It's Friday

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

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Today is February 27th, the 58th day of 2015. There are 307 days left in the year.

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Panthers add Jagr to power playoff push.

Super 16: Kings' resurgence deeper than recent streak.

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

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Today's Birthdays: Howard Hesseman (Dr. Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati) is 75. Singer Chilli (TLC) is 44. Former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton is 35. Josh Groban is 34. Kate Mara (Netflix’s House of Cards, upcoming Fantastic Four film) is 32.

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Tampa, FL. -- Check out this preview of tonight's game between the Lightning and the Blackhawks.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1827, New Orleans held its first Mardi Gras celebration.

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2015 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top-10 Finalists Announced

Eighteenth Annual Award to be Presented March 21 in Minneapolis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The USA Hockey Foundation today announced the top-10 finalists for the 2015 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. The honor is bestowed annually upon the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey and this year will be unveiled at a brunch ceremony at the McNamara Alumni Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Sat., March 21, as part of the NCAA Women's Frozen Four weekend hosted by the University of Minnesota. The top-10 finalists include: junior (redshirt) goaltender Shelby Amsley-Benzie (Warroad, Minn./University of North Dakota); junior forward Hannah Brandt (Vadnais Heights, Minn./University of Minnesota); sophomore forward Dani Cameranesi (Plymouth, Minn./University of Minnesota); junior forward Alex Carpenter (North Reading, Mass./Boston College); junior forward Kendall Coyne (Palos Heights, Ill./Northeastern University); senior forward Brianne Jenner (Oakville, Ont./Cornell University); senior defenseman Emily Pfalzer (Getzville, N.Y./Boston College); senior forward Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, Que./Boston University); senior defenseman Rachel Ramsey (Chanhassen, Minn./University of Minnesota) and junior forward Haley Skarupa (Rockville, Md./Boston College). Complete player profiles are available here. The selection process commenced earlier this month when NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches were asked to nominate players for the award. Players who were nominated by two or more coaches were then placed on an official ballot, which was sent back to the coaches to vote for the top-10 finalists. The independent accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, tabulated the ballots. The three finalists, including the recipient of the 2015 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, will be chosen by a 13-person selection committee made up of NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches, representatives of print and broadcast media, an at-large member and a representative of USA Hockey, the national governing body for the sport of ice hockey in the United States. The top-3 finalists will be announced on Thurs., March 5. Tickets to the 2015 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Ceremony and Brunch can be purchased atPattyKaz.com. Individual seats to the event are $65, while tables of 10 are available for $600. A select number of sponsorships and program advertisements are also available. More information can be found here. The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is supported, in part, by a grant from the NHL Foundation. NOTES: Six schools are represented in the top-10, including three finalists from both Boston College and the University of Minnesota ... Among the top-10 finalists are seven forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender, including five juniors, four seniors and one sophomore ... Hannah Brandt was also a top-10 finalist in 2013 and 2014 ... The Hockey East Association leads all conferences with five finalists, while the Western Collegiate Hockey Association boast four finalists and ECAC Hockey is represented with one finalist ... For more information about the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, please visit PattyKaz.com. 2015 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top-10 Finalists Name Year Position School Shelby Amsley-Benzie Junior (redshirt) Goaltender University of North Dakota Hannah Brandt Junior Forward University of Minnesota Dani Cameranesi Sophomore Forward University of Minnesota Alex Carpenter Junior Forward Boston College Kendall Coyne Junior Forward Northeastern University Brianne Jenner Senior Forward Cornell University Emily Pfalzer Senior Defense Boston College Marie-Philip Poulin Senior Forward Boston University Rachel Ramsey Senior Defense University of Minnesota Haley Skarupa Junior Forward Boston College ABOUT THE PATTY KAZMAIER MEMORIAL AWARD An award of The USA Hockey Foundation, the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is annually presented to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey. Selection criteria includes outstanding individual and team skills, sportsmanship, performance in the clutch, personal character, competitiveness and a love of hockey. Consideration is also given to academic achievement and civic involvement. ABOUT PATTY KAZMAIER The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is named in honor of the late Patty Kazmaier, who was a four-year varsity letter-winner and All-Ivy League defenseman at Princeton University from 1981-86. An accomplished athlete who helped lead the Tigers to the Ivy League Championship in three consecutive seasons (1981-84), Patty Kazmaier-Sandt died on Feb. 15, 1990, at the age of 28 following a long struggle with a rare blood disease. ************************************************ On this date in 1974, "People" magazine was first issued by Time-Life (later known as Time-Warner). ************************************************ The USPHL's Empire South playoffs move into round two tonight, as the Tampa Bay Juniors travel to Estero to meet the Florida Junior Blades. Game time at Germain Arena is set for 9:30pm EST. Game two will be tomorrow night beginning at 7:45pm EST and if game three is needed, it will be Sunday at 5:30pm EST. All games will be webcast on Fasthockey.com. The second round of the USPHL's Elite South playoffs get underway tomorrow night, as the Tampa Bay Juniors host the Atlanta Junior Knights, with puck drop set in Ellenton for 3:00pm EST. Game two will be Sunday at 12:00pm EST and if there's a game three, it will be Monday at 2:00pm. All games can be seen on Fasthockey.com. ************************************************ On this date in 1981, Chrysler Corporation was granted an additional $400 million in federal loan guarantees. Chrysler had posted a loss of $1.7 billion in 1980. *************************************************

LeFevour looking forward to next chapter. Safety Extended: Stamps ink new deal with Bell. Please visit the league's official website, http://www.cfl.ca. ************************************************ A study finds that a common additive to bread, margarine, and ice cream contributes to developing bowel disease. [“I scream! You scream! We all scream for a nearby restroom!”] ************************************************ Tampa, FL. -- There is a logical place to begin when projecting what kind of jump to expect from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after they emerged from the 2014 season with two victories and the first pick in the 2015 NFL draft. Teams finishing 2-14 over the decade from 2004 to 2013 averaged 6.1 victories the following season. Many things generally must go wrong for a team to win just twice in a season. The percentages are against it happening to the same team two years in a row. Read the rest here. ************************************************ How much food are we wasting? Are you sitting down? According to a new report (from the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations) every year nearly 1.3 billion tons of food ends up in landfills. That’s close to $1 trillion worth of food. ************************************************ Palo Alto, CA. -- Junior guard Gary Payton II led Oregon State with 17 points but the Beavers faded in the second half and fell 75-48 to Stanford on Thursday night at Maples Pavilion. Read the rest here. ************************************************ On this date in 1986, the U.S. Senate approved the telecast of its debates on a trial basis.. ************************************************ Weeeeeeee! ************************************************ You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as still more playoff hockey, isn't it? ************************************************ Today in Elvis History: 1962 - Elvis Presley's "Good Luck Charm" was shipped with "Anything That's Part of You" as the B-side.  1963 - Elvis Presley had two dental crowns applied.  1970 - Elvis Presley began three days of performances at the Astrodome in Houston, TX. More than 200,000 people saw the shows.  1971 - Elvis Presley's album "Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old) hit #12 in the U.S.  1990 - Milli Vanilli's Rob Pilatus shared his perspective on life with Time magazine. In the interview he said, "Musically, we're more talented than any Bob Dylan or Paul McCartney. Mick Jagger can't produce a sound. I'm the new Elvis."  ************************************************ Two people were swallowed by a sink hole that opened as they walked along a sidewalk in South Korea. Video from a nearby surveillance camera captured the moment the pedestrians vanished down the hole, which was about 10-feet deep. The pair had to be rescued by firemen and were taken to hospital with minor injuries. | VIDEO ************************************************ Today in Beatles History: 1965 - "Beatles For Sale" hit number one on the U.K. Record Retailer chart. ************************************************ As of (3 o’clock ET) this morning the third season of House of Cards is streaming on Netflix. ************************************************ Today in Sports History: 1908 - Major league baseball adopted a sacrifice fly rule for the first time. It was repealed, reinstated and then changed several times before being permanently accepted in 1954.  1912 - The New York Yankees announced that they would be wearing pinstripes on their uniforms.  1963 - Mickey Mantle signed a contact worth $100,000 with the New York Yankees.  1973 - Dick Allen (Chicago White Sox) signed a contract worth $250,000 a year for three years.  1977 - Stan Mikita (Chicago Blackhawks) scored his 500th goal.  1987 - The NCAA cancelled SMU's (Southern Methodist University) entire 1987 football schedule for gross violations of NCAA rules on athletic corruption.  1996 - The Chicago Bulls reached 50 victories in 56 games to set an NBA record.  2001 - The New Jersey Devils began a streak of 10 consecutive road wins to tie the NHL record.  2002 - The Houston Astros announced that they had struck a deal with Enron to buy back the naming rights of their ballpark for $2.1 million. The ballpark would be called "Astros Field" until a new sponsor came along.  2003 - Emmitt Smith became a free agent for the first time when the Dallas Cowboys released him. ************************************************ NEW IN THEATERS TODAY - Focus (R) and The Lazarus Effect (PG-13) ************************************************ Coming Up: Tonight -- NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Chicago Blackhawks 7:30pm EST USPHL Empire Playoff Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Florida Junior Blades 9:30pm EST (Game 1) Saturday -- USPHL Elite Playoff Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Atlanta Juniors Knights Time 3:00pm EST (Game 1) USPHL Empire Playoff Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Florida Junior Blades 7:45pm EST (Game 2) NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild vs Amarillo Bulls 10:05pm EST Sunday -- USPHL Elite Playoff Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Atlanta Juniors Knights Time 12:00pm EST (Game 2) Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway 1:00pm EST NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers 5:00pm EST USPHL Empire Playoff Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Florida Junior Blades 5:30pm EST (Game 3 - If necessary) NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild vs Amarillo Bulls 6:05pm EST Monday -- USPHL Elite Playoff Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Atlanta Junior Knights 2:00pm EST (If necessary) Tuesday -- NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Buffalo Sabres 7:30pm EST Wednesday -- Nothin' Doin' Thursday -- NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Toronto Maple Leafs 7:30pm EST Friday --  NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild at Wichita Falls Wildcats 8:05pm EST Saturday -- Nascar XFinity Series -- Boyd Gaming 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway 4:00pm EST NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Dallas Stars 7:00pm EST NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild at Wichita Falls Wildcats 8:05pm EST Sunday -- Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway 3:30pm EDT ************************************************ That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow.