It's Friday

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

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Today is March 9th, the 69th day of 2012. There are 297 days left in the year.

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Stamkos ready to join elite club.

For ref Hasenfratz, arduous road back to job he loves.

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

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Today is: Barbie Day, Get Over It Day, Joe Franklin Day, Middle Name Pride Day and Panic Day.

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Tampa, FL -- A solid effort by goaltender Dustin Tokarski might not have been accurately reflected on the final score sheet, but it did help the Tampa Bay Lightning earn a crucial point in the standings.

Tokarski, recalled from the Lightning’s top affiliate in Norfolk of the American Hockey League on Wednesday, came up with several key stops en route to making 29 saves in his first career NHL start, but one that resulted in a 3-2 overtime loss to the division-rival Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center on Thursday night.

Read the rest here.

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Amerigo Vespucci was born in Florence, Italy on this date in 1454. Matthias Ringmann, a German mapmaker, named the American continent in his honor.

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Three Finalists Named for 2012 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award

15th Annual Award to be Presented March 17 in Duluth, Minn.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Junior forwards Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wis./University of Wisconsin) and Jocelyne Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D./University of North Dakota) and senior goaltender Florence Schelling (Oberengstringen, Switz./Northeastern University) have been named the three finalists for the 2012 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented by Easton Foundations. The award, which is in its 15th year, is given out annually by The USA Hockey Foundation to the top player in NCAA
Division I women's ice hockey.

2012 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award
Finalists

Brianna Decker • Univ. of Wisconsin
Junior • Forward • 37GP, 36-42--78

Jocelyne Lamoureux • Univ. of North Dakota
Junior • Forward • 36GP, 34-48--82

Florence Schelling • Northeastern Univ.
Senior • Goaltender • 20-6-4; 1.42; .950

The trio represents two NCAA Divsion I women's ice hockey conferences - Hockey East (Schelling) and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (Decker, Lamoureux).

The 2012 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented by Easton Foundations, will be handed out 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 & 18).

A limited number of tickets to the ceremony are still available and may be purchased by calling 719-538-1169 or by submitting a completed ticket form (located at PattyKaz.com). Individual seats are $65, while tables of 10 are available for $600.

Brianna Decker
In leading the top-seeded Badgers into the NCAA tournament, Decker paces the nation with 36 goals this season and ranks second in the country with 78 points. In Western Collegiate Hockey Association play, Decker tallied 54 points (20-34) in 28 conference games en route to being named the WCHA Player of the Year and earning First Team All-WCHA honors. In 36 games this season, Decker has 33 multi-point games and ranks third in the nation with 2.14 points per game. As an alternate captain, Decker helped lead Wisconsin to the No. 1 ranking in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll in 21-of-22 weeks this season. Decker has also recorded four hat tricks this season and has five game-winning goals.

Jocelyne Lamoureux
Lamoureux is the first-ever top-three finalist from the University of North Dakota. As team captain for the Fighting Sioux, Lamoureux leads the nation in points (82), points per game (2.34) and assists (48), all of which broke the single-season school records. Her efforts helped lead North Dakota to its first NCAA tournament berth in program history. In WCHA play, Lamoureux paced the league in points (64), goals (27) and assists (37). Along with winning the league's regular-season scoring trophy, Lamoureux was named to the All-WCHA First Team and won the league's Student-Athlete of the Year award. This season, Lamoureux recorded 24 multi-point games, tallied three five-point games and collected her 200th career point in her 105th game.

Florence Schelling
A unanimous selection as the Hockey East Player of the Year, Schelling finished league play with a 15-3-3 record and established a new Hockey East single-season record with her .956 save percentage. In addition, her 580 saves this season ranks sixth all-time among Hockey East goaltenders. Schelling, who had a 1.27 goals-against average in Hockey East play, posted 12 games with more than 30 saves and conceded one goal or fewer in 18 of 29 games. Nationally, Schelling is second in save percentage (.950) and shutouts (8) and fourth in goals-against average (1.42). She won the Hockey East Goaltender of the Month award in February and was a seven-time Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week. Schelling was a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award in 2010.

NOTES: Brianna Decker is the fourth top-three finalist from the University of Wisconsin (Sara Bauer-2006-07; Jessie Vetter-2009; Meghan Duggan-2011). Sara Bauer won the 2006 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, Jessie Vetter won the award in 2009 and Meghan Duggan was last year's winner. Jocelyne Lamoureux is the first-ever top-three finalist from the University of North Dakota, while Florence Schelling is the third top-three finalist from Northeastern University (Brooke Whitney-2002-winner, Chanda Gunn-2004) ... For more information on the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, visit PattyKaz.com ... Julie Chu, winner of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial 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 4:30-5:30 p.m. CT. A Try Hockey for Free clinic will follow from 5:30-6:30 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.

Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Winners

Year Name School
1998 Brandy Fisher University of New Hampshire
1999 A.J. Mleczko Harvard University
2000 Ali Brewer Brown University
2001 Jennifer Botterill Harvard University
2002 Brooke Whitney Northeastern University
2003 Jennifer Botterill Harvard University
2004 Angela Ruggiero Harvard University
2005 Krissy Wendell University of Minnesota
2006 Sara Bauer University of Wisconsin
2007 Julie Chu Harvard University
2008 Sarah Vaillancourt Harvard University
2009 Jessie Vetter University of Wisconsin
2010 Vicki Bendus Mercyhurst College
2011 Meghan Duggan University of Wisconsin

2012 NTDP Evaluation Camp Roster Announced

Fifty-Three Top 1996-Born Players Invited to Ann Arbor

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Fifty-three of the top American players born in 1996 have been invited to USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program Evaluation Camp, it was announced today by USA Hockey. The camp, which is held to help select the 2012-13 U.S. National Under-17 Team, will take place March 19-23 at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.

"We have a terrific group of players and look for the talent level and competitiveness to be high,” said Peter Ward, the NTDP’s director of player personnel.

The players will be divided into three teams - Red, White and Blue - and will participate in on-ice practices, off-ice training, four 30-minute games and two full games. Each team will consist of nine forwards, six defensemen and two goaltenders.

NTDP alum Brett Henning (Buffalo Grove, Ill./1997-98) will serve as a coach at the camp, guiding Team Blue. In addition, NTDP assistant coaches Matt Curley and Tyler Eaves will guide Team White and Team Red, respectively.

For a complete roster of the invitees, click here.

NOTES: The 53 players on the NTDP Evaluation Camp roster represent 17 different states. Minnesota leads the way with seven natives on the roster, while Illinois and New York each boast six.

2012 National Team Development Program Evaluation Camp Game Schedule
March 20-22 • Ann Arbor Ice Cube

Date Game Time (EST)
Tue., March 20 Red vs. White* 10:45 a.m.
Tue., March 20 Red vs. Blue* 12:00 p.m.
Tue., March 20 White vs. Blue* 1:15 p.m.
Tue., March 20 Blue vs. White 6:45 p.m.
Wed., March 21 White vs. Red 10:15 a.m.
Wed., March 21 Red vs. Blue 5:45 p.m.
Thu., March 22 Blue vs. White* 4:00 p.m.
Thu., March 22 Red vs. White* 5:15 p.m.
Thu., March 22 Red vs. Blue* 6:30 p.m.
*30-Minute Session

Massachusetts Hockey Names Kevin Kavanagh
as first Executive Director

BOSTON, Mass; March 8, 2012 – Massachusetts Hockey, responsible for overseeing youth hockey in Massachusetts and an affiliate of USA Hockey, has named Kevin Kavanagh as its first executive director.

Kavanagh, who currently serves as manager of membership development for USA Hockey, will manage the day-to-day activities, operations and administration of Mass Hockey in conjunction with its strong volunteer leadership. Participation in youth hockey is at an all-time high in Massachusetts and increased access to the sport is a priority.

"Our participation levels have grown significantly over the past few years and our board felt it was important we take the next step and hire our first executive director," said Keri Allan, president of Massachusetts Hockey. "We’re extremely pleased to have Kevin join us. His strong background and contacts in the region, along with his leadership abilities, are a perfect fit as we seek to continue to expand our reach while providing the best youth sports experience available.”

Before joining Mass Hockey, Kavanagh oversaw membership development for Massachusetts as a staff member at USA Hockey. During his time in that role, growth at the 8-and-under levels in Massachusetts increased by 19%.

Prior to USA Hockey, he worked for teams in the American Hockey League and ECHL in management roles.

Kavanagh graduated from Trinity (Conn.) College and is a Duxbury, Mass., native.

He and his wife Rebecca will relocate to the greater Boston area with their two daughters this spring. Kavanagh is expected to officially begin his duties in late March.

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Connecticut became the 5th state to join the United States on this date in 1788.

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Pedersen: Changes abound for Roughriders.

Stamps extend DB Keon Raymond.

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

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Jean Pierre Blanchard made the first balloon flight in North America on this date in 1793. The event was witnessed by U.S. President George Washington.

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Jimmy colors away on his Denny's kid's menu.

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On this date in 1820, the U.S. Congress passed the Land Act that paved the way for westward expansion of North America.

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Today in Elvis History

1957 - Elvis Presley's "Mystery Train" hit #25 and "Rip It Up" hit #27 in the U.K.

1960 - The movie "Jailhouse Rock" was re-released in honor of Elvis Presley's return from service in the U.S. Army.

1963 - Elvis Presley's ballad "They Remind Me Too Much Of You" hit #53 in the U.S.

1964 - Elvis Presley began filming on "Roustabout."

1975 - Elvis Presley began his final recording session at RCA's Hollywood studios.

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Charles M. Graham received the first patent for artificial teeth on this date in 1822.

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Today in Beatles History:

1962 - The Beatles performed for the first time on the BBC in Great Britain. The show was "Teenager's Turn".

1963 - The Beatles began a 21-date tour of the U.K. supporting Tommy Roe and Chris Montez.

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On this date in 1832, Abraham Lincoln announced that he would run for a political office for the first time. He was unsuccessful in his run for a seat in the Illinois state legislature.

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Today in Sports History:

1859 - The National Association of Baseball Players adopted the rule that limited the size of bats to no more than 2-1/2 inches in diameter.

1929 - Eric Krenz became the first athlete to toss the discus over 160 feet.

1958 - George Yardley (Detroit Pistons) became the first NBA player to score 2,000 points in a season. He did it in 72 games.

1980 - Gordie Howe and his two sons skated on a line together for the Hartford Whalers. National Hockey League history was made when the event occurred about midway through a game against the Boston Bruins.

1984 - Tim Witherspoon won a 12-round decision over Greg Pane to claim the World Boxing Council heavyweight championship.

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"Those Websters" debuted on CBS radio on this date in 1945.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

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 Motor Speedway 2:30pm EDT

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