Christmas Eve Meissnervations

It's Monday. Here's what's happening.

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Today is December 24th, the 359th day of 2012. There are 7 days left in the year.

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A cautionary holiday lockout tale: 'How The Greed Stole Hockey!'

NHL and union speak, but no new meetings scheduled.

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

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Franz Gruber of Oberndorf, Germany composed the music for "Silent Night" to words written by Josef Mohr on this date in 1818.

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U.S. National Junior Team Loses to Finland, 5-1, in Final Tune-up for IIHF World Junior Championship

Team WIll Travel to Ufa, Russia Tomorrow

HELSINKI, Finland – The U.S. National Junior Team lost to Finland, 5-1, in its final pre-tournament contest here tonight at Helsinki Ice Hall. Blake Pietila (Brighton, Mich./Michigan Tech Univ.) scored Team USA's only goal. The team will now prepare for the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship Dec. 26, 2012-Jan. 5, 2013, in Ufa, Russia. "Finland took the lead in the first period and I thought we disrupted the flow of our play by taking penalties," said Phil Housley, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team. "We cannot afford to take as many penalties as we did and expect to win. We will focus on becoming more disciplined before the tournament begins." Finland gained a 1-0 advantage on a wrist shot from the right circle at 15:47 of the first period. Team USA nearly scored on the power play a few minutes later, but Rocco Grimaldi's (Rossmoor, Calif./Univ. of North Dakota) rebound bid was ruled to have not crossed the goal line.Following a scoreless second period, the Finns scored twice in the opening 2:17 of the third period to lead 3-0. Less than a minute later, Pietila cut the deficit to two goals by converting a rebound chance. Jacob Trouba(Rochester, Mich./Univ. of Michigan) assisted on the goal. Finland solidified the win with its second and third power-play goals of the game at 5:02 and 11:31. Team USA now flies to Ufa, Russia, on Sunday night (Dec. 23). The first game for the U.S. at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship is Thursday, Dec. 27, vs. Germany. Game time is 8 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET) with NHL Network (DirectTV 215, Dish 403) broadcasting live and NHL.com streaming live. NOTES: Seth Jones (Plano, Texas/Portland Winterhawks) was named Team USA's Player of the Game ... For the most thorough coverage of Team USA at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship, click here ... NHL Network is broadcasting all Team USA games live and re-airing them in prime time each night. NHL.com is also streaming all games live ... Phil Housley (South St. Paul, Minn.), head boy's ice hockey coach at Stillwater (Minn.) High School, is the head coach of the 2013 U.S. National Junior Team. He is assisted by Mark Osiecki (Columbus, Ohio), head men's ice hockey coach at Ohio State University, Grant Potulny (Minneapolis, Minn.), assistant men's ice hockey coach at the University of Minnesota and David Lassonde (Denver, Colo.), assistant men's ice hockey coach at the University of Denver ... Jim Johannson (Colorado Springs, Colo.), USA Hockey's assistant executive director of hockey operations, is serving as the general manager of Team USA for the fourth consecutive year. Tim Taylor(Guilford, Conn.) is the director of player personnel ... Use the hashtag #USAWJC to join the conversation on Twitter. GAME SUMMARY Scoring By Period Team 1 2 3 Total Finland 1 0 4 5 USA 0 0 1 1 First Period – Scoring: 1, FIN, Leino (Nykopp, Hannikainen), 15:47. Penalties: USA, Gibson (delay of game), 0:55; USA, Miller (tripping), 10:46; USA, Grimaldi (slashing), 13:21; FIN, Riikola (interference), 16:19; FIN, Hannikainen (hooking), 17:37. Second Period – Scoring: None. Penalties: USA, Pietila (slashing), 5:31; FIN, Barkov (hooking), 8:11; USA, Gostisbehere (slashing), 12:26; FIN, Salomaki (hooking), 12:54; USA, Jones (slashing), 19:08. Third Period – Scoring: 2, FIN, Granland (Maata, Salomaki), 1:06 (pp); 3, FIN, Barkov (Haapala, Lehkonen), 2:17; 4, USA, Pietila (Trouba), 3:12; 5, FIN, Lehkonen (Barkov, Aaltonen), 5:02 (pp); 6, FIN, Teravainen (Barkov, Ristolainen), 11:31 (pp). Penalties: USA, Matteau (checking to the head), 3:40; USA, Matteau (10-minute misconduct), 3:40; USA, Hartman (boarding), 11:10; FIN, Salomaki (boarding), 12:03; Armia, (Interference), 16:20. Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total USA 10 10 13 33 Finland 4 12 14 30 Goaltender (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total USA, Gibson, 60:00 3/4 12/12 10/14 25/30 FIN, Korpisalo, 31: 53 10/10 6/6 -- 16/16 FIN, Laurikainen, 28:07 -- 4/4 12/13 16/17 Power Play: USA 0-6; FIN 3-8 Penalties: USA 9-26; FIN 6-12  2013 IIHF World Junior Championship ScheduleDec. 26, 2012-Jan. 5, 2013 • Ufa, Russia • Ufa Arena  Date Matchup Time (Local/EST)/Result Broadcast/Streaming Thurs., Dec. 20 USA vs. Sweden* W, 3-2 OT NHL Network Sat., Dec. 22 Finland vs. USA* L, 1-5 NHL Network Thurs., Dec. 27 USA vs. Germany 8:00 p.m./9:00 a.m. NHL Network/NHL.com Fri., Dec. 28 USA vs. Russia 8:00 p.m./9:00 a.m. NHL Network/NHL.com Sun., Dec. 30 USA vs. Canada 3:30 p.m./4:30 a.m. NHL Network/NHL.com Mon., Dec. 31 USA vs. Slovakia 4:00 p.m./5:00 a.m. NHL Network/NHL.com Wed., Jan. 2 Quarterfinal #1 Quarterfinal #2 5:00 p.m./4:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m./8:00 a.m. NHL Network/NHL.com NHL Network/NHL.com Thurs., Jan. 3 Semifinal #1 Semifinal #2 5:00 p.m./4:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m./8:00 a.m. NHL Network/NHL.com NHL Network/NHL.com Sat., Jan. 5 Bronze Medal Game Gold Medal Game 5:00 p.m./4:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m./8:00 a.m. NHL Network/NHL.com NHL Network/NHL.com

*pre-tournament game in Helsinki, Finland Players Selected For 2012 U.S. Women’s National Team Winter Camp Thirteen 2010 Olympians included on the roster COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Hockey today released the roster for the 2012 U.S. Women’s National Team Winter Camp, which will be held at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn., from December 26 – 31, 2012.  Thirty-six players have been invited and will be divided into two teams of 18 – Team Blue and Team White - for a series of intrasquad scrimmages. “This camp is a critical step in our player evaluation process as we look ahead to the 2013 IIHF Women’s World Championship,” said Reagan Carey (Colorado Springs, Colo.) USA Hockey’s director of women’s hockey. “It’s an extremely competitive camp that allows our top 36 players to compete at the highest level.” The six-day camp will include two days of physical fitness testing, three days of practice, and three games. All games will be open to the public. Included on the two rosters are thirteen 2010 Olympians and 18 players that competed for Team USA at the 2012 IIHF Women’s World Championship. Ten of those players were on both the 2010 Olympic and 2012 Women's World Championship rosters. Twenty-two players are currently playing collegiate hockey while 14 others are post-graduate players. For the Team Blue roster, click here.  For the Team White roster, click here. NOTES:  The roster is composed of players from 16 different states (six each from Massachusetts and Minnesota; four from Wisconsin; three each from Connecticut, Illinois, and New York; two from North Dakota; and one each from Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington … Six leagues contributed players to the roster: 11 from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association; nine from the Canadian Women’s Hockey League; six from ECAC Hockey; six from Hockey East Association; and one each from the Western Women’s Hockey League and the Great Lakes Hockey League … Two players, Brianne McLaughlin(Sheffield Village, Ohio) and Lisa Chesson (Plainfield, Ill.), play in local men's leagues ... Jenny Potter (Edina, Minn.) is the oldest player attending camp (33 years, 11 months) and Courtney Burke (Albany, N.Y.) is the youngest (18 years, 3 months) ... Head Coach Katey Stone (Arlington, Mass.) will guide Team USA in the 2013 IIHF Women's World Championship in Ottawa, Canada, and the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. 2012 U.S. Women's National Team Winter Camp Intrasquad Game Schedule Date Event Start Time (CST) Fri., Dec. 28 Team Blue vs. Team White 6:30 p.m. Sat. Dec. 29 Team Blue vs. Team White 6:00 p.m. Mon., Dec. 31 Team Blue vs. Team White 8:45 a.m. *All times subject to change.  All games played on Rink 6 at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn.

2013 U.S. National Junior Team Roster Nears Completion

Team USA Travels to Ufa, Russia Today

HELSINKI, Finland - USA Hockey announced today that its U.S. National Junior Team roster has been trimmed to 24 players, one shy of the final number that will participate at the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship Dec. 26, 2012-Jan. 5, 2013, in Ufa, Russia.

The roster includes three returnees from the 2012 U.S. National Junior Team, including goaltender John Gibson(Pittsburgh, Pa./Kitchener Rangers), defenseman Jacob Trouba (Rochester, Mich./Univ. of Michigan) and forwardJ.T. Miller (East Palestine, Ohio/Hartford Whale). 

"We are very close to finalizing our group of defensemen, pending the resolution of a medical situation," said Jim Johannson, general manager of the 2012 U.S. National Junior Team and also the assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey. "We are set with our 13 forwards and three goaltenders. The decisions we made today were very difficult and are a testament to the talent available to us in the United States."

The U.S. will look to earn its third medal in four years after capturing the gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship in Saskatoon, Sask., and the bronze medal at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y.

For the updated roster, click here.

The updated roster includes players from California to Massachusetts and Minnesota and Michigan to Texas and Florida. In all, 13 states are represented.

NOTES: For the most thorough coverage of Team USA at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship, click here ... The U.S. National Junior Team is concluding its pre-tournament training in Helsinki, Finland, where it played two pre-tournament games. The U.S. beat Sweden in overtime, 3-2, Dec. 20 and lost to vs. Finland, 5-1, on Dec. 22 ... The U.S. roster includes 10 first- or second-round NHL Entry Draft picks, including five first-rounders ... NHL Network is broadcasting all Team USA games live and re-airing them in prime time each night. NHL.com is also streaming all games live ... Phil Housley (South St. Paul, Minn.), head boy's ice hockey coach at Stillwater (Minn.) High School, is the head coach of the 2013 U.S. National Junior Team. He will be assisted by Mark Osiecki(Columbus, Ohio), head men's ice hockey coach at Ohio State University, Grant Potulny (Minneapolis, Minn.), assistant men's ice hockey coach at the University of Minnesota and David Lassonde (Denver, Colo.), assistant men's ice hockey coach at the University of Denver ... Jim Johannson (Colorado Springs, Colo.), USA Hockey's assistant executive director of hockey operations, is serving as the general manager of Team USA for the fourth consecutive year. Tim Taylor (Guilford, Conn.) is the director of player personnel ... Use the hashtag #USAWJC to join the conversation on Twitter.

McCabe Named Captain of 2013 U.S. National Junior Team

Bardreau, Jones, Miller, Trouba Tabbed Alternate Captains

HELSINKI, Finland - Jake McCabe (Eau Claire, Wis./Univ. of Wisconsin) was named captain of the 2013 U.S. National Junior Team, USA Hockey announced today. Joining McCabe as alternate captains are Cole Bardreau(Fairport, N.Y./Cornell Univ.), Seth Jones (Plano, Texas/Portland Winterhawks), J.T. Miller (East Palestine, Ohio/Connecticut Whale) and Jacob Trouba (Rochester, Mich./Univ. of Michigan). The alternate captains will be split into two pairs, with Jones and Miller wearing an 'A' in one uniform color and Bardreau and Trouba doing do so in the other jersey color. Trouba and Miller each played on the 2012 U.S. National Junior Team. For the current roster, click here. The U.S. will look to earn its third medal in four years at the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia, Dec. 26, 2012-Jan. 5, 2013. Team USA captured the gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship in Saskatoon, Sask., and the bronze medal at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y. Team USA flies to Ufa, Russia, tonight. The first game for the U.S. at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship is Thursday, Dec. 27, vs. Germany. Game time is 8 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET) with NHL Network (DirectTV 215, Dish 403) broadcasting live and NHL.com streaming live.  NOTES: Seth Jones and Jacob Trouba were the co-captains of the 2010-11 U.S. National Under-17 Team and the2011-12 U.S. National Under-18 Team. Cole Bardreau and Jake McCabe were alternate captains on the 2009-10 U.S. National Under 17 Team. Bardreau was also wore an 'A' for the 2010-11 U.S. National Under-18 Team. The U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams are part of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program ... For the most thorough coverage of Team USA at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship, click here ... The U.S. National Junior Team has concluded its pre-tournament training in Helsinki, Finland, where it played two pre-tournament games. The U.S. beat Sweden in overtime, 3-2, Dec. 20 and lost to vs. Finland, 5-1, on Dec. 22 ... NHL Network is broadcasting all Team USA games live and re-airing them in prime time each night. NHL.com is also streaming all games live ... The U.S. roster includes 10 first- or second-round NHL Entry Draft picks, including five first-rounders ... Thirteen states are represented among the current 24-man roster, stretching from California to Massachusetts, and Minnesota and Michigan to Texas and Florida ... Phil Housley (South St. Paul, Minn.), head boy's ice hockey coach at Stillwater (Minn.) High School, is the head coach of the 2013 U.S. National Junior Team. He will be assisted by Mark Osiecki (Columbus, Ohio), head men's ice hockey coach at Ohio State University,Grant Potulny (Minneapolis, Minn.), assistant men's ice hockey coach at the University of Minnesota and David Lassonde (Denver, Colo.), assistant men's ice hockey coach at the University of Denver ... Jim Johannson(Colorado Springs, Colo.), USA Hockey's assistant executive director of hockey operations, is serving as the general manager of Team USA for the fourth consecutive year. Tim Taylor (Guilford, Conn.) is the director of player personnel ... Use the hashtag #USAWJC to join the conversation on Twitter.

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On this date in 1906, Reginald A. Fessenden became the first person to broadcast a music program over radio, from Brant Rock, MA.

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Corvallis, OR. -- It would come as a surprise to some Oregon State football players that the Beavers (9-3) are favored to beat Texas (8-4) in the Alamo Bowl on Saturday.

Read the rest here.

Visit the Oregon State Athletics department official web site.

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The first broadcast of "The Voice of Firestone" was heard on this date in 1928.

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Hunt remains diligent in search of Ottawa's first GM.

Top 10 Hits of 2012.

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

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On this date in 1944, The Andrews Sisters starred in the debut of "The Andrews Sisters’ Eight-To-The-Bar-Ranch" on ABC Radio.

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Tampa, FL. —Tampa Bay outgained the visiting Rams by almost 150 yards Sunday but couldn’t overcome five turnovers and two failed fourth downs inside the St. Louis 10-yard line, dropping a 28-13 defeat.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1948, for the first time ever, a midnight Mass was broadcast on television. It was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.

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Look Daddy. I got a Tootsie Roll.

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You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as watching kids shows, isn't it?

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Today in Elvis History

1957 - In a letter to the Memphis Draft Board, Elvis Presley formally requested a deferment for the filming of his new movie "King Creole." The request was granted on December 26th.

1965 - Elvis Presley proposed to Priscilla Beaulieu.

1977 - Elvis Presley's version of "My Way" hit #22 in the U.S.

1994 - The Elvis Presley song "If Everyday Was Like Christmas" hit #94 in the U.S.

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On this date in 1948, the first completely solar-heated house became occupied in Dover, MA.

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Today in Beatles History:

1980 - John Lennon's "(Just Like) Starting Over" was certified gold by the RIAA.

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On this date in 1951, NBC-TV presented, "Amal and the Night Visitors," the first opera written for television.

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Today in Sports History:

1967 - Joe Namath (New York Jets) became the first NFL quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards.

1981 - Reggie Jackson announced that he would join Gene Autry’s California Angels for the 1982 season.

2000 - 36 minutes after the end of a game, both the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins were called back to the playing field. The teams had to play the final 3 seconds of the game which the Dolphins had won 27-24. The end result did not change.

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On this date in 1966, Luna 13 landed on the moon.

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

Nothin' Doin'

Tuesday --

Nothin' Doin'

Wednesday --

Nothin' Doin'

Thursday --

Nothin' Doin'

Friday --

Nothin' Doin'

Saturday --

College Football -- Oregon State Beavers vs. Texas Longhorns 6:45pm EST

Sunday --

NFL Football -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers  at Atlanta Falcons 1:00pm EST

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That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow!