It's Tuesday

It's Tuesday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is April 15th, the 105th day of 2014. There are 260 days left in the year.

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Trotz out as Predators coach after 15 years.

Maple Leafs task Shanahan with changing culture.

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

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Today's Birthdays: Thomas F. Wilson (Biff Tannen in the Back to the Future trilogy) is 55; Olympic swimmer Dara Torres is 47; Seth Rogen (The Green Hornet, Knocked Up) is 32; Emma Watson (Harry Potter movies) is 24.

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Tampa, FL. -- FOX Sports Florida and Sun Sports announced the networks will air all of the first round playoff games between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens, beginning with Game 1 on Wednesday, April 16, live on Sun Sports.

Read the rest here.

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The first balloon was flown in Ireland on this date in 1784.

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After topping the Minnesota Wilderness 3 games to 2, Wenatchee will now face the Fairbanks Ice Dogs in the Midwest Division finals, with the series starting this Friday in Fairbanks. Individual and group game tickets for all home playoff games are on sale now. Call 509.888.PUCK (7825). WILD 2.0 UPGRADE ************************************************ The city of San Francisco was incorporated on this date in 1850. ************************************************ U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team Drops Germany, 9-1, in World Championship Tune-Up Bjork Scores Twice, 14 Players Record at Least One Point VIERUMAKI, Finland. - Anders Bjork (Mequon, Wis.) notched two goals and registered two assists, and 14 other players recorded at least one, point as the U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team defeated Germany, 9-1, here today at Vierumaki Arena. The game served as a tune up to the 2014 International Ice Hockey Federation Men's Under-18 World Championship. The tournament officially begins on April 17. Team USA opened the scoring at 11:25 of the first frame. Joe Wegwerth (Brewster, N.Y.) set up Johnathan MacLeod (Dracut, Mass.) in the left faceoff circle. MacLeod received the pass and wristed the puck high over the glove of German goaltender Florian Proske. Bjork also assisted. The U.S. outshot its opponent, 15-4, in the period, as Edwin Minney (Wind Gap, Pa.) turned aside each attempt he saw. Alex Tuch (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) doubled the U.S. lead on the power play just over two minutes into the second stanza. Sonny Milano (Massapequa, N.Y.) and Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford, Mass.) cycled the puck on the right side before Milano swung the puck back out to Louie Belpedio (Skokie, Ill.) inside the blue line. Belpedio blasted a slapshot that was tipped in front by Tuch for the score. With 1:39 left on the clock, Bjork took a centering pass and roofed the puck into the net to extend the U.S. lead to three. Dylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich.) and Ryan Hitchcock (Manhasset, N.Y.) earned the assists. Milano tapped the puck past Daniel Fiessinger for Team USA's fourth goal 1:41 into the final stanza. Eichel earned the lone assist on the tally. Dylan Pavelek (Marysville, Mich.) notched a goal less than two minutes later with helpers going to Auston Matthews (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Shane Gersich (Chaska, Minn.). After a too-many-men call against Germany, Milano scored again after taking a feed from Eichel. Brandon Fortunato (North Hills, N.Y.) also assisted. Hitchcock made the score 7-0 before Germany lit the lamp for the first time. Larkin and Bjork executed a give-and-go for the eighth U.S. goal, as Bjork deposited the puck into the net. Kyle Connor (Shelby Township, Mich.) one-timed the puck past Fiessinger to give Team USA a 9-1 lead that stood until time expired. Jack Glover (Golden Valley, Minn.) and Gersich collected helpers on the play. Minney and Alex Nedeljkovic (Parma, Ohio) shared duties in the U.S. net this afternoon, combining to stop 25 shots in the victory. Team USA opens tournament play in preliminary-round action versus Switzerland on April 17, in Lappeenranta. Game time is scheduled for 8 a.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast for free through FASTHockey.com. 2014 IIHF Men's U18 World Championship Schedule - United States April 17-27, 2014 • Lappeenranta, Finland Date Opponent Time (Local/EDT)/Result Live Webcast Tues., April 14 Germany* W, 9-1 -- Thurs., April 17 Switzerland 3:00 p.m. / 8:00 a.m. FASTHockey.com Sat., April 19 Czech Republic 3:00 p.m. / 8:00 a.m. FASTHockey.com Sun., April 20 Denmark 6:30 p.m. / 11:30 a.m. FASTHockey.com Tues., April 22 Finland 6:30 p.m. / 11:30 a.m. FASTHockey.com Thurs., April 24 Quarterfinals TBD TBD Sat., April 26 Semifinals TBD TBD Sun., April 27 Bronze-Medal 3:00 p.m. / 8:00 a.m. TBD Gold-Medal 7:00 p.m. / 12:00 p.m. TBD *pre-tournament game NOTES: For a complete U.S. roster, click here ... The U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team is led by Danton Cole, serving as head coach at his second IIHF Men's Under-18 World Championship. Cole is currently in his fourth season as one of two head coaches at USA Hockey's National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich. ... The U.S. squad seeks its eighth gold medal in the event after capturing the tournament title in four of the last five years. Team USA had won four-consecutive gold medals before having its streak snapped last year in Sochi, Russia. The silver medal in 2013 marked 10-straight top-three finishes for the U.S. ... Twenty players on the U.S. roster come from USA Hockey's NTDP. Kyle Connor (Shelby Township, Mich.) skated this season for the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League. Alex Nedeljkovic played for the Ontario Hockey League's Plymouth Whalers ... The roster for the U.S. features 15 players recently listed on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of draft-eligible players. Among those players in the top twenty are forwards Alex Tuch (Baldwinsville, N.Y./12th), Sonny Milano (Massapequa, N.Y./16th) andDylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich./17th). Goaltenders Alex Nedeljkovic (Parma, Ohio) and Edwin Minney (Wind Gap, Pa.) were ranked fourth and seventh respectively ... Team USA's roster includes 20 players born in 1996 and two from the 1997 birth year. Forward Auston Matthews (Scottsdale, Ariz.), born Sept. 17, 1997, is Team USA's youngest player, while Nedeljkovic, born Jan. 7, 1996, is the oldest ... Eleven different states are represented on the roster. New York leads the way with five skaters, while Minnesota boasts four ... The U.S. enters the tournament having captured a record 10-consecutive medals, including back-to-back golds in 2005-06 and four-straight gold medals from 2009-12; three silver medals (2004, 2007, 2013); and one bronze medal (2008). Team USA's seven gold medals are the most of any country in IIHF Men's Under-18 World Championship history. The event began in 1999. Team USA earned its first gold medal in 2002 ... The U.S. will play in Group B alongside the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland and Switzerland. Group A consists of Canada, Germany, Russia, Slovakia and Sweden ... Follow @USAHockeyScores on Twitter for live scoring updates during the tournament. Scores will be designated with the #U18Worlds tag ... For additional coverage, visit the NTDP Facebook page and follow @USANTDP on Twitter ... The U.S. National Under-18 and Under-17 Teams train with The Hockey IntelliGym, a software program that trains hockey sense. To learn more, visit USAHockeyIntelliGym.com. NCAA Champion Union College Closes the Season at No. 1 in USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine 19th Annual Men's College Hockey Poll - #26 (First-place votes in parentheses) Rank School Last Week's Ranking 2013-14 Record Weeks in Top 15 1 Union College, 510 (34) 2 32-6-4 20 2 University of Minnesota, 476 1 28-7-6 26 3 Boston College, 442 3 28-8-4 26 4 UMass Lowell, 380 4 26-11-4 25 5 University of North Dakota, 363 5 25-14-3 16 6 Ferris State University, 334 6 29-11-3 20 7 University of Wisconsin, 318 8 24-11-2 25 8 St. Cloud State University, 251 7 22-11-5 26 9 Providence College, 235 9 22-11-6 26 10 Quinnipiac University, 195 10 24-10-6 26 11 University of Notre Dame, 185 11 23-15-2 22 12 Minnesota State University, 151 12 26-14-1 6 13 Colgate University, 126 13 20-14-5 5 14 University of Vermont, 50 14 20-15-3 5 15 University of Denver, 21 15 20-16-6 4 Others receiving votes: Cornell University, 20; University of Michigan, 20; Northeastern University, 3. Notes: Union College is the No. 1-ranked team to close the year after winning the first NCAA championship in program history ... The Hockey East Association leads the way with five ranked teams, while ECAC Hockey and the National Collegiate Hockey Conference boast three ranked programs each, and the Big Ten Conference and Western Collegiate Hockey Association are both represented by two teams in the poll ... A total of 18 teams received votes. About the poll: The 19th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll was conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll included input from coaches and journalists representing each of the six NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey. USA Hockey's Ken Martel to Present at 2014 United States Olympic Academy in Los Angeles Player development is the theme of USOC / LA84 Foundation event COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Hockey's Ken Martel will be among the featured presenters at the 2014 United States Olympic Academy, which begins tomorrow (April 15) in Los Angeles. Martel, who serves as technical director of USA Hockey's renowned American Development Model, will present a case-study overview of the ADM and its positive effect on athlete development. The invitation-only Academy, co-hosted by the U.S. Olympic Committee and the LA84 Foundation, was founded as a forum for Olympic education in 1977. Since then, the Academy has focused on various themes, bringing together leading experts, coaches, scholars and Olympians to advance the educational and social principles of Olympic participation. The 2014 U.S. Olympic Academy theme is athlete development. In addition to Martel, this year’s Academy speakers will include International Olympic Committee member Anita L. DeFrantz, USOC CEO Scott Blackmun, Tom Farrey of the Aspen Institute, two Olympians (cyclist Dotsie Bausch and water polo athlete Brenda Villa) and one Paralympian (track athlete Jarryd Wallace), among others. The 2014 Academy event will be streamed at TeamUSA.org. In addition to participating at the Academy event, Martel, along with Ty Hennes, a USA Hockey ADM regional manager, will conduct a separate on-ice ADM practice with bantam-aged players from the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings youth hockey organizations. Martel and Hennes will also hold an ADM forum with coaches from those teams, detailing player development plans and concepts. ************************************************ "Wild Bill" Hickok became the marshal of Abilene, Kansas on this date in 1871. ************************************************ Crompton ready to bring his best when camps resume.

So long Sultan: Hage announces retirement.

Please visit the league's official website, cfl.ca.

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NEW ON DVD - Released April 15

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
The Nut Job
Ride Along
Philomena
The Practice: The Final Season
Beverly Hillbillies: Official Fourth Season
The Cosby Show Season 3
The Cosby Show Season 4
Married With Children Season 3 & 4
Anger Management - Volume 3

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Tampa, FL. — With an intriguing mix of returning talent buoyed by two aggressive moves in free agency, the Bucs' defensive line has enough promise to get new D-Line Coach Joe Cullen excited about the 2014 season.

Read the rest here.

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Today is Income Tax Pay Day.

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Baltimore, MD. -- Tampa Bay needed Chris Archer to step up and pitch like Chris Archer Monday night.

Read the rest here.

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US Airways tweeted out a nasty photo Monday. [It was a photo of an inflight dinner entree.]

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San Francisco, CA. -- With a son having embarked upon a professional baseball career, Giants coach Shawon Dunston has made him aware of Jackie Robinson's enduring impact.

Read the rest here.

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The General Electric Company was organized on this date in 1892.

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Jimmy gets a pencil.

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You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as taking your son to his first baseball practice, isn't it?

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Today in Elvis History

1957 - Elvis Presley visited the estate he just bought.

1969 - Elvis Presley signed a contract for his appearance at the Las Vegas International Hotel in August.

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On this date in 1899, Thomas Edison organized the Edison Portland Cement Company.

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Today in Beatles History:

1927 -  Author Albert Goldman was born. He wrote a John Lennon biography and the liner notes for Professor Longhair.

1971 - The Beatles won an Oscar for Best Film Music (Original Song Score) for "Let It Be."

  
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In the comic strip "Blondie," Dagwood and Blondie Bumstead welcomed a baby boy, Alexander on this date in 1934. The child would be nicknamed, Baby Dumpling.

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Today in Sports History:

1947 - Jackie Robinson played his first major league baseball game for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Previously he had only appeared in exhibition games. 

1972 - The major league baseball season began following a players strike.

1976 - Yankee Stadium II opened.

1989 - In Sheffield, England, 96 people died at Hillsborough stadium during a semifinal soccer match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Most of the victims were crushed when a barrier collapsed on an overcrowded pen behind one of the goals.

2000 - Cal Ripken Jr. (Baltimore Orioles) became the 24th major league player to reach 3,000 hits.

2002 - HSN began airing "The NHL Show" featuring Phil Esposito. 

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A Florida (Boynton Beach) woman said a burglar broke into her home and took a shower. And before he left he also stole some lunch meat.

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DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Here are the latest Sprint Cup standings.

Read the rest here.

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Is Jennifer Lopez dead? No, the actress and singer might not have much going on in her career right now but she's not dead. It was just a hoax going around the Internet.

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers 10:15pm EDT

Wednesday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 12:35pm EDT

NHL Playoffs -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Montreal Canadiens 7:00pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers 10:15pm EDT

Thursday --

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers 3:45pm EDT

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

Friday --

NHL Playoffs -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Montreal Canadiens 7:00pm EDT

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

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

NAHL Playoffs -- Wenatchee Wild at Fairbanks Ice Dogs 11:35pm EDT

Saturday --

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

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 8:40pm EDT

NAHL Playoffs -- Wenatchee Wild at Fairbanks Ice Dogs 11:35pm EDT

Sunday --

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

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 4:10pm EDT

NHL Playoffs -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Montreal Canadiens 7:00pm EDT

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