It's Saturday

It's Saturday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is June 18th, the 169th day of 2011. There are 196 days left in the year.

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Bergeron never doubted he'd experience Cup glory.

Canucks lament Game 7 loss, turn focus to next year.

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Livermore, California, is celebrating the 110th birthday of the nation's longest-burning light bulb. The 4-watt "Centennial Light," which hangs from the rafters of Livermore's Fire Station No. 6, will be appreciated this weekend.

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Nine U.S. Women's Players, Coaches
to Assist New IIHF Ambassador and Mentor Program

Program Created to Aide Growth of Women's Programs Worldwide

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Six former U.S. Women's National Team members and three additional U.S. women's college hockey coaches have been selected as coach mentors and athlete ambassadors for the International Ice Hockey Federation's Ambassador and Mentor Program (AMP), it was announced today.

The AMP is a women's hockey development initiative designed to assist women's programs worldwide by creating partnerships between athletes and coaches from the top four world ranked teams - the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden - and countries that are striving to join the world's elite.

Among the former U.S. Women's National Team players selected to take part in the program as athlete ambassadors are former U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team members Jamie Hagerman (North Andover, Mass./2006), Courtney Kennedy (Woburn, Mass./2002, 2006), Andrea Kilbourne-Hill (Saranac Lake, N.Y./2002) and AJ (Mleczko) Griswold (Nantucket, Mass./1998, 2002).

Katie King (Salem, N.H.), a three-time Olympian (1998, 2002, 2006) and current head women's ice hockey coach at Boston College; and Erin (Whitten) Hamlen (Glens Falls, N.Y.), a four-time member of the U.S. Women's National Team (1992, 1994, 1997, 1999), will serve as coach mentors, along with Linda Lundrigan (Roslindale, Mass.), Northeastern University women's ice hockey assistant coach; Jodi McKenna (Warwick, R.I.), Wesleyan University women's ice hockey head coach and 2010 U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team assistant coach; and Digit Murphy (Providence, R.I.), Brown University women's ice hockey team head coach.

Each athlete or coach was assigned to a country for a two-and-a-half year time period leading up to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. During the program term, there will be an expectation of communication every two to three weeks between the coach mentors and ambassadors and the respective coaches of both the senior and under-18 national programs.

"By assigning the same team of mentors and ambassadors to a country for a period of two-and-a-half years, the teams that will qualify for Sochi will have a resource that no team entering an Olympic Games has previously had," said Tanya Foley, the IIHF women's program manager. "We believe this will help teams be prepared for Olympic-level competition in a very positive way."

The U.S. player and coach assignments are listed below.

IIHF Ambassador and Mentor Program
U.S. Player and Coach Assignments

Name Country Role
Katie King Crowley Norway U18 Coach Mentor
Jamie Hagerman Norway Athlete Ambassador
AJ (Mleczko) Griswold Kazakhstan Athlete Ambassador
Erin (Whitten) Hamlen China U18 Coach Mentor
Courtney Kennedy Russia Athlete Ambassador
Andrea Kilbourne-Hill China Athlete Ambassador
Linda Lundrigan Czech Republic Senior Coach Mentor
Jodi McKenna Germany U18 Coach Mentor
Digit Murphy Slovakia Senior Coach Mentor

Welch Named Manager of Communications and Social Media

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Courtney Welch (Royal Oak, Mich.) has been named manager of communications and social media it was announced today by USA Hockey.

Welch has worked at USA Hockey since 2009, serving as a program services manager for the organization's membership development department.

In her new role, Welch will focus on leading the organization's social media initiatives and also serving as the primary contact for the U.S. Women's National Team program.

"We're extremely pleased to welcome Courtney," said Dave Fischer, USA Hockey's senior director of communications. "She brings passion, a wonderful skill set, and a warm personality to our communications team and is a someone that will work tirelessly in efforts to promote and publicize all levels of hockey, particularly our women's national team program."

Prior to her time in Colorado Springs, Welch spent seven seasons with the Central Collegiate Hockey Association as a manager and director of communications and community relations.

Welch, who served as an intern for USA Hockey Magazine in 2000, will begin her duties in the communications department on Monday, June 27.

Dates Announced for 2012 Hockey Weekend Across America

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The fifth annual Hockey Weekend Across America, presented by Reebok, will take place Feb. 17-19, 2012, it was announced today by USA Hockey.

Launched by USA Hockey in 2008, Hockey Weekend Across America is a nationwide initiative to celebrate the game and those involved at all levels and to expose hockey to new audiences.

More details on Hockey Weekend Across America will be available in the coming weeks.

Four Goalies Named
to 2011 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp Roster
Two-Time U.S. National Junior Team Medalist Jack Campbell Among Invitees

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Hockey today announced the four goaltenders invited to take part in its National Junior Evaluation Camp this August in Lake Placid, N.Y. The players will join the 40 skaters already invited to the camp in auditioning for a spot on the U.S. National Junior Team that will take part in the 2012 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, Dec. 26, 2011-Jan. 5, 2012, in Calgary and Edmonton, Alta.

Among the invitees are Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich.) and Andy Iles (Ithaca, N.Y.), who represented bronze medal-winning Team USA at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y. Campbell was also a member of the U.S. National Junior Team that won the gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship in Regina and Saskatoon, Sask., and most recently joined the U.S. Men's National Team at the 2011 IIHF World Men's Championship in Kosice and Bratislava, Slovakia.

Also attending the camp will be John Gibson (Pittsburgh, Pa.), who was named the top goaltender of the 2011 IIHF World Men's U18 Championship last April in Crimmitschau and Dresden, Germany, after leading Team USA to its third straight gold medal. Finally, Mac Carruth (Shorewood, Minn.) will be attempting to make his first U.S. national team.

For the full list of players invited to the 2011 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp, click here.

The camp, which will take place at Lake Placid's Olympic Center from Aug. 6-13, includes practices, intrasquad scrimmages and international games featuring Finland, Sweden and the United States. A full schedule is below.

NOTES: Jack Campbell, the only male goaltender in Team USA history to hold three gold medals (2009 and 2010 IIHF World Men's U18 Championships, 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship), is the only player invited to the 2011 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp who is making his third appearance at the event (2009, 2010). Campbell was named by the IIHF directorate as the top goaltender of last year's IIHF World Junior Championship ... John Gibson was named USA Hockey's Dave Peterson Goalie of the Year for the 2010-11 season earlier this month ... Campbell, Gibson and Andy Iles were all members of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program ... The 2012 U.S. National Junior Team will be selected in late December following a pre-tournament camp to be held in Alberta, Canada ... Dean Blais, head men's ice hockey coach at the University of Nebraska Omaha, will serve as head coach of the 2012 U.S. National Junior Team. He will be assisted by Scott Sandelin, head men's ice hockey coach at the University of Minnesota Duluth; Tom Ward, head ice hockey coach of the Shattuck-St. Mary's School's boys' prep team; and Joe Exter, goaltender coach at USA Hockey's National Team Development Program ... Dan Bylsma, head coach of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins, and Mike Sullivan, assistant coach of the NHL's New York Rangers, will also participate in Lake Placid as camp coaches ... Jim Johannson, USA Hockey's assistant executive director of hockey operations, is serving as the general manager of Team USA for the third consecutive year. Tim Taylor (Guilford, Conn.), former U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team head coach and longtime Yale University men's ice hockey team head coach, is also serving his third straight year as Team USA's director of player personnel.



2011 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp Schedule
Aug. 6-13 • Lake Placid, N.Y. • Olympic Center • USA Rink

Date Event Time (EDT)
Sat., Aug. 6 USA Blue Practice 9:00 - 9:45 a.m.
USA White Practice 10:00 - 10:45 a.m.
Sweden Practice 11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Finland Practice 12:30 - 1:45 p.m.
USA Blue vs. USA White 4:00 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 7 Sweden Practice 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Finland Practice 12:30 - 2:30 p.m.
USA Blue vs. USA White 4:00 p.m.
Mon., Aug. 8 Finland Practice 9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
USA Blue vs. Sweden 1:00 p.m.
USA White vs. Finland 4:30 p.m.
Tues., Aug. 9 Sweden Practice 9:00 - 9:30 a.m.
Finland Practice 9:45 - 10:15 a.m.
USA Practice 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Finland vs. Sweden 4:00 p.m.
Wed., Aug. 10 USA Practice 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Finland Practice 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
USA vs. Sweden 4:00 p.m.
Thurs., Aug. 11 Finland Practice 9:00 - 9:30 a.m.
USA Practice 9:45 - 10:45 a.m.
Sweden Practice 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
USA vs. Finland 4:00 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 12 Sweden Practice 9:00 - 9:30 a.m.
Finland Practice 9:45 - 10:15 a.m.
USA Practice 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Finland vs. Sweden 4:00 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 13 USA vs. Sweden 1:00 p.m.
*all game and practice times subject to change

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The Avon, Ohio Heritage Duct Tape Festival is taking place this weekend. (Linky Link)

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders got out to a big first quarter lead, then survived a Edmonton rally, beating the Eskimos 23-22 last night in the pre-season opener for both teams.

After a previous botched field goal attempt, the Riders opened the scoring on a 5 yard run by Wes Cates. Eddie Johnson booted the convert with 6:05 left, putting Saskatchewan up 7-0. They doubled the lead a minute-and-a-half later, as Hugh Charles ran back a punt 70 yards for a major score. Johnson kicked the convert, then added an 85 yard kickoff single, giving the Riders a 15-0 lead, before Edmonton could get their offense untracked.

The Eskimos scored on a 5 yard run over left tackle by Calvin McCarty, followed by a Damon Duval convert with 4:45 left in the first half. Duval then added a 38 yard field goal with 1:42 left before Saskatchewan would get the ball back and run out the clock, taking a 15-10 lead into the room at half.

In the third quarter, Derek Schivone got a 33 yard missed field goal single 4:06 in for Edmonton, cutting the Rider lead to 15-11. On the ensuing possession, Saskatchewan quarterback Cole Bergquist responded with a 50 yard touchdown pass to Patrick Brown with 7:46 remaining. Draft pick Chris Milo kicked the convert, pushing Saskatchewan's lead to 22-11. The Eskimos then put together an 8 play, 75 yard drive, ending with a 6 yard Matt Nicholls to Youssy Pierre touchdown pass. The Schiavone convert with 1:59 left in the third sliced the Roughrider lead to 5, at 23-18.

Rain joined the stiff wind in the fourth quarter, as both teams tried, but failed to reach the endzone. With 2:04 left, Schiavone kicked an 11 yard field goal to bring Edmonton within 2, at 23-21. Saskatchewan took the ensuing possession at their own 25 and were only able to pick up one first down, surrendering the ball to the Esks at the Edmonton 30 with 29 seconds remaining. The Eskimos would reach midfield and, with the fierce wind at his back, Schiavone came on to attempt a 55 yard field goal. The snap was high, which upset the timing on the play and Schiavone, who got a lot of leg into the ball, would miss wide right, with the conceded single making the final score 23-22 in favor of the Roughriders.

For Saskatchewan, Ryan Dinwiddie was 7-for-8 passing for 95 yards, Cole Bergquist was 7-for-8 passing for 80 yards and 1 touchdown, and Chris Leak was 3-for 10 passing for 21 yards. Brandon West rushed 4 times for 32 yards, while Wes Cates ran the ball 8 times for 28 yards and 1 touchdown. Patrick Brown led the receiving corps with 3 catches for 61 yards and 1 touchdown. Eddie Johnson had 2 converts and a kickoff single and draft pick Chris Milo kicked a convert and a missed field goal single. For Edmonton, Kerry Joseph was 3-for-9 passing for 32 yards, Eric Ward was 6-for-8 passing for 77 yards, Matt Nicholls was 6-for-10 passing for 53 yards and 1 touchdown and Mark Mueller, the Regina Rams graduate, was 3-for-3 passing for 45 yards. Calvin McCarty ran the ball 10 times for 62 yards and 1 touchdown, Ray Fisher caught 4 passes for 77 yards and Youssy Pierre caught 2 passes for 9 yards and 1 touchdown. Damon Duval kicked a field goal and a convert and Derek Schiavone kicked a field goal, a convert and 2 missed field goal singles.

The Riders had 293 total yards to the Eskimos' 250, allowed 3 sacks to Edmonton's 2, had 2 turnovers to the Esks' 1 and were penalized 12 times for 75 yards, while Edmonton was flagged 9 times for 85 yards.

Saskatchewan, 1-0 on the pre-season play in Vancouver next Wednesday against the BC Lions, with kickoff on 620 CKRM and the Rider Radio Network set for 10:00pm EDT. The Eskimos, 0-1, host the Calgary Stampeders next Friday, kickoff at 9:00pm EDT.

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Congress Weiner has resigned. (He made the announcement in a tweet he sent to Hugh Hefner's former fiancee.)

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Bombers lose Cvetkovic for two weeks.

2011 CFL Schedule is here.

Donate to the Tony Proudfoot Fund.

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

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Finish please Mommy. I want more food.







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Bravo reality star Bethenny Frankel is now shooting her upcoming advice-based talk show. Ellen DeGeneres is reportedly involved in developing the project.

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ST PETERSBURG --  Everybody loves some home cooking, but Sean Rodriguez feasts on his hometown team.

The Miami native tied a career high with four RBIs to help lead the Rays to a 5-1 victory over the Marlins on Friday at Tropicana Field. The game was the first of 15 consecutive Interleague games for Tampa Bay.

Read the rest here.

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In theaters this weekend: Green Lantern (PG-13); Mr. Popper's Penguins (PG); The Art of Getting By (PG-13).

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OAKLAND --   Friday represented a recovery of sorts for Tim Lincecum, who pitched six-plus mostly capable innings against the Oakland A's after enduring three consecutive subpar starts.

But facing Oakland typically spells victory for Lincecum, not merely recovery. So the Giants' 5-2 Interleague loss to the A's on Friday night was laden with more than the usual disappointment a defeat typically brings.

Read the rest here.

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Today in Elvis History:

1955 - Elvis Presley made his second appearance on the "Big D Jamboree."

1963 - Elvis Presley's single "(You're The) Devil In Disguise" was released with "Please Don't Drag That String Around" as the B-side.

1975 - Elvis Presley underwent a face-lift at Mid-South Hospital in Memphis.

1977 - "Photoplay" magazine awarded Elvis Presley with its Gold Medal Award For Favorite Variety Star and Favorite Rock Music Star.

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Today is International Sushi Day.

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Today in Beatles History:

1942 - James Paul McCartney was born in Liverpool.

1968 - London's National Theatre premiered "In His Own Write." It was an adaptation of the writings of John Lennon.

1977 - "The Beatles At the Hollywood Bowl" hit #1 in the U.K.

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Today is World Juggling Day.

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Today in Sports History:

1953 - Seventeen major league baseball records were tied or broken in a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers.

1960 - Tom Sheehan (San Francisco Giants) became the oldest first-time manager in major league baseball. Sheehan was 66 years, 2 months and 18 days old.

1975 - Fred Lynn (Boston Red Sox) hit three home runs, a triple and a single in a game against the Detroit Tigers. He collected 10 RBIs.

1976 - The NBA and the ABA agreed to a merger.

1986 - Don Sutton won his 300th game in major league baseball.

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On this date in 1873, Susan B. Anthony was fined $100 for attempting to vote for a U.S. President.

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Coming Up: 

Tonight --

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Alliance Truck Parts 250 at Michigan International Speedway 3:30pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Florida Marlins 7:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Oakland Athletics 10:05pm EDT

Sunday--

Nascar Sprint Cup Series - Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 at Michigan International Speedway 1:00pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Florida Marlins 1:40pm EDT

Izod Indy Car Series -- The Milwaukee 225 at the Milwaukee Mile 3:30pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Oakland Athletics 4:05pm EDT

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That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, be sure to tell your friends about this blog. See you tomorrow.