It's Friday

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

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Today is March 2nd, the 62nd day of 2012. There are 304 days left in the year.

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Wild goalie Backstrom leaves with injury.

Lidstrom to sit this weekend.

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

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The Festival of Owls Week starts today.

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Tampa, FL -- The Tampa Bay Lightning host the always tough New York Rangers tonight at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.

Read the preview right here.

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Today is: Dress in Blue Day, Dr. Seuss Day, Employee Appreciation Day, NEA'S Read Across America Day and Shabbat Across America/Canada.

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Ten Finalists Named for 2012 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award
15th Annual Award to be Presented March 17 in Duluth, Minn.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The USA Hockey Foundation today announced the 10 finalists for the 2012 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented by Easton Foundations. The award, annually bestowed upon the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey, will be presented at a brunch ceremony on March 17 at the Greysolon Ballroom in Duluth, Minn., in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Frozen Four (March 16 and 18).

The 10 finalists are (in alphabetical order): senior forward Bailey Bram (Ste. Anne, Man./Mercyhurst College), junior forward Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wis./University of Wisconsin), junior defenseman Laura Fortino (Hamilton, Ont./Cornell University), senior forward Rebecca Johnston (Sudbury, Ont./Cornell University), junior forward Amanda Kessel (Madison, Wis./University of Minnesota), senior forward Hilary Knight (Sun Valley, Idaho/University of Wisconsin), junior forward Jocelyne Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D./University of North Dakota), junior forward/defenseman Monique Lamoureux-Kolls (Grand Forks, N.D./University of North Dakota), senior goaltender Florence Schelling (Oberengstringen, Switz./Northeastern University) and senior forward Natalie Spooner (Scarborough, Ont./Ohio State University).

The top-10 class for the 15th annual Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented by Easton Foundations, represents all four women's college conferences - College Hockey America, ECAC Hockey, Hockey East and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

The award selection process began in late February, 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 then 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 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, will be chosen by a 13-member selection committee comprised of NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches, representatives of the 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 three finalists for this year's award will be announced on March 8.

NOTES: Seven schools are represented, including two finalists from Cornell University, the University of North Dakota and the University of Wisconsin ... Among the finalists are seven forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender, including five seniors, four juniors and one sophomore. ... Among the 10 finalists are three from last year's top 10: Laura Fortino, Rebecca Johnston and Hilary Knight. Bailey Bram and Florence Schelling were top-10 finalists in 2010 ... Tickets to the ceremony may be purchased by calling 719-538-1169 or by submitting a completed ticket brochure (located at PattyKaz.com). Individual seats are $65, while tables of 10 are available for $600 ... Julie Chu, winner of the award in 2007 and three-time Olympian, will be the keynote speaker for the award brunch and Laura Kennedy, a sports anchor and reporter for WDIO (ABC) in Duluth, Minn., will serve as the master of ceremonies ... The 2012 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Ceremony, presented by Easton Foundations, will be broadcast live at USAHockey.FastHockey.com ... USA Hockey and the NCAA will team up once again to put on a free girls' skills clinic in conjunction with the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award and the NCAA Women's Frozen Four. The event will take place on March 17, at the Mars Lakeview Arena from 4:15-5:15 p.m. CT. A Try Hockey for Free clinic will follow from 5:15-6:15 p.m.

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. The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is supported, in part, by a grant from the NHL Foundation.

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.

2012 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top-10 Finalists

Bailey Bram
Mercyhurst College • Forward • Senior • Ste. Anne, Man.
Ranks second in the country with 2.28 points per game ... Ranks sixth in the nation with 66 points ... Registered a career-high 66 points, including a career-high 40 assists ... Her 26 goals are three shy of the personal-best 29 goals she scored as a sophomore ... Her 0.90 goals per game ranks sixth in the country, while her 1.38 assists per contest ranks second in the country ... Ranks second in the country with 11 power-play goals and is tied for 11th with two shorthanded goals ... Five-time winner of the College Hockey America Player of the Week award and earned the CHA's Player of the Month award twice ... Had at least one point in 24 of her 29 games played, including 20 multi-point contests ... Had an 11-game point- scoring streak from Oct. 8 through Dec. 3 ... During the streak, she had multi-point games in eight straight and had at least three points in five consecutive contests ... Scored a personal-best seven points against Lindenwood on Oct. 29 and had three games of at least six points this season ... Registered two hat tricks ... Needs three points to become the fourth Mercyhurst player in history to reach 200 points.

Brianna Decker
University of Wisconsin • Forward • Junior • Dousman, Wis.
Leads the nation with 35 goals ... Ranks second in the nation with 77 points ... Ranks third in the nation with 2.14 points per game ... Tied for eighth with five game-winning goals ... Has 33 multi-point games, nine multi-goal games and 12 multi-assist games ... Has four hat tricks ... Member of Wisconsin's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee ... Volunteered with annual Hunger Fight Drive, Bucky's Kid Clinic and "Skate with the Badgers."

Laura Fortino
Cornell University • Defenseman • Junior • Hamilton, Ont.
Ranks second nationally among defensemen in points per game (1.17) and 33rd overall ... Recorded 7-27-34 ... Ranks second in assists in ECAC Hockey ... Ranks first in assists among ECAC Hockey defensemen ... Ranks second in ECAC Hockey in all games at +42 ... Ranks third in conference games with a plus/minus rating of +26 ... Ranks second in Cornell history in plus/minus rating ... Has eight multi-point games ... Scored the game-winning goals at then-No. 6 Mercyhurst on Dec. 2.

Rebecca Johnston
Cornell University • Forward • Senior • Sudbury, Ont.
Ranks fifth in the nation in game-winning goals (six) ... Ranks 11th in the nation in points per game (1.76) and 10th in the nation in goals per game (0.86) ... Ranks 15th in the country in assists per game (0.90) ... Leads ECAC Hockey with 51 points (25-26) ... Ranks second in ECAC Hockey with 25 goals and third with 26 assists ... Tied for second with a plus/minus rating of +42 ... Tops ECAC Hockey in conference-games only with a plus/minus rating of +30 ... Ranks second in conference-only games with 32 points ... Named ECAC Hockey Player of the Month ... Has 16 multi-point games this year including four four-point games ... Moved to fifth all-time in Cornell history for points in a career.

Amanda Kessel
University of Minnesota • Forward • Sophomore • Madison, Wis.
Ranks fourth nationally in points with 71 (29-42), which ranks fourth in the WCHA and leads the Gophers ... Reached 100 career points with an assist in Minnesota's 6-3 win at Minnesota State (Jan. 28), making her the fourth player in Gopher history to reach the 100-point milestone as a sophomore ... Leads the Gophers in plus/minus rating with +49 ... Recorded 22 multi-point games ... Won the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week after scoring eight points in the road series vs. St. Cloud (Feb. 3-4), including a six-point night ... Named Co-Offensive Player of the Week in the WCHA after scoring seven goals, including hat tricks in each game, against New Hampshire (Nov. 18-19) ... Has recorded three hat tricks (Oct. 8 vs. St. Cloud, Nov. 18-19 vs. New Hampshire) ... Scored a career-high four goals in a 11-0 victory over UNH (Nov. 18) ... Has recorded three game-winning goals and five power-play goals ... Has just four penalties for eight minutes this season.

Hilary Knight
University of Wisconsin • Forward • Senior • Sun Valley, Idaho
Leads the nation with eight game-winning goals … All-time points leader at UW and fourth all-time in NCAA Division I women's hockey history with 258 career points … Ranks 17th in the nation with 1.56 points per game, scoring 28 goals and 28 assists in 36 games … Tied for fourth in the nation and tied for first in the conference with three shorthanded goals … Had an 11-game point-scoring streak totaling 14 goals and nine assists … Has 16 multi-point games, six multi-goal games and six multi-assist games … Has two hat tricks … Had a six-point game against St. Cloud State (Feb. 11) … Named WCHA Offensive Player of the Week twice … WCHA Preseason Player of the Year … Spoke at the Oxford Women's House on being a student-athlete, helped with a PhysEd unit at a local elementary school and a local Autistic Hockey team, visiting one of the players in the hospital … Volunteered with the Ronald McDonald House, the annual Hunger Fight Drive, Bucky's Skill Clinic and spoke at the "Skate with the Badgers."

Jocelyne Lamoureux
University of North Dakota • Forward • Junior • Grand Forks, N.D.
Leads the nation in points (82), points per game (2.34) and assists (48) ... Ranks second in goals (34) and assists per game (1.37) … Tied for fourth in the nation in power-play goals (11) ... Leads the team with a +45 plus/minus rating ... Leads the WCHA in points (82), assists (48), power-play points (29) and power-play assists (18) ... Has 24 multi-point games ... Has tallied two hat tricks ... Recorded three five-point games ... Had a 17-game point-scoring streak from Oct. 1-Dec. 3, where she averaged 2.59 points per game (16-28-44) ... Ranks second on the team with 187 shots on goal (.182 shooting percentage) ... Broke the school record for goals, assists and points in a season ... Collected her 200th career point in only 105 games ... Named WCHA Offensive Player of the Week twice ... Has won .593 percent of faceoffs (469 of 791) ... Actively involved in reading to elementary students and Special Olympic events.

Monique Lamoureux-Kolls
University of North Dakota • Forward/Defenseman • Junior • Grand Forks, N.D.
Ranks fifth in the nation in points (70) ... Ranks 16th in the nation in goals per game (0.40) ... Ranks second in the nation in assists (44) ... Third in the nation in assists per game (1.26) ... Tied for seventh in the nation in power-play goals (10) ... Tied for fourth in the nation in points (70) by a defenseman ... Third in the WCHA in conference-only points (53), tied for 10th in goals (17), second in assists (26), third in power-play points (19), tied for fourth in game-winning goals (4) and leads all defensemen in points (17-36-53) ... Has collected four hat tricks ... Tallied four unassisted goals ... Registered 18 multi-point games ... Her points, goals and assists are the second best single-season in program history ... Had a four-goal game, three four-assist games and one eight-point game (program record) ... Had 14-game scoring streak from Oct. 1-Nov. 25, where she averaged 2.36 points per game (13-20-33) ... Second on the team with a +43 plus/minus rating ... Leads the team with 203 shots on goal (.128 shooting percentage) ... Named WCHA Offensive Player of the Week once and Defensive Player of the Week once ... Actively involved in reading to elementary students and Special Olympic events.

Florence Schelling
Northeastern University • Goaltender • Senior • Oberengstringen, Switzerland
Ranks fourth in the nation in goals-against average (1.43), second in save percentage (.950), second in shootouts (8), and is first in Hockey East in all of those categories ... Started and finished 29 of Northeastern's 32 games this year, with a record of 20-5-4 ... Posted 12 games with 30 or more saves, including a season-high 43 saves in winning the Women's Beanpot final at Boston University ... Conceded one goal or fewer in 18 of 29 games ... Won Hockey East Goaltender of the Month, the Joe Bertagna Award (Women's Beanpot's top goaltender), and was a seven-time Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week ... Helps organize Krebskskranke Kinder, an annual charity golf tournament in her native Switzerland that supports children suffering from cancer ... Helps organize an annual hockey equipment auction for chairty with Swiss NHL players.

Natalie Spooner
Ohio State University • Forward • Senior • Scarborough, Ont.
Ranks among the top-5 nationally with 0.91 goals per game ... Tied for first nationally and tied for first in the WCHA with 12 power-play goals ... Ranks fourth in the WCHA in goal scoring with a team-best 31 goals ... Ranks eighth in the WCHA and leads the team in power-play points with 20 (12-8) ... Leads the team with 50 points (31-19) ... Has 12 power-play, one shorthanded and four game-winning goals ... Set the Ohio State career record in goals on Jan. 7, and has 98 in her four years ... Broke the program record in career goals vs. WCHA opponents on Oct. 14 and has 77 in her career ... Tied the Ohio State record for goals in a season with 29 ... Ohio State record holder with 16 game-winning goals in her career ... Second in program history with 163 career points ... Named WCHA Offensive Player of the Week three times ... Has a team-best 16 multi-point games ... Has three hat tricks, including two four-goal games this season ... Posted nine multi-goal games and four multi-assist games.

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On this date in 1807, the U.S. Congress passed an act to "prohibit the importation of slaves into any port or place within the jurisdiction of the United States... from any foreign kingdom, place, or country."

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Coach of the Year: Who will come out on top?

CFL Rules Committee recommendations for 2012.

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

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Texas declared its independence from Mexico and an ad interim government was formed on this date in 1836.

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Jimmy has dinner while watching the Lightning Guys.

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The U.S. Congress created the Territory of Nevada on this date in 1861.

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Today in Elvis History

1957 - Elvis Presley's "Too Much" hit #2 in the U.S.

1960 - Elvis Presley left Germany after serving two years in the U.S. Army.

1988 - Elvis Presley's song "Hound Dog" was inducted into the NARAS Hall of Fame at the 30th annual Grammy Awards.

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On this date in 1899, Mount Rainier National Park in Washington was established by the U.S. Congress.

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Today in Beatles History:

1964 - "Twist and Shout" by the Beatles was released in the U.S.

1964 - George Harrison and Pattie Boyd met each other for the first time.

1964 - The Beatles began their first film, "A Hard Day's Night."

1967 - The Beatles won two awards at the ninth annual Grammy Awards.

1969 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono performed at a jazz festival in Cambridge, England. At the show they recorded "Let's Go On Flying," "Snow Is Falling All the Time," "Don't Worry Kyoko," "Song for John," and "Cambridge 1969." It was the first time a Beatle performed solo.

1973 - A judge granted Yoko One permanent residency in the U.S. The same judge also ruled that John Lennon would have to leave the country in the next 60 days or be deported.

1975 - Linda McCartney was arrested for personal possession of marijuana. Paul was driving the vehicle at the time of the incident but was not charged.

2003 - "The Beatles - Now and Then, Photographs by Harry Benson" exhibit ended at the Albany Institute of History & Art. The exhibit featured approximately 80 of Benson's classic images of the Beatles.

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On this date in 1899, U.S. President McKinley signed a measure that created the rank of Admiral for the U.S. Navy. The first admiral was George Dewey.

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Today in Sports History:

1904 - The "Official Playing Rules of Professional Base Ball Clubs" were adopted.

1918 - Joe Malone (Toronto Arenas) became the first scoring leader in the NHL. He had scored 44 goals in 22 games in the first NHL season. His record stood until 1944-45 when 50 goals were scored by Maurice "The Rocket" Richard.

1922 - The Toronto St. Patricks and the Vancouver Millionaires played the final professional hockey game that featured seven players on each side.

1927 - Babe Ruth signed a 3-year contract with the New York Yankees worth $70,000 a year.

1929 - George Hainsworth (Montreal Canadiens) recorded his 20th shutout of the season. He ended the season with a total of 22.

1929 - The Chicago Blackhawks were shut out for the eighth consecutive game.

1940 - The first televised intercollegiate track meet was seen on TV in New York City on W2XBS. The game presented live from Madison Square Garden. New York University won the meet.

1962 - Wilt 'The Stilt' Chamberlain scored 100 points against the New York Knicks. The final score was 169-147. Chamberlain broke several NBA records in the game.

1966 - Bobby Hull (Chicago Blackhawks) became the first NHL player to score 50 goals in two seasons.

1969 - Phil Esposito (Boston Bruins) became the first player in the NHL to score 100 points in a season. Bobby Hull and Gordie Howe also crossed the 100 mark during the same season.

1984 - John Long (Detroit) began a free throw streak of 51 NBA games.

1992 - Ryne Sandberg signed a 5-year contract with the Chicago Cubs worth $30.5 million.

2000 - Team New Zealand (Kiwis) retained yachting's America's Cup. It was the first time that a non-American syndicate had successfully defended the Cup.

2004 - The Pittsburgh Penguins ended their NHL record 14-game home losing streak when they tied the New York Islanders 3-3.

2004 - The Indianapolis Colts signed Peyton Manning to a seven-year, $98 million deal with a $34.5 million signing bonus. It was the largest package to date in the NFL.

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On this date in 1933, the motion picture King Kong had its world premiere in New York.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

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

Monday --

Nothin' Doin'

Tuesday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Ottawa Senators 7:30pm EST

Wednesday --

Nothin' Doin'

Thursday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Washington Capitals 7:00pm EST

Friday --

Nothin' Doin'

Saturday --

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway 5:00pm EST

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Carolina Hurricanes 7:00pm EST

Sunday --

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas M otor Speedway 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!