announced that the NHL reached a multi-platform partnership with Eurosport to broadcast games for the next three seasons.

"This agreement with Eurosport will come as great news to NHL fans in Russia," the NHL's Executive Vice President of Media Distribution and Strategy said in a statement.

"Our global strategy and commitment is to bring the biggest stars in the NHL into homes around the world and to inspire the future generation of NHL players."

Eurosport is the leader in winter sports coverage in Europe. It broadcasts major international tournaments and competitions for a variety of popular winter sports, and also provides coverage for Russia's Kontinental Hockey League.

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One day after proclaiming he should be selected first overall, Patrik Laine continued to talk himself up at the NHL Draft Combine in Buffalo on Saturday.

The 18-year-old compared himself to six-time Rocket Richard Trophy-winner Alex Ovechkin, telling TSN's Gino Reda it will take him five years to be like the Washington Capitals captain.

And the 18-year-old's ambitions don't stop there. "I have the best ability to become the best player in the NHL someday," Laine said, according to Sportsnet's Matt Brown.

The Finnish winger likened his competition for the Maple Leafs' No. 1 pick - Auston Matthews - to Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews, but claimed he has a better shot and is a better goal-scorer than his American counterpart.

"We're quite even," Laine said, according to Brown, after being asked by all eight teams he interviewed with to compare himself and Matthews. "Toronto will have a tough decision to make."

The second overall pick belongs to the Winnipeg Jets.

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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - The Los Angeles Kings have re-signed defenceman Brayden McNabb to a two-year contract. The Kings announced the deal Saturday. McNabb has been a dependable presence on defence the past two seasons, scoring 38 points in ...

The Los Angeles Kings signed defenseman Brayden McNabb to a two-year contract extension Saturday, the team announced.

Am told McNabb's AAV is in the $1.7-1.75M range; don't have the exact number at this moment.

— Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) June 4, 2016

The 25-year-old is coming off his second season with the Kings, when he contributed two goals and 14 points in 81 games and led the team with 92 penalty minutes.

McNabb avoids arbitration with the deal as he was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1.

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Joe Thornton may be 36 years old, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have something to offer Team Canada.

The San Jose Sharks forward nabbed one of the final roster spots on Canada's World Cup of Hockey roster, and while he may be the oldest member of the team - by nearly four years - general manager Doug Armstrong believes he brings a couple of obvious skills to the table.

"He doesn’t play as much down low in his own zone, so he’s gone to a three-quarter ice game, which allows him to play with more speed in the neutral zone," Armstrong said Friday, according to Postmedia's Michael Traikos. "He’s still one of the best power-play players, and in my opinion he’s one of the top three passers - if not the best - in the world."

Thornton finished second to Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson with 63 assists during the regular season and sits tied for 13th on the all-time assists list.

After earning a gold medal with Canada at the 2010 Olympics, Thornton will make his seventh international appearance in September and will surely be looked upon to continue threading the needle.

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SAN JOSE, Calif. - Pete DeBoer was a 17-year-old kid at prom when he met Muhammad Ali. The San Jose Sharks head coach offered his recollections of the boxing great unprompted ahead of Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final, which takes place Saturda...

Muhammad Ali has apparently touched almost everybody in the sports world - including San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer.

At the end of his press conference Saturday, unprompted, DeBoer shared the story of when he met the boxing legend, who died Friday at 74.

It was at his prom, of all places, where he met "The Greatest."

"I just want to end with a quick thing on Muhammad Ali," DeBoer said. "Lost a great person. The reason I want to speak about him, I'm not a collector of sports memorabilia, but I have three things in my basement: I have a Wayne Gretzky stick, a Bobby Orr print, a Mike Weir Masters print, and I have a Quran signed by Muhammad Ali.

"I wouldn't normally share this with you, but I think considering the circumstances today. I got it 30 years ago. I was at my prom at the Royal Connaught Hotel in Hamilton. I was a 17-year-old kid. Had my tux on. I was in the lobby.

"Muhammad Ali walked in with his entourage. He was there for some type of appearance. I asked one of the entourage if I could meet him with my friends. He said to give him a minute. He came back to me and he said, 'Muhammad Ali is up in this room. Meet him up in his room in five minutes.'

"Me and three or four of my buddies went up to the room. He got out a Quran for each of us. He wasn't preaching or trying to convert us, he just personalized each one for us, asked us some questions about what we were doing.

"It was an unbelievable life experience for me. I think, considering the circumstances, how this guy transcended not just boxing and sport, but how many people he's touched, it's an appropriate story to tell."

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When the puck is dropped for Game 3 on Saturday night, history will be made.

For the first time in franchise history, the San Jose Sharks will host a Stanley Cup Final game, and despite facing a 2-0 hole, the team is looking forward to relishing home ice.

"You can feel the energy going around the city right now," captain Joe Pavelski told Nicholas Cotsonika of NHL.com.

The Sharks and their fans endured a rough patch after squandering a 3-0 series lead to their in-state rival Los Angeles Kings in 2014, then missing the playoffs in 2015.

The only California-based team to not win a Cup, San Jose is happy to be where they are after all the past adversity.

"(Losing that way to the Kings) was as low as you can get as a professional athlete, individually and team-wise, and then last year obviously tough times missing the playoffs, going through some stuff as a team," said leading scorer Logan Couture. "But I really think everything we've gone through has made us a lot stronger as a group."

"I think we're just excited to be home and an opportunity to play in front of our fans who have been waiting 25 years for this game," Couture added.

Sharks forward Joe Thornton expects the home crowd to be ready.

"I think once you get into the Shark Tank, you'll know why (home ice has been an advantage)," Thornton said. "It's extremely loud, extremely intimidating."

The Sharks own a 7-2 record at home in the postseason thus far.

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SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose Sharks will be without top-line forward Tomas Hertl for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. Coach Peter DeBoer said Hertl will miss Saturday's game with a lower-body injury. Dainius Zubrus will return to the lineu...

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Tomas Hertl will not play for the San Jose Sharks in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final. Hertl did not practise Friday morning because of a lower-body injury and will be unavailable to play on Saturday evening, according to Sh...