It's Wednesday

It's Wednesday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is August 15th, the 228th day of 2012. There are 138 days left in the year.

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New era begins in Motown without Lidstrom.

NHLPA submits CBA proposal in Tuesday meeting.

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

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Today's birthdays: Businesswoman and philanthropist Melinda Gates is 48; actress Debra Messing (Will & Grace) is 44; actor/director Ben Affleck (The Town, Gone Baby Gone) is 40; beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings (is 34; actress Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games, Winter's Bone) is 22.

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U.S. Under-18 Select Team Drops 5-2 Decision to Czech Republic
at Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament

Six Players Log Points in Loss


BRECLAV, Czech Republic – The U.S. Under-18 Select Team showed its offensive depth with six unique point-getters, but fell to the Czech Republic, 5-2, in its second preliminary-round game of the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

"We controlled the play for most of the game and played very well offensively," said Matt Herr, head coach of the U.S. Under-18 Select Team. "We can still move on to the next round. We just need to correct some mistakes and come out prepared."

Team USA was able to jump out to the first lead at 12:28 of the first period. Adam Erne (New Haven, Conn.) received a pass from Karson Kuhlman (Cloquet, Minn.) and skated the length of the ice to score for the goal. Backed by nine saves from Thatcher Demko (San Diego, Calif.), the U.S. held the Czech Republic scoreless in the first.

Drew Melanson (Paramus, N.J.) nearly made it two-goal lead when he was awarded a penalty shot early in the second period, but missed just wide of the net. The Czech Republic then took advantage when it scored two goals less than a minute apart. The Czech power play notched a goal at 6:29 and followed up with a breakaway goal just 54 seconds later.

The third period saw a combined four goals. After a pair of early Czech goals, Gabe Guertler (Plantation, Fla.) struck back for the U.S. off a pass from Jimmy Lodge (Downington, Pa.), but Team USA was unable to mount a complete comeback. The Czech Republic netted two late goals in the final stanza to secure the victory.

The U.S. will take the ice again on Wednesday (Aug. 15) when it squares off against Finland at 9:30 a.m. EDT.

For complete Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament coverage, click here.

NOTES: Drew Melanson was named U.S. Player of the Game ... For the complete U.S. Under-18 Select Team roster, click here ... Follow @USAHockey and @USAHockeyScores on Twitter for up-to-the-minute information on the tournament ... The 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament features teams from Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States ... Team USA has finished in the top three of the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament 10 times since the tournament's inception in 1991, including a first place finish in 2003. The U.S. has finished second seven times (1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2010) and third twice (1991, 1995) ... Team USA finished fifth last year and second in 2010 ... The 22 players on the roster represent 10 different states. Minnesota has five representatives, while New Jersey has four and California and New York each have three ... Matt Herr (Alpine, N.J.), head coach of the Kent School (Conn.), serves as head coach and Bob Corkum (Salisbury, Mass), associate head coach at the University of Maine, and Nick Fohr (Grand Forks, N.D.), assistant coach with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, serve as assistant coaches.

Game Summary

Scoring By Period
1 2 3 Total
USA 1 0 1 2
CZE 0 2 3 5

First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Erne (Kuhlman, Melanson), 12:28. Penalties: None.

Second Period - Scoring: 2, CZE, Kokes (Pokorny), 6:29 (pp); 3, CZE, Indrak (Slansky), 7:23. Penalties: CZE, Andrlik (slashing), 0:24; USA, DeAngelo (roughing), 3:54; CZE, Pokorny (hooking), 5:03; USA, Gicewicz (holding), 5:44; USA, Lodge (cross-checking), 9:50; CZE, Kokes (delaying the game), 9:50; USA, Lettieri (delaying the game), 12:27.

Third Period - Scoring: 4, CZE, Kase (Rob), 0:57; 5, CZE, Kase (Stencl), 12:45 (pp); USA, Guertler (Lodge, Lettieri), 12:54; CZE, Pokorny (Slanksy), 16:35. Penalties: USA, DeAngelo (slashing), 11:19; USA, Lettieri (roughing), 17:46; USA, Lodge (checking from behind), 19:24.

Shots By Period
1 2 3 Total
USA 12 13 6 31
CZE 9 8 7 24

Goaltenders (SV/SH)
1 2 3 Total
USA, Demko 60:00 9-9 6-8 4-7 19-24
CZE, Sconoda 60:00 11-12 13-13 5-6 29-31
Powerplay: USA, 0-3; CZE, 2-7
Penalties: USA, 7-24; CZE, 3-4

Team USA 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament Schedule
August 13-17 - Breclav, Czech Republic & Piestany, Slovakia

Date Opponent Location
Time (Local/EDT)/Result
Sat., Aug. 11 Slovakia* Breclav W, 6-0
Mon., Aug. 13 Russia Breclav L, 2-1 (SO)
Tues., Aug. 14 Czech Republic Breclav L, 5-2
Wed., Aug. 15 Finland Breclav 3:30 p.m./9:30 a.m.
Fri., Aug. 17 Semifinals TBD TBD
Sat., Aug. 18 Championship/3rd Place Games TBD TBD
*Pre-tournament game

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Ron Palillo, best known for playing Arnold Horshack on the 1970s TV show Welcome Back, Kotter, died early Tuesday morning at his Florida home. He was just 63. Palillo had a heart attack and died in his sleep.

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CFL.ca Online Water Cooler: Week 7.

Calgary's Cornish doubles up in Players of the Week.

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

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Today is National Relaxation Day. Hold the phones, call in sick, or just take a nap.

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Pedersen: Will the real Roughriders please stand up?

The Saskatchewan Roughriders, now 3-3 and tied for third in the CFL West, are on the road this coming Sunday, August 19th, to meet the division leading/defending Grey Cup champion BC Lions, a team they beat 23-20 in week 3. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm EDT, on 620 CKRM and the Rider Radio Network, with Rod Pedersen and Carm Carteri calling the action. The action can be seen in Canada on TSN and in the U.S. online, at ESPN3.com.

Visit the team's official website, http://www.riderville.com/.

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The Price is Right is holding a contest to find its first male model. [We just missed out on that one -- just when Paul Ryan gets busy with campaigning, The Price is Right needs a male model.]

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Tampa, FL. -- Though his first two NFL seasons have been hampered by leg injuries, Cody Grimm has been a starter in most of the games he's played, and the Bucs' new coaches know he makes a bigger impression when the tackling is live.

Read the rest here.

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During a campaign stop Tuesday in Virginia, Vice President Joe Biden appeared to be confused about where he was. He screamed into his mic: "With you, we can win North Carolina again!"

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Take my picture Daddy.

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Let's see, what's on the agenda for today....washing dishes, having fun with Jimmy and taking Jimmy to visit a school. How 'bout you?

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Seattle, WA. -- A Gold Glove first baseman is supposed to make the play. Carlos Pena, who won the award for fielding excellence in 2008, did not. Thus, the Rays' seven-game winning streak came to a crashing halt on Tuesday night, as the Mariners took a 3-2 win in walk-off fashion at Safeco Field.

Read the rest here.

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In Norway a woman was arrested for shoplifting after walking out of a store with a 42-inch color TV between her legs. The woman told authorities she was Romanian and had "very strong thigh muscles."

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San Francisco, CA.-- Madison Bumgarner struggled to finish hitters in his previous appearance against the Washington Nationals. This time he finished the game.

Backed by three RBIs from Brandon Belt, who almost nullified his powerful hitting with confounding baserunning, Bumgarner limited the Nationals to five hits in San Francisco's 6-1 triumph Tuesday night.

Read the rest here.

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OH SIT! (8p ET, CW) In this new musical chairs competition show, contestants, listening to a live band, race through obstacle-course eliminations to get to chairs. Only one contestant each week will be crowned the winner. Jamie Kennedy hosts.

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Today in Elvis History

1955 - Elvis Presley signed a management contract with "Colonel" Tom Parker.

1959 - Elvis Presley's single "A Big Hunk O' Love" hit #1 in the U.S.

1970 - Elvis Presley's album "On Stage" hit #2 in the U.K.

1987 - On the tenth anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley thousands of people marched past his grave in Memphis, TN.

2003 - On NBC's "Today Show" a segment aired about a special song being planned for inclusion on the "Elvis 2nd To None" CD.

2003 - At Graceland, Ernst Jorgensen and Joe DiMuro from BMG/RCA announced the discovery of a lost Elvis recording, "I'm a Roustabout." The crowd on hand witnessed the premiere of the music video for the new Paul Oakenfold remix of Elvis' 1969 recording of "Rubberneckin'."

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The dental chair was patented by M. Waldo Hanchett on this date in 1848.

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Today in Beatles History:

1962 - Pete Best played his last show with the Beatles, at the Carvern Club.

1965 - The Beatles set a record for having the largest single crowd at a concert at Shea Stadium in New York. Attendance was 56,000.

1980 - George Harrison's book "I Me Mine" went on sale.

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Thomas Edison wrote to the president of the Telegraph Company in Pittsburgh, PA on this date in 1877. The letter stated that the word, "hello" would be a more appropriate greeting than "ahoy" when answering the telephone.

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Today in Sports History:

1970 - Mrs. Pat Palinkas became the first woman to ‘play’ in a pro football game when she held the ball for the Orlando, FL, Panthers.

1984 - Pete Rose returned to become player and manager of the Cincinnati Reds. He had been away from his hometown for six years. Rose had been in Philadelphia and Montreal.

1990 - Mark McGwire hit a grand slam in the 10th inning to become the first major league player to hit 30 or more homers in his first four seasons. The Oakland Athletics beat the Boston Red Sox 6-2.

1993 - Nolan Ryan got his 324th and final victory. The Texas Rangers beat the Indians 4-1.

1997 - Dan Wilson hit the 3,000th Seattle Mariners homerun.

1997 - The Los Angeles Dodgers retired Tommy Lasorda's #2.

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The product Crisco was introduced by Procter & Gamble Company on this date in 1911.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners 3:40pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Washington Nationals 3:45pm EDT

Thursday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at LA Angels 10:05pm EDT

Friday --

NFL Pre-season football -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Tennessee Titans 7:30pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at LA Angels 10:05pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 10:05pm EDT

Saturday --

Nascar Nationwide Series -- NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge at Montreal 2:00pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 8:35pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at LA Angels 9:05pm EDT

Sunday --

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway 12:00pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at LA Angels 3:35pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 4:05pm EDT

CFL Football -- Saskatchewan Roughriders at BC Lions 7:00pm 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!