It's Friday

It's Friday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is January 2nd, the 2nd day of 2015. There are 363 days left in the year.

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Capitals win Winter Classic in final seconds.

Oilers' Aulie suspended two games for illegal check.

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

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On this date in 1788, Georgia became the 4th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

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Tampa, FL. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning have reassigned goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy to the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League today, vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1842 in Fairmount, PA, the first wire suspension bridge was opened to traffic.

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U.S. Falls, 5-3, to Canada in Final Preliminary Round Game at IIHF World Junior Championship U.S. Will Face Russia in Quarterfinals Friday at 1 p.m. ET on NHL Network MONTREAL — The U.S. National Junior Team dropped a 5-3 decision to host Canada in its final preliminary contest of the IIHF World Junior Championship this afternoon. Goaltender Thatcher Demko (San Diego, Calif./Boston College), who made 38 saves, was named the U.S. Player of the Game. “It was a heckuva hockey game between two good teams,” said Mark Osiecki, head coach of the 2015 U.S. National Junior Team. “Our guys battled to the finish. Certainly it’s disappointing to lose, but we’ll be better from this game.” For complete recap and box score, click here. CCM "TACKS ARE BACK" SWEEPSTAKES HIGHLIGHTS HOCKEY WEEKEND ACROSS AMERICA Three Grand Prize Winners Will Receive Equipment Package COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The eighth annual Hockey Weekend Across America, presented by CCM Hockey, will include the Tacks Are Back Sweepstakes, it was announced today by USA Hockey. While Hockey Weekend Across America is set for Feb. 20-22, 2015, fans may begin entering Hockey Weekend Across America's Tacks Are Back Sweepstakes on Jan. 1, 2015, atHockeyWeekendAcrossAmerica.com. Three grand prize winners will receive a CCM equipment package that includes a hockey stick, helmet/facemask combo, hockey bag and skates. In addition to the grand prize winners, three "Tacks Are Back" daily prize winners (one per day of Hockey Weekend Across America) will receive a CCM Tacks hockey stick and 30 consolation prizes of a USA Hockey hat will be awarded (10 per day of Hockey Weekend Across America). Each of the three days of Hockey Weekend Across America features a special theme. "Wear Your Favorite Jersey Day" on Friday, Feb. 20, is the day for fans to show off their hockey pride by wearing their prized hockey jerseys. USA Hockey's Facebook and Twitter pages will accept photos from families, friends and colleagues in search of the most passionate hockey fans. On Saturday, Feb. 21, as part of Try Hockey Day, sponsored by the NHL, hundreds of rinks nationwide will host Try Hockey for Free clinics, presented by Kraft, allowing thousands of children to experience hockey for the first time. Arenas interested in hosting an event and players wishing to take part should visit HockeyWeekendAcrossAmerica.com for more details. To cap off the weekend, "Celebrate Local Hockey Heroes" day on Sunday, Feb. 22, encourages hockey programs nationwide to develop ways to honor their local hockey heroes. USA Hockey invites all to post pictures and stories on its Facebook and Twitter pages. The day also includes NBC's Hockey Day in America coverage. For full information surrounding the weekend, visit HockeyWeekendAcrossAmerica.com. Associations and teams celebrating Hockey Weekend Across America are encouraged to submit their event plans to USA Hockey on this site. Hockey Weekend Across America was created by USA Hockey in 2008 to engage the hockey community in celebrating the sport of hockey at all levels and exposing the sport to new audiences.

************************************************ On this date in 1859, Erastus Beadle published "The Dime Book of Practical Etiquette." ************************************************ Top 10 Offensive Touchdowns of 2014. Season Rewind: Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Please visit the league's official website, http://www.cfl.ca. ************************************************ On this date in 1879, Thomas Edison began construction on his first generator. ************************************************ Tampa, FL. -- The more I watched Marcus Mariota in Thursday night's Rose Bowl, the more convinced I became that the Oregon quarterback can fit nicely with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Read the rest here. ************************************************ On this date in 1890, Alice Sanger became the first female White House staffer. ************************************************ Corvallis, OR. --Welcome back to “Get to Know Coach Gary Andersen.” Today is the final installment with the “Voice of the Beavers” Mike Parker. Read the rest here. ************************************************ On this date in 1892, Ellis Island opened as America's first federal immigration center. Annie Moore, at age 15, became the first person to pass through. ************************************************ Jimmy says Happy New Year! ************************************************ You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as an approaching weekend, isn't it? ************************************************ Today in Elvis History: 1956 - Elvis went to Memphis for a five day tour with Johnny Cash and other Louisianna Hayride stars.  1965 - Elvis Presley's soundtrack "Roustabout" hit #1 on the U.S. charts. It was knocked out of first place the next week by the Beatles' "Beatles '65."  1972 - Elvis gave Muhammad Ali a $10000 robe with "The Peoples Champion" inscribed on it. Ali wore the robe on March 31, 1973 when he lost to Ken Norton.  2007 - A remastered version of the original "Essential Elvis Presley" was released. ************************************************ On this date in 1921, the first religious broadcast on radio was heard on KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh, PA, as Dr. E.J. Van Etten of Calvary Episcopal Church preached. ************************************************ Today in Beatles History: 1968 - Newark, NJ, police confiscated a shipment of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's album "Two Virgins." The album featured a nude cover.  1975 - U.S. District Court Judge Richard Owen ruled in New York, that John Lennon and his lawyers will have access to Department of Immigration files pertaining to his deportation case. ************************************************ On this date in 1929, the United States and Canada reached an agreement on joint action to preserve Niagara Falls. ************************************************ Today in Sports History: 1953 - The Baltimore Bullets (NBA) began a 32 game road losing streak.  1957 - Gene Fullmer defeated Sugar Ray Robinson to win the middleweight boxing title.  1965 - "Broadway" Joe Namath signed the richest rookie contract ($400,000) in the history of pro football.  1971 - In Glasgow, Scotland, 66 people were crushed when fans trying to leave encountered fans trying to return after hearing that a late goal had been scored.  1972 - Elvis Presley gave Muhammad Ali a $10000 robe with "People's Champion" inscribed on it. Ali wore the robe on March 31, 1973 when he lost to Ken Norton.  1982 - The New York Islanders began a 23 game undefeated home streak.  1983 - Ken Anderson (Cincinnati Bengals) completed 20 consecutive passes to set an NFL record for passing accuracy.  1985 - The Rebels of UNLV beat Utah State in three overtime periods. The final score of 142-140 set a new NCAA record for total points in a basketball game (282). The game took over three hours to play.  1986 - Mike Bossy (New York Islanders) scored his 500th career NHL goal.  2002 - Mike Modano (Dallas Stars) scored his 400th career NHL goal. Modano became only the fourth United States-born player to reach 400 goals.  2002 - Ron Francis (Carolina Hurricanes) scored his 500th career NHL goal. Francis became only the fifth player in NHL history to reach 500 goals and 1,000 assists.  2003 - It was announced that Bill Parcells would be the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. ************************************************ On this date in 1953, "The Life of Riley" debuted on NBC-TV. ************************************************ Coming Up: Tonight -- World Junior Hockey Championships -- USA vs Russia at Montreal 1:00pm EST  NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Pittsburgh Penguins 7:00pm EST NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild at Topeka Roadrunners 8:05pm EST Saturday -- NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild at Topeka Roadrunners 8:05pm EST Sunday -- NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Ottawa Senators 7:00pm EST Monday -- Nothin' Doin' Tuesday -- NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Montreal Canadiens 7:30pm EST Wednesday -- Nothin' Doin' Thursday -- Nothin' Doin' Friday -- USPHL Elite Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Islanders Hockey Club 8:30am EST USPHL Empire Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs JUnior Bruins 1:20pm EST USPHL Elite Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Bay State Breakers 6:20pm EST NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Buffalo Sabres 7:30pm EST NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild at Lone Star Brahmas 8:30pm EST USPHL Empire Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs P.A.L. Junior Islanders 9:50pm EST Saturday -- NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild at Lone Star Brahmas 8:30pm EST USPHL Empire Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Adirondack Wings 8:30pm EST USPHL Elite Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Jersey Hitmen 9:10pm EST Sunday -- USPHL Empire Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Rochester Junior Americans 7:30am EST USPHL Elite Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Junior Bruins 10:10am EST ************************************************ That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow.