It's Wednesday

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

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Today is April 17th, the 107th day of 2013. There are 258 days left in the year.

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Bruins hope to help Boston region heal.

Red Wings make it official, sign goaltender Howard.

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

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Today's Birthdays: Sean Bean (Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings) is 54; Jennifer Garner (Alias, 13 Going on 30) is 41; Victoria Beckham (Spice Girls) is 39; Rooney Mara (The Social Network, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) is 28.

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Winnipeg, MB. --The Tampa Bay Lightning not only received a point in the standings on Tuesday night, they earned it.

After being down 3-1 in the third period, Steven Stamkos notched the game-tying goal at 11:17 of the final frame to send the contest into overtime, before eventually falling to the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 in a shootout at the MTS Centre.

Read the rest here.

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Christopher Columbus signed a contract with Spain to find a passage to Asia and the Indies on this date in 1492.

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The Wenatchee Wild are at the Fresno Monsters tonight in Game Three of their best-of-five NAHL first-round playoff series, which is tied at one game apiece. Catch all the action on KPQ.com or FastHockey.com at 10:45pm EDT tonight. Game Four is at Fresno tomorrow night at 10:00pm EDT. If Game Five is needed, it will be in Wenatchee on Sunday at 8:05pm EDT.

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New York Harbor was discovered by Giovanni Verrazano on this date in 1524.

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U.S. National Sled Team Tops Czech Republic, 3-0; Advances to Semifinals at 2013 IPC World Championship McKee, Sweeney and Farmer Score: Team USA Wins Group A GOYANG, South Korea – The U.S. National Sled Hockey Team defeated the Czech Republic, 3-0, today at the 2013 International Paralympic Committee Ice Sledge Hockey World Championship to capture first place in Group A with a record of 3-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L). Team USA will play Russia in the semifinal round on Thursday (April 18). Kevin McKee (Davenport, Iowa) staked Team USA to a 1-0 lead at 5:43 of the first frame. Alexi Salamone (Buffalo, N.Y.) assisted by threading a pass from the right circle into the low slot. McKee received the puck in-stride and slid it around the outstretched goaltender. At 4:22 of the second period, Josh Sweeney (Phoenix, Ariz.) made it 2-0 amidst a swarm of players near the crease.Adam Page (Lancaster, N.Y.) and Paul Schaus (Buffalo, N.Y.) dug the puck loose following a shot from the point and Sweeney tapped it home near the right post. Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.) stretched the lead to 3-0 late in the second period on a great individual effort. As a Czech player tried to hit him, Farmer stopped hard at the hash marks to let the defender slide by and then rifled a right-hand shot under the crossbar. Greg Shaw (Merritt Island, Fla.) assisted on the tally. Goalies Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.) and Jen Lee (San Francisco, Calif.) shared a shutout for the third straight game. Cash started and made seven stops in 37:31. Lee stopped three shots in 7:29. The Czech Republic's Michal Vapenka had 11 saves. Team USA will take on Russia in the semifinals on Thursday at 2 a.m. ET (3 p.m. Korea Time). The other semifinal will feature Canada vs. Czech Republic. All games are being streamed live on sledworlds.usahockey.com. Scoring By Period Team 1 2 3 Total CZE 0 0 0 0 USA 1 2 0 3 First Period – Scoring: 1, USA, McKee (Salamone) 5:43. Penalties: USA, Shaw (holding) 8:06. Second Period – Scoring: 2, USA, Sweeney (Page, Schaus) 4:22; 3, USA, Farmer (Shaw) 12:53. Penalties: CZE, Habl (interference) 5:21; USA, Schaus (roughing) 12:21; CZE, Fojtik (roughing) 12:21. Third Period – Scoring: none. Penalties: CZE, Fojtik (holding the stick) 2:35; USA, Lipsett (roughing) 2:47; CZE, Geier (roughing) 2:47; CZE, Hrbek (delay of game) 3:22. Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total CZE 2 3 5 10 USA 7 7 0 14 Goaltender (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total CZE, Vapenka, L, 21:29 7/6 7/5 0/0 14/11 USA, Cash, W, 37:31 2/2 3/3 2/2 7/7 USA, Lee, nd, 7:29 -- -- 3/3 3/3 Power Play: CZE 0-1; USA, 0-3 Penalties: CZE 5-10; USA, 3-6 2013 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championship ScheduleApril 12-20, 2013 • Goyang, South Korea • Goyang SPART Complex and Park  Date Matchup Time (Local/EDT) Live Streaming Sat., April 13 USA vs. Sweden W, 7-0 paralympic.org Sun., April 14 USA vs. Norway W, 7-0 paralympic.org Tues., April 16 USA vs. Czech Republic W, 3-0 paralympic.org Thurs., April 18 Semifinal: Russia 3:00 p.m./2:00 a.m. paralympic.org Sat., April 20 Bronze Medal Game Gold Medal Game 1:00 p.m./midnight 4:30 p.m./3:30 a.m. paralympic.org paralympic.org NOTES: For video interviews with Jeff Sauer and Alexi Salamone, plus photos from today's game, click here ...Kevin McKee was named Team USA's Player of the Game ... Visit sledworlds.usahockey.com for complete coverage of Team USA at the 2013 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championship, including videos, photos, features, game recaps and player information ... The official IPC tournament website is available here ... On Twitter, follow@usahockey and @usahockeyscores for additional coverage, using #Goyang2013 ... Jeff Sauer was named head coach of the 2014 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team on Thursday (Feb. 14). He is in his second season as head coach of the U.S. National Sled Team ... The U.S. improves to 13-2-0 (W-L-T) this season ... Team USA has won the last three major international events, including the 2009 IPC World Sledge Hockey Championship in Ostrava, Czech Republic; the 2010 Paralympic Games in Vancouver, B.C.; and the 2012 IPC World Sledge Hockey Championship in Hamar, Norway ... Eight members of the 2012-13 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team helped the United States win the gold medal at the 2010 Paralympic Games ... The U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team for the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia, will be chosen this summer … Dan Brennan is the general manager for the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team.

************************************************ On this date in 1704, John Campbell published what would eventually become the first successful American newspaper. It was known as the Boston "News-Letter." ************************************************ Austin and Ticats add QB Brian Brohm ahead of mini-camp. Als' Lavoie undergoes successful lower back surgery. Visit the league's official website at cfl.ca. ************************************************ "Lights Out" debuted on NBC Radio on this date in 1935. It ran until 1952. ************************************************ Tampa, FL. —The Buccaneers' Pro Bowl guard, who missed all of last season with a major knee injury, says he is under no limitations as he begins the 2013 offseason program with the rest of his teammates. Read the rest here. ************************************************ Did you hear about that 6-year-old in Lampeer, Michigan who drove his dad's car on his own in search of Chinese food? His dad was home asleep the whole time. [I don't mean to judge but that's simply bad parenting. Every responsible parent teaches his child how to order delivery.] ************************************************ Baltimore, MD. -- Tampa Bay wheeled out a lineup for Tuesday night's game against Baltimore that could best be described as the antithesis of the 1927 Yankees. However, the Rays' offense did show some life in a 5-4 loss at Camden Yards. Read the rest here. ************************************************ The new Sports Illustrated cover shows four Boston police officers converging over 78-year-old marathoner Bill Iffrig, who was knocked down by one of the blasts as he approached the finish line. ************************************************ Milwaukee, WI. -- Barry Zito's run of dominance ended not with a whimper, but a bang. The Brewers scored eight runs in the third inning on Tuesday, and the Giants' attempt to win for the 17th consecutive game with Zito on the hill ended in a 10-8 loss at Miller Park. The Giants threatened to provide their own fireworks at various points but couldn't quite battle all the way back after falling behind, 9-3. Read the rest here. ************************************************ Officials in a British city (Swindon) say contractors who painted yellow lines down the center of a 4-foot-wide alley must have forgotten how big cars actually are. Residents were shocked to see the lines had been painted down the center of a 60-foot-long alleyway, even though the 4-foot width of the alley makes it impossible for cars to use. ************************************************ Hey Easter Bunny? I got LOTS of eggs! ************************************************ You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as thinking of the people of Boston, isn't it? ************************************************ Today in Elvis History 1952 - Elvis Presley was fired from the Lowe's State Theater for punching another usher. The other usher had told the manager that Elvis was getting free candy from the girl at the concession stand. 1961 - Location filming was completed for the Elvis Presley film "Blue Hawaii." ************************************************ Pat Summerall was the voice of the NFL for decades, starting with CBS' Sunday telecasts and later with Fox. Summerall passed away Tuesday in Dallas. He was 82. ************************************************ Today in Beatles History: 1970 - Paul McCartney's album "McCartney" was released. 1982 - Paul McCartney became the first composer to have simultaneous hits on the black and country music charts. 1998 - Linda McCartney died from breast cancer. 2002 - A photograph of John Lennon's spectacles sold at auction for $13,000. The photo was only one of six prints taken of his bloodstained spectacles from when he was fatally shot outside his New York apartment building. The picture, taken by Yoko Ono, was also used for Ono's album "Season of Glass." ************************************************ Boys are easier to raise than girls, right? That's what over half of us start out thinking, at least. A new survey discovered more than half of American couples want their first child to be a boy because they are (quote) "less hard work." Only 21% have their heart set on a daughter. 32% have no preference. ************************************************ Today in Sports History: 1892 - At Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, the first National League game to be played on Sunday took place. The Reds beat the Browns 5-1. 1947 - Jackie Robinson (Brooklyn Dodgers) performed a bunt for his first major league hit. 1967 - The U.S. Supreme Court barred Muhammad Ali's request to be blocked from induction into the U.S. Army. 2001 - Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants) hit his 500th home run. 2010 - Ubaldo Jiménez threw the first no-hitter in Colorado Rockies history. The Rockies beat the Braves 4-0. ************************************************ Igor Sikorsky accomplished the first successful helicopter lift-off from water near Stratford, CT on this date in 1941. ************************************************ Coming Up: Tonight -- MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm EDT MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Milwaukee Brewers 8:10pm EDT NAHL Playoff Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild at Fresno Monsters 10:45pm EDT Thursday -- MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Milwaukee Brewers 1:10pm EDT MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm EDT NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Montreal Canadiens 7:30pm EDT NAHL Playoff Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild at Fresno Monsters 10:00pm EDT Friday -- MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics 7:10pm EDT MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres 10:10pm EDT Saturday -- MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics 7:10pm EDT MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres 9:05pm EDT Sunday -- Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- STP 400 at Kansas Speedway 1:00pm EDT MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics 1:40pm EDT Izod Indy Car Series -- Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach 4:00pm EDT MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres 4:05pm EDT NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Carolina Hurricanes 6:00pm EDT NAHL Playoff Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild vs Fresno Monsters 8:05pm EDT (If neeeded) ************************************************ That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow!