It's Wednesday

It's Wednesday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is April 24th, the 114th day of 2013. There are 251 days left in the year.

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McDavid shines, Canada keeps rolling in U-18 tourney.

Playoff picture.

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

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The Library of Congress was established with a $5,000 allocation on this date in 1800.

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Tampa FL. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning held their last practice of the season on Tuesday at the Tampa Bay Times Forum, as that is all the schedule would allow as the team will play three games in four days to conclude the regular campaign.

Read the rest here.

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A patent was granted for the first soda fountain on this date in 1833.

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Wenatchee, WA. -- The Wenatchee Wild open the West Division finals Friday and Saturday against their arch-rivals, the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. Games 1 and 2 are in Wenatchee Friday and Saturday, April 26th and 27th at 10:05pm EDT both nights. Catch all the action on kpq.com or FastHockey.com.

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The Edison General Electric Company was organized on this date in 1889.

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USA Hockey, NHL and Members of Congress to Convene for Hockey Caucus Briefing

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. ­ Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey, will join Gary Bettman, commissioner of the National Hockey League; Ted Leonsis, owner of the NHL’s Washington Capitals; and Velma Hart, chief financial officer of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, in a panel discussion on Capitol Hill tomorrow focused on the state of hockey in the United States, with development and safety as significant topics. The event, slated to begin at 11 a.m. ET in the Rayburn House Office Building, is being hosted by the Congressional Hockey Caucus, including co-chairs Reps. Lee Terry (R-Neb.), Pat Meehan (R-Pa.) and Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) as well as Reps. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.), Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) and Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.). Luke Russert from NBC News will serve as the moderator. USA Hockey has long been a leader in education and safety in the youth sports community. Ogrean will not only discuss the organization’s American Development Model, which was launched in January of 2009, but also many of its long-standing safety programs as well its most recent effort, USA Hockey SafeSport. NOTE: The Congressional Hockey Caucus briefing will also include the announcement of the inaugural NHL/Thurgood Marshall College Fund scholarships. Two college-bound students from the NHL's Hockey is for Everyone (HIFE) official youth development program will receive four-year academic scholarships to attend any U.S. college or university. Under the direction of Bettman, who serves on its board of directors, the NHL/Thurgood Marshall College Fund scholarship was developed in 2012 from monies raised from the annual Congressional Hockey Challenge, the charity hockey game pitting members of Congress and staff against registered lobbyists. U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team Clipped by Finland, 2-1, at 2013 IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship  Hayden Tallies Lone Goal for Team USA SOCHI, Russia – John Hayden (Greenwich, Conn.) tallied the lone goal, as the U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team was clipped by Finland, 2-1, here this evening at Bolshoy Ice Dome in its fourth and final preliminary round game at the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Men's World Championship. Team USA finishes round-robin play with a record of 2-0-0-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L), earning the third seed entering the quarterfinals. "We came out and gave ourselves plenty of chances to win this game," said Don Granato, head coach of the U.S. National Under-18 Team. "This is a very tough tournament and every game holds importance. We would have liked to earn the second seed, but will prepare no differently for our upcoming matchup in the quarterfinals." Thirty-seven seconds into the game, Hayden intercepted a pass in the offensive zone and slid the puck between the pads of Finnish netminder Juuse Saros for the game's opening score. Team USA tested Saros 25 times in the second stanza, but couldn't find the back of the net. Finland tallied the lone goal of the frame off an odd-man rush at 16:14, knotting the game at one. With the game deadlocked at one, the U.S. was whistled for holding and sent to the box. Team USA successfully killed the Finnish power play, but scored just 10 seconds later to gain the lead. The U.S. sent 15 shots on net but was unable to find the equalizer. Thatcher Demko (San Diego, Calif.) turned aside 17 shots in the loss for Team USA, while Saros made 49 saves in the victory for Finland. The U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team will next skate in the quarterfinal round against Sweden on Thursday (April 25) at 4 p.m. local time (8 a.m. EDT), at Shayba Arena. The game will be streamed live on FASTHockey.com. Team USA's complete schedule can be found below. NOTES: John Hayden was named Team USA's Player of the Game ... The U.S. outshot Finland, 50-19 ... For Team USA's full roster, click here ... Twenty-two players on the U.S. roster come from USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program ... The U.S. enters the tournament having captured a record nine consecutive medals, including back-to-back gold medals in 2005-06, four straight gold medals from 2009-12, two silver medals (2004, 2007) and one bronze medal (2008). Team USA’s seven gold medals are the most of any country in IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship history (event began in 1999). Team USA earned its first gold medal in 2002 … The U.S. is in Group A with the Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia and Russia. Group B consists of Canada, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland ... Follow @USAHockeyScores on Twitter for live scoring updates during the tournament. Scores will be designated with #U18MWC ... More information about the tournament can be found here. ... The U.S. National Under-18 Team trains with The Hockey IntelliGym, a revolutionary new software program released on October 1, 2010, that trains hockey sense. To learn more, visit USAHockeyIntelliGym.com. GAME SUMMARY Scoring By Period USA 1 - 0 - 1 - 1 FIN 0 - 1 - 1 - 2 First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Hayden (Ausmus), 0:37. Penalties: FIN, Kinnunen (interference), 3:59; USA, McCarron (holding), 6:30. Second Period - Scoring: 2, FIN, Tanus (Kapanen, Rauhala), 16:14. Penalties: FIN, Lintuniemi (tripping), 0:49; FIN, Ainali (holding), 9:14; USA, Ausmus (holding), 17:44; FIN, Lehkonen (roughing), 18:07; USA, Clifton (cross-checking), 18:07. Third Period - Scoring: 3, FIN, Mustonen (Lehkonen, Ikonen), 7:12. Penalties: USA, Ausmus (holding), 5:02; USA, McCarron (interference), 17:29. Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total USA 10 25 15 50 FIN 4 6 9 19 Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total USA, Demko, 59:37 4/4 5/4 9/8 19/17 FIN, Saros, 60:00 10/9 25/25 15/15 50/49 Power Play: USA 0-3; FIN 0-4 Penalties: USA 5-10; FIN 4-8 Team USA 2013 IIHF Men's World Under-18 Championship Schedule April 18-28 • Sochi, Russia Date Opponent Time (Local/EDT) Live Webcast Sun., April 14 Canada* W, 4-1 FASTHockey.com Thu., April 18 Russia L, 3-4 FASTHockey.com Sat., April 20 Czech Republic W, 4-3 FASTHockey.com Sun., April 21 Latvia W, 7-1 FASTHockey.com Tue., April 23 Finland L, 1-2 FASTHockey.com Thu., April 25 Sweden (QF) 4 p.m./8 a.m. FASTHockey.com Fri., April 26 Semifinals TBD TBD Sun., April 28 Bronze-Medal Game 4 p.m./8 a.m. TBD Sun., April 28 Gold-Medal Game 8 p.m./12 p.m. TBD *pre-tournament game

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William Price became the first to be named White House news reporter on this date in 1897.

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Beasley among seven released by Ticats.

Pierce, Garrett to reunite at Bombers mini-camp.

Visit the league's official website at cfl.ca.

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On this date in 1952, Raymond Burr made his TV acting debut on the "Gruen Guild Playhouse" in an episode titled, "The Tiger."

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Tampa, FL. — Already thrilled with how they spent their first-round pick, the Buccaneers are heading into this week's draft with seven remaining selections and a favorable impression of the strengths of this year's class of prospects.

Read the rest here.

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Winston Churchill was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II on this date in 1953.

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St. Petersburg, FL. -- David Price pitched like a reigning American League Cy Young Award winner on Tuesday night, but he remains winless on the season, taking the loss after Yankees' 4-3 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field.

Read the rest here.

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"X-Minus One," a science fiction show, was heard for the first time on NBC radio on this date in 1955.

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San Francisco, CA. -- In typical Giants fashion, the reigning World Series champions overcame a four-run deficit and nearly completed another come-from-behind victory Tuesday night.

But in an atypical development, the Giants' pitching and defense, typically their biggest assets, betrayed them in an 11th-inning breakdown that gave the D-backs two runs and a 6-4 victory. The decision ended the Giants' seven-game AT&T Park winning streak.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1962, MIT sent a TV signal by satellite for the first time.

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Time to go hunt Easter eggs at churchie.

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

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Today in Elvis History

1992 - "Elvis -- The Great Performances" aired on CBS-TV. The event was hosted by Priscilla from Graceland.

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

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The IBM Personal Computer was introduced on this date in 1981.

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Today in Beatles History:

1965 - The Beatles' "Ticket to Ride" hit #1 in the U.K.

1967 - The Beatles attended a Donovan concert in London.

1968 - The Beatles' Apple Records decided not to sign David Bowie.

1969 - Paul McCartney publicly denied the rumors that he is dead.

1976 - Raquel Welch, Phoebe Snow, John Sebastian and Lorne Michaels were guests on "Saturday Night Live." During this show Lorne Michaels made a statement requesting the Beatles to appear on the show.

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The space shuttle Discovery blasted off from Cape Canaveral, FL on this date in 1990. It was carrying the $1.5 billion Hubble Space Telescope.

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Today in Sports History:

1961 - Sandy Koufax (Los Angeles Dodgers) struck out 18 batters becoming the first major-league pitcher to do so on two different occasions.

1963 - The Boston Celtics won their fifth straight NBA title.

1994 - David Robinson (San Antonio Spurs) scored 71 points againts the Los Angeles Clippers.

2003 - The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim defeated the Dallas Stars 4-3 in 5 overtime periods in game 1 of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Petr Sykora scored 48 seconds into the fifth overtime ending the game as the fourth longest game in NHL history. The final time was 140 minutes and 48 seconds.

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On this date in 2000, ABC-TV aired the TV movie "The Three Stooges."

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks 3:45pm EDT

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

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

Thursday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Boston Bruins 7:30pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox 8:10pm EDT

Friday --

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Toyotacare 250 at Richmond International Raceway 7:30pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox 8:10pm EDT

NAHL Playoff Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild vs Kenai River or Fairbanks 10:05pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 10:10pm EDT

Saturday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers 7:00pm EDT (Final game of regular season)

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox 7:10pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway 7:30pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks 8:40pm EDT

NAHL Playoff Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild vs Kenai River or Fairbanks 10:05pm EDT

Sunday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox 2:10pm EDT

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

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