It's Thursday

It's Thursday. Here's what's happening.

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Today is February 7th, the 38th day of 2013. There are 327 days left in the year.

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Viewer's Guide to Hockey Day in Canada.

Seven reasons the Capitals are struggling.

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

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Today's Birthdays: James Spader (The Office) is 53; Eddie Izzard is 51; Chris Rock is 48; Ashton Kutcher (Two and a Half Men, the upcoming jOBS) is 35.

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Tampa, FL. -- Following a 2-1 defeat to the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night where the Tampa Bay Lightning kicked off their four-game road trip, the team bussed down to Newark on Wednesday and held an optional practice in the afternoon to prepare for Thursday’s tilt against the New Jersey Devils.

In all honestly, not a whole lot went on, but here are a few key takeaways from the session:

Read the rest here.

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Monopoly has revealed its new game board piece. [It's a cat, which means you shouldn't be surprised when you open your Monopoly box and one of the pieces totally ignores you.].

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U.S. National Under-17 Team Rallies, Falls Short in 4-3 Shootout Loss to Russia at 2013 Five Nations Tournament Team USA Earns Point in Tournament Standings JARVENPAA, Finland - Edwin Minney (Wind Gap, Pa.) turned aside 30 shots and Ryan Hitchcock (Manhasset, N.Y.) collected two assists, as the U.S. National Under-17 Team rallied, but fell short in a 4-3 shootout loss to Russia, at the 2013 Five Nations Tournament here today at Kellokoski Arena. Team USA earns a point in the tournament standings. "I'm proud of how we responded to being down early in the game," said Danton Cole, head coach of the U.S. National Under-17 Team. "Every point we earn in this tournament will be hard fought and we will need to improve each time we hit the ice to succeed." Russia opened scoring just over one minute into the first frame. Team USA then found itself down two goals at 3:12, before Ryan MacInnis (St. Louis, Mo.) responded at 13:39 for the U.S. Hitchcock and Nolan Stevens(Manhattan Beach, Calif.) registered assists on the play. A marker at 3:40 of the second stanza put the Americans back down by two. Louis Belpedio (Skokie, Ill.) answered for Team USA with 1:05 left in the period. Hitchcock earned his second helper of the game, with Ryan Bliss(Bedford, N.H.) recording the secondary assist. Down one goal in the late stages of the third frame, the U.S. pulled Minney in favor of the extra attacker. Anders Bjork (Mequon, Wis.) capitalized on the strategic move and netted the game-tying goal with 21 seconds remaning.Alex Tuch (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) had the lone assist. With the game knotted, 3-3, the teams headed to overtime. After a scoreless extra frame, the contest would be decided by a shootout. Sonny Milano (Massapequa, N.Y.) tallied the only goal for the U.S. in the first round, but Russia countered with two goals to earn the victory. Minney kicked out 30 of 33 shots in the shootout loss for Team USA, while Vadim Nikitin made 21 saves in the win for Russia. NOTES: Ryan MacInnis was named Team USA's Player of the Game ... The U.S. finished 0-for-3 on the power play, while Russia went 0-for-2 ... The U.S. National Under-17 Team is competing in the Five Nations Tournament for the first time. In previous years, the Under-17 Team competed in the Vlad Dzurilla Under-18 Tournament in Piestany, Slovakia. The U.S. claimed first place seven times, including the last three years (2010-12) and four straight from 2005-08 ... Follow @USAHockeyScores on Twitter for live scoring updates during the Five Nations Tournament. Scores will be designated with the #5nationsU17 tag ... For the official U17 Five Nations Tournament page, including links to live stats, click here ... For additional coverage, visit USA Hockey's National Team Development Program website and Facebook page ... The U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams train with The Hockey IntelliGym, a revolutionary new software program released on October 1, 2010 that trains hockey sense. To learn more, visit USAHockeyIntelliGym.com ... For the complete U.S. National Under-17 Team roster, click here. GAME SUMMARY Scoring By Period RUS 2 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 4 USA 1 - 1 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 3 First Period - Scoring: 1, RUS, Vovchenko (Nikolishin, Zinoviev), 1:06; 2, RUS, Vovchenko (Nikolishin, Zinoviev), 3:12; 3, USA, MacInnis (Hitchcock, Stevens), 13:39. Penalties: RUS, Lyamkin (interference), 7:32; USA, Wegwerth (charging), 8:35; RUS, Valentsov (interference), 15:06; USA, Larkin (tripping), 19:10. Second Period - Scoring: 4, RUS, Nekolenko (Svechnikov), 3:40; 5, USA, Belpedio (Hitchcock, Bliss), 18:55. Penalties: None. Third Period - Scoring: 6, USA, Bjork (Tuch), 19:39, (ea). Penalties: None. Overtime Period - Scoring: None. Penalties: RUS, Vovchenko (spearing-major), 3:53; RUS, Vovchenko (misconduct), 3:53. Shootout - First Round: USA, Milano (goal); RUS, Zinoviev (save). Second Round: USA, Bjork (save); RUS, Pilipenko (goal). Third Round: USA, Malone (save); RUS, Fazleyev (save). Fourth Round: USA, Milano (save); RUS, Pilipenko (goal). Shots by Period 1 2 3 OT Total RUS 16 11 4 2 33 USA 6 11 6 1 24 Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 OT Total RUS, Nikitin, 65:00 6/5 11/10 6/5 1/1 24/21 USA, Minney, 64:02 16/14 11/10 4/4 2/2 33/30 Power Play: RUS 0-2; USA 0-3 Penalties: RUS 4-29; USA 2-4 2013 U.S. National Under-17 Team Five Nations Tournament ScheduleFeb. 6-10, 2013 • Jarvenpaa, Finland Date Opponent Location Time (EST) Wed., Feb. 6 Russia Kellokoski L, 3-4 (SO) Fri., Feb. 8 Sweden Jarvenpaa 6 a.m. Sat., Feb. 9 Czech Republic Jarvenpaa 6 a.m. Sun., Feb. 10 Finland Jarvenpaa 8:30 a.m.

U.S. National Under-18 Team Tripped Up by Finland, 4-2, at 2013 Five Nations Tournament Kelleher Tallies Two Goals in Loss JONKOPING, Sweden - Tyler Kelleher (Longmeadow, Mass.) tallied two goals, as the U.S. National Under-18 Team was tripped up by Finland, 4-2, at the 2013 Five Nations Tournament here today at Kinnarps Arena. "We had a number of chances today but just couldn't convert," said Don Granato, head coach of the U.S. National Under-18 Team. "We'll take tomorrow to regroup and focus our efforts on facing the Czech Republic on Friday." Team USA found the back of the net first at 7:18 of the opening frame. Kelleher potted the goal for the U.S. with the lone assist awarded to Evan Allen (Sterling Heights, Mich.). Finland struck back at 15:23 on the power play to knot the game at one goal apiece. The Americans outshot its opponent, 12-7, in the frame. Finland grabbed the lead at 7:17 of the middle frame. Team USA fired 12 shots on Finnish netminder Juuse Saros, but could not find the equalizer before time expired on the period. Kelleher notched the game-tying goal at 1:15 of the third period. Allen earned his second assist of the game on the score. Finland responded just under two minutes later to retake the lead, 3-2. Team USA found itself down by a pair of goals at 11:18 when Finland lit the lamp once more. The U.S. pulled its netminder at 19:26 in favor of the attacker, but the gamble would not generate the offense needed and the Americans fell, 4-2, to the Finns. Hunter Miska (North Branch, Minn.) made 18 saves in the loss for Team USA, while Saros turned aside 36 shots in the victory for Finland. NOTES: Tyler Kelleher was named Team USA's Player of the Game ... The U.S. outshot Finland, 38-22 ... The U.S. finished 0-for-5 on the power play, while Finland went 1-for-5 ... Team USA is looking to reclaim the title at the U18 Five Nations Tournament after its four-year streak (2008-11) was snapped last year ... Follow @USAHockeyScoreson Twitter for live scoring updates during the Five Nations Tournament. Scores will be designated with the#5nationsU18 tag ... For the official U18 Five Nations Tournament page, click here ... For additional coverage, visit USA Hockey's National Team Development Program website and Facebook page ... The U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams train with The Hockey IntelliGym, a revolutionary new software program released on October 1, 2010 that trains hockey sense. To learn more, visit USAHockeyIntelliGym.com ... For the complete U.S. National Under-18 Team roster, click here. GAME SUMMARY Scoring By Period USA 1 - 0 - 1 - 2 FIN 1 - 1 - 2 - 4 First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Kelleher (Allen), 7:18; 2, FIN, Ikonen (Lehkonen), 15:23, (pp). Penalties: USA, Compher (interference), 0:16; FIN, Ikonen (hooking), 0:34; USA, Santini (interference), 14:37. Second Period - Scoring: 3, FIN, Mustonen (Ikonen), 7:17. Penalties: FIN, Kiviranta (tripping), 1:36; FIN, Kuronen (cross-checking), 8:49; USA, Eiserman (hooking), 12:42. Third Period - Scoring: 4, USA, Kelleher (Allen), 1:15; 5, FIN, Ainali (Puhakka), 2:50; 6, FIN, Puhakka (Ainali), 11:18. Penalties: USA, Louis (tripping), 3:07; FIN, Ikonen (hooking), 3:19; FIN, Kiviranta (tripping), 7:05; USA, Ausmus (tripping), 12:24. Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total USA 12 12 14 38 FIN 7 8 7 22 Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total USA, Miska, 59:26 7/6 8/7 7/5 22/18 FIN, Saros, 60:00 12/11 12/12 14/13 38/36 Power Play: USA 0-5; FIN 1-5 Penalties: USA 5-10; FIN 5-10 2013 U.S. National Under-18 Team Five Nations Tournament ScheduleFeb. 6-10, 2012 • Jonkoping, Sweden Date Opponent Location Time (EST)/Result Wed., Feb. 6 Finland Jonkoping L, 2-4 Fri., Feb. 8 Czech Republic Jonkoping 1 p.m. Sat., Feb. 9 Russia Jonkoping 6:30 a.m. Sun., Feb. 10 Sweden Jonkoping 9:30 a.m. ************************************************ A recent study finds that liquids make up 22 percent of calories in the average American's diet. Is that good, or bad? Well, the problem is most Americans only count the calories they get from solid foods -- which means we're not aware of how calories are sneaking into our diet. ************************************************ Esks deal Messam to Alouettes for draft pick. 2012 Coach of the Year Finalists. Visit the league's official website at cfl.ca. ************************************************ What's the hottest food on the Internet right now? Waffle hash browns. Pics are being shared all over Instagram and Facebook right now -- and probably because you get the awesome taste of a traditional hash brown along with the 'pockets' found in waffles. ************************************************ Tampa, FL. — It may take another season for Josh Freeman to resemble one of the NFL's elite quarterbacks. But he's a look-a-like for the King of Pop. Read the rest here. ************************************************ A UK woman is trouble after she paid $250 to have her luxury car industrially compacted so she wouldn't have to make the payments. Police say the woman reported her Mercedes stolen and then hired a man to dispose of her vehicle to avoid making the monthly payments on the car. Her plan fell apart when investigators found the car's four wheels in her garage. ************************************************ Jimmy colors at Daddy's Happy Birthday. ************************************************ You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as watching Dinosaur Train, isn't it? ************************************************ Today in Elvis History 1959 - Elvis Presley attended a Holiday on Ice show in Frankfurt, Germany. 1988 - The TV mini-series "Elvis and Me" (based on Priscilla Presley's book) began on ABC-TV. 2006 - The Elvis Presley collection "Southern Nights" was released in the U.S. It contained 25 tracks. ************************************************ CBS is warning Grammys performers and presenters not to bare any breasts, buttocks, or genitalia while onscreen. The network's Standard and Practice department sent out a "Wardrobe Advisory" in advance of Sunday's awards ceremony. ************************************************ Today in Beatles History: 1964 - The Beatles arrived in New York to begin their first U.S. tour. ************************************************ Researchers did a study of chewing gum and found 374 trillion individual sticks of gum are sold around the world each year. ************************************************ Today in Sports History: 1882 - The last bareknuckle fight for the heavyweight boxing championship took place in Mississippi City. 1949 - Joe DiMaggio signed a contract with the New York Yankees that was worth $100,000. It was the first six-figure contract in major league baseball. 1958 - The Dodgers officially became the Los Angeles Dodgers, Inc. 1965 - Cassius Clay began using the name Mohammed Ali. 1975 - The New Orleans Jaz ended a 28 game road losing streak. 1976 - Darryl Sittler (Toronto Maple Leafs) set a National Hockey League (NHL) record when he scored 10 points in a game against the Boston Bruins. He scored six goals and four assists. 1976 - Dave Reece (Boston Bruins) played his last game in the NHL. 1985 - "Sports Illustrated" released its annual swimsuit edition. It was the largest regular edition in the magazine’s history at 218 pages. 1988 - Mike Tyson and Robin Givens were married. 1989 - The 40th NHL All-Star Game was played. 1992 - Mike Tyson testified at his rape trial in Indianapolis. 1994 - Michael Jordan signed a contract with the Chicago White Sox to play baseball. 1995 - Joe Mullen (Pittsburgh Penguins) became the first American-born player to score 1,000 points in the NHL. Mullen ended his career with 1,063 career points. 1995 - U.S. President Clinton invited the two sides of the major league baseball strike to the White House in an effort to reach an agreement. The two sides did not resolve the issue that day. 1997 - Jim Kelly (Buffalo Bills) announced his retirement from the NFL. He was the only quarterback to date to guide the same team to four losing Super Bowls. 1998 - The Dallas Stars retired Neal Broten's #7. 2002 - The one-hour television show entitled "NBA All-Star Read to Achieve Celebration" aired. ************************************************ On this date in 1984, Space shuttle astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart made the first untethered space walk. ************************************************ Coming Up: Tonight -- NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at New Jersey Devils 7:00pm EST Friday -- Nothin' Doin' Saturday -- NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Boston Bruins 1:00pm EST EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Space Coast Hurricanes 5:00pm EST Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Florida Junior Blades 5:15pm EST Sunday -- EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Space Coast Hurricanes 11:30am EST Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Florida Junior Blades 12:00pm EST NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers 7:30pm EST ************************************************ That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow!