It's Thursday

It's Thursday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is March 29th, the 89th day of 2012. There are 277 days left in the year.

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No shortage of deserving candidates for Masterton.

If the playoffs started today.

Visit the official league website, http://www.nhl.com/.

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Today's Birthdays: Comedian/actor Eric Idle (Shrek the Third, Monty Python films) is 69; Comedian Amy Sedaris (Strangers With Candy) is 51; Model Elle Macpherson is 48; Actress Annabella Sciorra (The Sopranos) is 52.

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Newark, NJ. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning are on the road tonight to face the New Jersey Devils.

Read the preview right here.

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Today is Knights of Columbus Founders Day, National Mom and Pop Business Owner's Day, Niagra Falls Runs Dry Day and Texas Loves the Children Day. It's also the beginning of Mule Day, a celebration that runs through April 1st. (Linky Link)

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National Team Development Program Weekly Update

U18's Split Last Weekend in USHL, Focus Turns to World U18 Championship;
U17's Dropped by Chicago Last Weekend, Head on the Road for Two Tilts

U17'S HEAD ON ROAD FOR TWO TILTS: The U.S. National Under-17 Team heads on the road in an attempt to secure a playoff bid within the United States Hockey League's Eastern Conference. The U17's first visit the Dubuque (Iowa) Fighting Saints on Saturday (March 31) at the Mystique Ice Center. Puck drop is slated for 8:05 p.m. EDT. The following day (April 1), the U.S. visits the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) RoughRiders for a 4:05 p.m. EDT matinee. The game will be held at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.

U18'S FOCUS TURNS TO WORLD U18 CHAMPIONSHIP: Having closed out the USHL portion of its schedule last weekend, the U.S. National Under-18 Team turns its focus to the 2012 Men's World Under-18 Championship in Brno and Znojmo, Czech Republic. Team USA will enjoy a weekend off before preparing for the tournament that runs from April 12-22. A full roster and schedule will be released next week.

U17'S DROPPED BY STEEL: Tyler Kelleher (Longmeadow, Mass.) tallied three goals and John Hayden (Greenwich, Conn.) earned two assists, but the U.S. National Under-17 Team was dropped by the Chicago Steel, 6-4, at The Edge Ice Arena on March 24.

U18'S SPLIT WEEKEND IN USHL ACTION: Andrew Copp (Ann Arbor, Mich.) registered three points (1-2) and Cameron Darcy (South Boston, Mass.) netted two goals, as the U.S. National Under-18 Team toppled the Muskegon Lumberjacks, 6-1, at L.C. Walker Arena on March 23. Collin Olson (Apple Valley, Minn.) stopped 18 shots in the victory for Team USA. Back at the Ann Arbor (Mich.) Ice Cube on March 25, forwards J.T. Compher (Northbrook, Ill.) and Frankie Vatrano (East Longmeadow, Mass.) recorded one goal and one assist each, but the U.S. National Under-18 Team fell to the Indiana Ice, 5-4, in a shootout.

UNDER-17 TEAM NEWS/NOTES: Forward Anthony Louis (Winfield, Ill.) has at least one goal in back-to-back contests and three overall dating back to March 17 ... Forward Miles Koules (Los Angeles, Calif.) collected one assist in each of his past two games dating back to March 17 ... After missing more than a month due to injury, defenseman Trevor Hamilton (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.) registered an assist on March 24, his first point since Jan. 27 ... John Hayden had two assists on March 24 against Chicago, the forward's second multi-point outing in the USHL this season ... Forward Tyler Kelleher notched the first hat trick of the 2011-12 USHL season by a member of the National Team Development Program on March 24 against Chicago ... Heading into the weekend, Team USA holds the sixth and final playoff position in the USHL's Eastern Conference. With a record of 25-25-5 (W-L-OTL), the U.S. leads seventh place Chicago by 12 points. The Under-17 Team needs just one point to clinch the final spot.

UNDER-18 TEAM NEWS/NOTES: Forward J.T. Compher has four points (3-1) in his last four games dating back to March 16. He is plus-2 overall in those contests ... Matt Grzelcyk (Charlestown, Mass.) finished his USHL season with one assist in four straight games dating back to March 16. The blueliner also recorded a plus-4 rating over that span ... Forward Frankie Vatrano has five points (2-3) in his last four contests dating back to March 16. He is plus-3 overall in those games ... Forward Riley Barber (Livonia, Mich.) has three assists and is plus-2 in his last three games dating back to March 17 ... Brady Skjei (Lakeville, Minn.) has three points (2-1) in his last five games dating back to March 15. One of the defenseman's two goals was the game-winning tally against Indiana (March 17) ... Collin Olson has won his last three starts dating back to March 11. The goaltender posted a 1.65 goals-against average and .932 save percentage in those victories ... The U.S. National Under-18 Team finished March with a 6-2-1 (W-L-OTL) record against the USHL. Overall the Under-18 team compiled a 17-7-4 record against USHL opponents in the 2011-12 season.

NTDP ALUMNI UPDATE: Edmonton defenseman Ryan Whitney (Scituate, Mass./2000-01) earned two assists and was plus-2 in a 6-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 25 ... St. Louis blueliner Kevin Shattenkirk (New Rochelle, N.Y./2005-07) registered three assists in a 4-0 shutout victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on March 25 ... Three former NTDP players earned points in the New York shootout win over Toronto on March 24. Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel (Madison, Wis./2003-05) collected one assist and added to his season total of 77 points (36-41), which is sixth most in the National Hockey League. Teammate and fellow forward Joey Crabb (Anchorage, Alaska/1999-2001) contributed with one goal and one assist, while David Steckel (West Bend, Wis. 1998-2000) registered two assists ... Ottawa Senators forward Nick Foligno (Hummelstown, Pa./2003-04) had a hand in three goals and recorded a plus-3 rating in a 8-4 drubbing of the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 24 ... Philadelphia defenseman Matt Carle (Anchorage, Alaska/2000-02) earned two assists as the Flyers defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 4-1, on March 24 ... A total of 19 former NTDP skaters were on the combined rosters of the 16 schools that qualified for the 2012 NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament.

NTDP ANNOUNCES SIX COMMITMENTS FOR 2012-13 SEASON: Forwards Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford, Mass.), Jared Fiegl (Parker, Colo.), Dylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich.) and Ryan MacInnis (St. Louis, Mo.), along with defensemen Ryan Bliss (Bedford, N.H.) and Jack Glover (Golden Valley, Minn.) have committed to join USA Hockey's NTDP for the 2012-13 season, it was announced earlier this week. The players, all from the 1996 birth year, will compete as members of the U.S. National Under-17 Team.

For the complete weekly update, click here.

ABOUT THE NTDP: In 1996, USA Hockey launched a revolutionary new initiative called the National Team Development Program, based in Ann Arbor, Mich. Celebrating its 15th season of play in 2011-12, the goal of this full-time development program is to prepare student-athletes under the age of 18 for participation on U.S. National Teams and success in their future hockey careers. Its efforts focus not only on high-caliber participation on the ice, but creating well-rounded individuals off the ice.

THE USHL AND FASTHOCKEY: Catch all of Team USA's USHL action on FASTHockey.com, the premier online destination for ice hockey fanatics from around the world. Visitors can choose from an incredible array of games from national governing bodies, conferences, leagues, teams, tournaments, and other events.

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The projected Mega Millions jackpot for Friday night, originally estimated at $476 million, has now been boosted to a whopping $500 million. The top prize will be the biggest Mega Millions jackpot in the multi-state lottery's history and also the biggest lottery in U.S. history. No lottery players in any state have matched all six numbers since January 24.

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Mosaic makeover leads to training camp moves for Riders.

Poblah, Watson expected to anchor Bombers' offence.

Visit the leagues' official website, http://www.cfl.ca/.

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Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is a space nut. Now he's located the engines used on mankind's first trip to the moon. They're stuck on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, and he wants to bring them up to the surface. and get them into a museum. He notes that the project will be privately funded.

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Let's see....What should I do next?

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A regular news service began between New York and London on Marconi's wireless on this date in 1903.

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Today in Elvis History

1958 - Elvis Presley's "Don't" hit #2 in the U.K.

1972 - Elvis Presley recorded the song "Always On My Mind."

1976 - In Memphis, Bruce Springsteen jumped a fence at Graceland in an attempt to see his idol, Elvis Presley.

2004 - The Vermont Teddy Bear Company released a limited edition Elvis Bear 2. The bears were to be offered from March 29-April 24, 2004, at more than 750 Kroger stores free of charge with a minimum purchase.

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POTUS IS SEXY AND HE KNOWS IT - Obama singing Sexy and I Know It.

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Today in Beatles History:

1970 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono announced that Yoko was pregnant.

1986 - It became legal in Russia to buy a Beatles album.

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A Brinks truck hauling anywhere between $3 million and $9 million in Canadian coins was part of a chain-reaction collision involving another truck Wednesday morning that caused the armored transport to spill its heavy load on an Ontario highway. Oh, and one of the other truck was carrying candy.

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Today in Sports History:

1929 - The first NHL Stanley Cup Final between two U.S.-based teams took place. The Boston Bruins beat the New York Rangers to get their first Stanley Cup title.

1970 - Tony Esposito (Chicago Black Hawks) recorded his 15th shutout. It was an NHL record for rookie goalies and the most shut outs in the modern era.

1973 - Bobby Clarke (Philadelphia Flyers) became the first NHL player from a post-'67 expansion team to score 100 points in a season.

1987 - Hulk Hogan took 11 minutes, 43 seconds to pin Andre the Giant in front of 93,136 fans at Wrestlemania III at the Silverdome in Pontiac, MI.

1998 - Tennessee won the woman's college basketball championship over Louisiana State. Tennessee had set a NCAA record with regular season record of 39-0.

1999 - Wayne Gretzky (New York Rangers) scored his 1,072nd professional goal (WHA and NHL combined) passing Gordie Howe who had scored 1,071.

2004 - Steve Moore (Colorado Avalanche) spoke to the media for the first time since Todd Bertuzzi (Vancouver Canucks) sucker-punched him during a game on March 9.

2004 - The NHL approved the sale of the Atlanta Thrashers from Time Warner.

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First Lady Michelle Obama will guest star in a two-part Biggest Loser makeover that whisks the contestants away to the White House to reunite with their loved ones. The episode will air as two, one-hour episodes on Tuesday, April 3 and Tuesday, April 10.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at New Jersey Devils 7:00pm EDT

Friday --

Nothin' Doin'

Saturday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Winnipeg Jets 7:00pm EDT

Sunday --

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway 12:30pm EDT

IZOD Indy Car Series -- Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park 2:00pm EDT

Monday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals 7:00pm EDT

Tuesday --

Nothin' Doin'

Wednesday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Montreal Canadiens 7:30pm EDT

Thursday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Toronto Maple Leafs 7:00pm EDT

Friday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees 3:10pm EDT (Regular season opener)

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 7:10pm EDT

Saturday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Winnipeg Jets 7:00pm EDT (Final game of regular season)

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 4:05pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees 7:10pm EDT

Sunday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees 1:40pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks 4:10pm EDT

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That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by, I hope that you'll do so tomorrow too. Thanks again!