It's Saturday

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

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Today is February 25th, the 56th day of 2012. There are 310 days left in the year. (This is a leap year.)

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Deadline Diner: Carter in fold, Kings dealing Brown?.

Islanders place veteran Rolston on waivers.

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

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Edward Willet displayed the first trained monkey act in the U.S. on this date in 1751.

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Pittsburgh, PA. -- AThe Tampa Bay Lightning hit the ice against the Pittsburgh Penguins today..

Read the preview right here.

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International Sword Swallowers Day is today.

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Fifth Annual Hockey Weekend Across America A Resounding Success

More than 6,000 Boys and Girls Try Hockey for First Time,
NBC's 'Hockey Day in America' Showcases Game to Millions


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The fifth annual Hockey Weekend Across America, presented by Reebok, concluded last Sunday (Feb. 19) and was a success on all fronts. The nationwide event, which took place Feb. 17-19, was a three-day celebration of the sport of hockey that included hundreds of thousands of fans wearing their favorite hockey jerseys, some 6,000 boys and girls trying hockey for the very first time, millions of viewers watching NBC's Hockey Day in America coverage, and associations across the country celebrating their local hockey heroes.


"Hockey Weekend Across America was a resounding success" said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. "The participation of fans, associations, leagues and teams at all levels of the game was fantastic and continues to grow."

Each of the three days associated with Hockey Weekend Across America had a theme, including Wear Your Favorite Hockey Jersey, sponsored by ShopUSAHockey.com on Friday; Try Hockey Day, sponsored by the NHL on Saturday and Celebrate Local Hockey Heroes, sponsored by Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports on Sunday.

On Friday, Feb. 17, USA Hockey directed fans to its Facebook page to submit photos of themselves, their friends and colleagues donning their favorite team's jersey at work or at school during "Wear Your Favorite Hockey Jersey" day. Fans also tweeted pictures throughout the day using the hashtag #HWAA, and additional photos from throughout the weekend were posted on Reebok Hockey's Facebook page. Select photos will be featured in an upcoming edition of USA Hockey Magazine, the world’s most widely distributed hockey magazine.

On Saturday, Feb. 18, some 6,000 young kids from across the nation were introduced to hockey for the first time during Try Hockey for Free events. Joe Louis Arena, the home of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, hosted "24 Hours of Hockey," which started one minute past midnight on Friday night/Saturday morning. The event featured a USA Hockey American Development Model clinic and two, one-hour free Try Hockey for Free clinics on Saturday morning, in addition to games throughout the day from all age levels.

In honor of "Celebrate Local Hockey Heroes" day on Sunday, Feb. 19, local teams and associations honored their heroes in various ways. In addition, fans posted stories, photos or videos of their hockey heroes to USA Hockey's Facebook wall to share with the world.

Also on Sunday, for the second straight year, NBC presented its "Hockey Day in America" coverage from 12 - 9 p.m. EST. Coverage included an NHL doubleheader on NBC and content throughout the broadcast that showcased all levels of hockey in the United States. Sunday evening, NBC Sports Network continued the coverage with a third NHL broadcast.

A new component to Hockey Weekend Across America gave aspiring young officials a chance to meet with their NHL counterparts. At each home NHL game in an American city during Hockey Weekend Across America, two young officials met the NHL officials working the particular contest prior to the game and stayed to watch those NHL officals in action. For more information on the officials program, click here.

"This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I definitely will never forget," said Nick Penberthy, who participated in the program in Buffalo. "I acquired awesome insight into the life of an NHL referee as well as tips in general that I will use as I continue to officiate games."

USA Hockey sponsored several contests and giveaways throughout the weekend. The three winners of the Hockey Weekend Across America "Get Your Gear On Sweepstakes" were Jose Casillas (Buffalo, N.Y.), Glenn Gaus (Hillsdale, N.J.) and Deb Filipiak (Belmont, Mich.). Each of the three will receive head-to-toe equipment packages from Reebok Hockey.

In addition, Josh Getzoff (Ithaca, N.Y.) was randomly selected and won a 1960 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team replica jersey and a USA Hockey prize pack for using the #HockeyHero hashtag on Twitter. Several other prizes were also awarded through trivia contests and giveaways on Sunday on the USA Hockey Twitter page.

NOTES: 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 ... Thirteen college hockey games were televised live during the weekend ... Several prominent American figures were interviewed on XM/Sirius' Hockey This Morning. To listen to the interviews, click here ... A snapshot of events held across the country in celebration of Hockey Weekend Across America can be found here ... The NHL Network aired special coverage during Hockey Weekend Across America, including a special tribute to the NHL's highest-scoring American-born player titled "Mike Modano: American Icon" ... A giant Team USA jersey, spanning 20 feet by 20 feet, was on hand for fans to sign at the Wells Fargo WinterSkate outdoor rink in St. Paul, Minn., in support of the U.S. Women's National Team which will host the International Ice Hockey Federations Women's World Championship in Burlington, Vt., from April 7-14.

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IN THEATERS - Act of Valor; Gone; Good Deeds; Wanderlust.

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Cauz: Defending Winnipeg's free agency approach.

Nye: Did Riders win free agency war?

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

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On this date in 1793, the department heads of the U.S. government met with U.S. President Washington for the first Cabinet meeting on U.S. record.

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It's puzzle time.

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Samuel Colt received a patent for a "revolving gun" on this date in 1836.

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Today in Elvis History

1957 - It was announced that Elvis would receive $250,000 and 50% of the net profits for his third movie for MGM.

1961 - In Memphis, TN, Elvis Presley made his first concert appearance since 1958. During the show he was presented with a plaque by RCA to mark record sales of 76 million worldwide.

1967 - Elvis Presley's "Indescribably Blue" hit #33 in the U.S.

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The state of Oregon became the first state to place a tax on gasoline on this date in 1919. The tax was 1 cent per gallon.

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Today in Beatles History:

1943 - This day was commonly thought to be George Harrison's birthday. In 1992, Harrison was reported to have said, "I only learned recently after all these years that the date and time of my own birth have always been off by one calendar day and about a half hour on the clock."

1963 - The Beatles released their first U.S. single "Please Please Me."

1992 - Yoko Ono's box set "Onobox" was released.

2003 - The album "Songs from the Material World - A Tribute to George Harrison" was released.

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The first aircraft carrier, Ranger, was launched on this date in 1933.

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Today in Sports History:

1940 - The New York Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens played in the first hockey game to be televised in the U.S. The game was aired on W2WBS in New York with one camera in a fixed position. The Rangers beat the Canadiens 6-2.

1941 - The Boston Bruins set an NHL record after going 23 games unbeaten. Their record during the stretch was 15-0-8.

1951 - The first Pan American Games opened in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

1957 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that baseball was the only professional sport exempt from antitrust laws.

1964 - Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) became heavyweight-boxing champion in an upset victory over Sonny Liston.

1978 - O.J. Simpson was a guest on "Saturday Night Live."

1981 - The Boston Bruins and the Minnesota North Stars set a record for most penalties in a game. There were 84 penalties that totaled 392 minutes.

1989 - Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, fired head coach Tom Landry after a 29-year career.

1995 - Major league baseball announced that regular season games would be played in Hawaii for the first time.

2002 - Jayson Williams, the former NBA star, surrendered to New Jersey police. He was charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of Costas Christofi. Christofi was killed by a shotgun that was recklessly handled by Williams. Williams was released on $250,000 bail.

2005 - It was announced that the Walt Disney Co. had agreed to sell the Anaheim Mighty Ducks to billionaire Henry Samueli and his wife Susan. Samueli's company was the operator of Arrowhead Pond, the Mighty Ducks' home arena.

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"Your Show of Shows" debuted on NBC on this date in 1950.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway 12:00pm EST

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Pittsburgh Penguins 1:00pm EST

Sunday --

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway 12:00pm EST

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at New Jersey Devils 1:00pm EST

Monday --

Nothin' Doin'

Tuesday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Montreal Canadiens 7:30pm EST

Wednesday --

Nothin' Doin'

Thursday --

Nothin' Doin'

Friday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Rangers 7:30pm EST

Saturday --

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Palm Beach Hawks at Sunrise, Florida 1:30pm EST

Nascar Nationwide Series - Bashas' Supermarkets 400 at Phoenix International Raceway 4:00pm EST

Sunday --

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway 2:30pm EST

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That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by, I hope that you'll do so tomorrow too. Thanks again!