Monday Morning Meissnervations

It's Monday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is April 22nd, the 112th day of 2013. There are 253 days left in the year.

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Bruins, fans react to Boston's difficult week.

Neal, Malkin recovering but not ready to play.

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

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Portuguese navigator Pedro Alvares Cabral discovered Brazil on this date in 1500.

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Tampa FL. -- Both Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis proved they’re still very much interested in finishing the season as the league leaders in the NHL stats department.

Stamkos scored his 28th goal of the season to keep pace behind Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin, and Martin St. Louis also had a goal and an assist for Tampa Bay, but in a 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in front of a sellout crowd of 19,204 at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on Sunday night.

Read the rest here.

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The U.S. Congress mandated that all coins minted as U.S. currency bear the inscription "In God We Trust" on this date in 1864.

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Wenatchee, WA. -- Jacob Barber peeled himself from the ice after laying out to block a shot, skated up ice, received a pass and lit the lamp one last time to give his team a 4-1 lead with less than 30 seconds in regulation.

Read the rest here.

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At noon on this date in 1889, the Oklahoma land rush officially started as thousands of Americans raced for new, unclaimed land.

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U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team Clips Czech Republic, 4-3, at 2013 IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship  Motte Tallies Two Goals in Victory SOCHI, Russia – Tyler Motte (St. Clair, Mich.) netted two goals, as the U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team clipped the Czech Republic, 4-3, here this evening at Bolshoy Ice Dome in its second game at the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Men's World Championship. With the victory, Team USA's record improves to 1-0-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L). "The team showed a lot of resolve in battling back to win this game," said Don Granato, head coach of the U.S. National Under-18 Team. "We worked hard in the second and third period, but it's important for us to perform at a high level throughout the entire game." The Czech Republic struck first off a broken play in the U.S. offensive zone. The ensuing odd man rush resulted in a goal by the Czechs at 12:18. Skating with the man advantage and looking to tie the contest, a bad bounce for Team USA led to another odd man rush by the Czechs. The Czech Republic wristed a shot under the arm of Thatcher Demko (San Diego, Calif.) for the shorthanded marker. The Americans answered at 19:39 when Motte scored off aJ.T. Compher (Northbrook, Ill.) centering pass from behind the net. Will Butcher (Sun Prairie, Wis.) also collected an assist on the play. Nineteen seconds into the second stanza, Compher wristed a shot that beat Czech netminder Rene Svoboda in the top corner. John Hayden (Greenwich, Conn.) set up the score as he moved along the end boards, finding Compher in the slot. Anthony Louis (Winfield, Ill.) earned the second assist. Team USA seized the lead off of Motte's second marker of the game at 3:34. Hudson Fasching (Burnsville, Minn.) created the chance when he drove to the net and sent a shot off Svoboda's stick. Fasching and Butcher collected helpers on the goal. Less then one minute later, the Czech Republic countered to tie the game, 3-3. The U.S. regained the lead at 5:23 when Evan Allen (Sterling Heights, Mich.) snuck the puck between Svoboda and the left goal post. Michael McCarron (Macomb, Mich.) andSean Malone (West Seneca, N.Y.) registered assists. Team USA held the Czechs to just six shots on net in the third period, with Demko turning aside each attempt. The Czech Republic pulled Svoboda in favor of the extra attacker late in the frame, but the move did not equate to a goal and the U.S. skated away with a 4-3 win. Demko had 18 saves in the victory for Team USA, while Svoboda kicked out 46 shots in the loss for the Czech Republic. The U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team continues tournament play tomorrow (April 21) against Latvia at 5 p.m. local time (9 a.m. EDT), at the Bolshoy Ice Dome. The game will be streamed live on FASTHockey.com. Team USA's complete schedule can be found below. NOTES: Tyler Motte was named Team USA's Player of the Game ... The U.S. outshot the Czech Republic, 50-21 ... For Team USA's full roster, click here ... Twenty-two players on the U.S. roster come from USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program ... The U.S. enters the tournament having captured a record nine consecutive medals, including back-to-back gold medals in 2005-06, four straight gold medals from 2009-12, two silver medals (2004, 2007) and one bronze medal (2008). Team USA’s seven gold medals are the most of any country in IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship history (event began in 1999). Team USA earned its first gold medal in 2002 … The U.S. is in Group A with the Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia and Russia. Group B consists of Canada, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland ... Follow @USAHockeyScores on Twitter for live scoring updates during the tournament. Scores will be designated with #U18MWC ... More information about the tournament can be found here. ... The U.S. National Under-18 Team trains with The Hockey IntelliGym, a revolutionary new software program released on October 1, 2010, that trains hockey sense. To learn more, visit USAHockeyIntelliGym.com. GAME SUMMARY Scoring By Period USA 1 - 3 - 0 - 4 CZE 2 - 1 - 0 - 3 First Period - Scoring: 1, CZE, Zboril (Zdrahal), 12:18; 2, CZE, Kampf (Kase), 16:22, (sh); 3, USA, Motte (Compher, Butcher), 19:39. Penalties: CZE, Kohout (slashing), 14:50. Second Period - Scoring: 4, USA, Compher (Hayden, Louis), 0:19; 5, USA, Motte (Fasching, Butcher), 3:34; 6, CZE, Zboril (Zdrahal, Kostalek), 4:28; 7, USA, Allen (McCarron, Malone), 5:23. Penalties: CZE, Zboril (hooking), 12:04. Third Period - Scoring: None. Penalties: USA, Fasching (tripping), 8:20; USA, Motte (kneeing), 9:43; CZE, Kohout (high-sticking), 11:43; CZE, Zboril (interference), 12:45. Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total USA 18 21 11 50 CZE 9 6 6 21 Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total USA, Demko, 60:00 9/7 6/5 6/6 21/18 CZE, Svoboda, 59:35 18/17 21/17 11/11 50/46 Power Play: USA 0-4; CZE 0-2 Penalties: USA 2-4; CZE 4-8 Team USA 2013 IIHF Men's World Under-18 Championship Schedule April 18-28 • Sochi, Russia Date Opponent Time (Local/EDT) Live Webcast Sun., April 14 Canada* W, 4-1 FASTHockey.com Thu., April 18 Russia L, 3-4 FASTHockey.com Sat., April 20 Czech Republic W, 4-3 FASTHockey.com Sun., April 21 Latvia 5 p.m./9 a.m. FASTHockey.com Tue., April 23 Finland 3:30 p.m./7:30 p.m. FASTHockey.com Thu., April 25 Quarterfinals TBD TBD Fri., April 26 Semifinals TBD TBD Sun., April 28 Bronze-Medal Game 4 p.m./8 a.m. TBD Sun., April 28 Gold-Medal Game 8 p.m./12 p.m. TBD *pre-tournament game U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team Downs Latvia, 7-1, at 2013 IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship  Motte Tallies Two Goals, Adds Assist in Victory SOCHI, Russia – Tyler Motte (St. Clair, Mich.) tallied two goals and added an assist, as the U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team downed Latvia, 7-1, here this evening at Bolshoy Ice Dome in its third game at the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Men's World Championship. With the victory, Team USA's record improves to 2-0-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L). "We got off to a good start today and earned an important three points in the standings," said Don Granato, head coach of the U.S. National Under-18 Team. "We put ourselves in a good position to play for a high seed in the tournament. Now we have to go out and execute in all areas of the game, for 60 minutes." The Americans struck first when Kevin Labanc (Staten Island, N.Y.) one-timed a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle past Kristaps Nazarovs. Keaton Thompson (Devils Lake, N.D.) slid the puck over to Labanc for the score.Tyler Kelleher (Longmeadow, Mass.) doubled the U.S. lead at 6:55, making a series of moves around Latvian defenders before depositing the puck into the net. Gage Ausmus (East Grand Forks, Minn.) collected an assist on the play. Team USA extended its advantage, 3-0, when Michael McCarron (Macomb, Mich.) jammed the puck past the goal line. Kelleher and Shane Eiserman (West Newbury, Mass.) registered assists. Latvia was whistled for a penalty with three seconds remaining in the period and the U.S. capitalized before time expired. Evan Allen (Sterling Heights, Mich.) launched a shot that beat the clock, sending Team USA to the locker room leading, 4-0. J.T. Compher (Northbrook, Ill.) and Anthony Louis (Winfield, Ill.) earned the helpers. Latvia notched the lone goal of the second stanza at 7:57. The U.S. sent 12 shots on net in the period, with Nazarovs stopping each attempt. Thatcher Demko (San Diego, Calif.) made several key saves, allowing just one goal off an odd-man rush by the Latvians. Hudson Fasching (Burnsville, Minn.) connected with Motte twice in the third period for one-timer goals. Fasching and Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford, Mass.) assisted on Motte's first tally at 8:58, while Fasching earned the lone assist on the second strike. With under a minute left in regulation, Tommy Vannelli (Minnetonka, Minn.) batted his own blocked shot into the net, capping a 7-1 victory over Latvia. Motte and Compher earned assists on the score. Demko turned aside 21 shots in the win for Team USA, while Nazarovs kicked out 40 shots in the loss for Latvia. The U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team concludes preliminary round play on Tuesday (April 23) against Finland at 3:30 p.m. local time (7:30 a.m. EDT), at the Bolshoy Ice Dome. The game will be streamed live onFASTHockey.com. Team USA's complete schedule can be found below. NOTES: Thatcher Demko was named Team USA's Player of the Game ... The U.S. outshot the Latvia, 47-21 ... Team USA finished 1-for-5 on the power play, while Latvia went 0-for-3 with the man advantage ... For Team USA's full roster, click here ... Twenty-two players on the U.S. roster come from USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program ... The U.S. enters the tournament having captured a record nine consecutive medals, including back-to-back gold medals in 2005-06, four straight gold medals from 2009-12, two silver medals (2004, 2007) and one bronze medal (2008). Team USA’s seven gold medals are the most of any country in IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship history (event began in 1999). Team USA earned its first gold medal in 2002 … The U.S. is in Group A with the Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia and Russia. Group B consists of Canada, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland ... Follow @USAHockeyScores on Twitter for live scoring updates during the tournament. Scores will be designated with #U18MWC ... More information about the tournament can be found here. ... The U.S. National Under-18 Team trains with The Hockey IntelliGym, a revolutionary new software program released on October 1, 2010, that trains hockey sense. To learn more, visit USAHockeyIntelliGym.com. GAME SUMMARY Scoring By Period LAT 0 - 1 - 0 - 1 USA 4 - 0 - 3 - 7 First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Labanc (Thompson), 2:54; 2, USA, Kelleher (Ausmus), 6:55; 3, USA, McCarron (Kelleher, Eiserman), 11:52; 4, USA, Allen (Compher, Louis), 19:59, (pp). Penalties: USA, Hayden (tripping), 8:39; LAT, Homjakovs (interference), 19:57. Second Period - Scoring: 5, LAT, Golovkovs (Bukarts), 7:57. Penalties: LAT, Batna (cross-checking), 5:31; LAT, Maslovskis (tripping), 9:21; USA, Compher (roughing), 14:53. Third Period - Scoring: 6, USA, Motte (Fasching, Eichel), 8:58; 7, USA, Motte (Fasching), 12:51; 8, USA, Vannelli (Motte, Compher), 19:14. Penalties: LAT, Bindulis (slashing), 1:21; USA, Compher (slashing), 15:53. Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total LAT 9 8 5 22 USA 18 12 17 47 Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total LAT, Nazarovs, 60:00 18/14 12/12 17/14 47/40 USA, Demko, 60:00 9/9 8/7 5/5 22/21 Power Play: LAT 0-3; USA 1-5 Penalties: LAT 5-10; USA 3-6 Team USA 2013 IIHF Men's World Under-18 Championship Schedule April 18-28 • Sochi, Russia Date Opponent Time (Local/EDT) Live Webcast Sun., April 14 Canada* W, 4-1 FASTHockey.com Thu., April 18 Russia L, 3-4 FASTHockey.com Sat., April 20 Czech Republic W, 4-3 FASTHockey.com Sun., April 21 Latvia W, 7-1 FASTHockey.com Tue., April 23 Finland 3:30 p.m./7:30 p.m. FASTHockey.com Thu., April 25 Quarterfinals TBD TBD Fri., April 26 Semifinals TBD TBD Sun., April 28 Bronze-Medal Game 4 p.m./8 a.m. TBD Sun., April 28 Gold-Medal Game 8 p.m./12 p.m. TBD *pre-tournament game

************************************************ On this date in 1931, James G. Ray landed an autogyro on the lawn of the White House. ************************************************ Superman's Return: Harper out to prove he's no throw-in. Former Rider Don Narcisse remains committed to KidSport. Visit the league's official website at cfl.ca. ************************************************ The U.S. Senate Army-McCarthy televised hearings began on this date in 1954. ************************************************ Tampa, FL. — The New York Jets have traded star cornerback Darrelle Revis to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 13th overall pick in Thursday night's draft and a conditional selection next year. Read the rest here. ************************************************ The first "Earth Day" was observed by millions of Americans on this date in 1970. ************************************************ St. Petersburg, FL. -- The Rays returned home this weekend convinced that their rocky start, particularly that terrible 2-7 road trip, was nothing more than a rough stretch of baseball. They said they would play better, and they believed a winning streak was due to follow a skid during which they lost eight of 10. Read the rest here. ************************************************ Barbara Walters became first female nightly network news anchor on this date in 1976. ************************************************ San Francisco, CA. -- The old new Barry Zito is back. Following a brutal start, he returned to his scoreless self Sunday, tossing seven shutout innings en route to the Giants' 5-0 win against the Padres. Read the rest here. ************************************************ On this date in 1987, the American Physical Society said that the "Star Wars" missile system was "highly questionable" and would take ten years to research. ************************************************ I'm up here Daddy! ************************************************ You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as staying up late for a West Coast hockey game, isn't it? ************************************************ Today in Elvis History 1973 - Elvis Presley began a series of nine concerts at Veteran's Memorial Stadium in Phoenix. ************************************************ The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was dedicated in Washington, DC on this date in 1993. ************************************************ Today in Beatles History: 1969 - John Lennon legally changed his middle name from Winston to Ono. 1969 - The Beatles recorded "The Ballad of John and Yoko." ************************************************ The Watson Family received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on this date in 1999. ************************************************ Today in Sports History: 1876 - Eight baseball teams began the inaugural season of the National League. In the first game Boston beat Philadelphia 6-5. 1914 - Babe Ruth made his pitching debut with the Baltimore Orioles. 1915 - The New York Yankees wore pinstripes and the hat-in-the-ring logo for the first time. 1945 - The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Detroit Red Wings, 2-1 in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup finals. 1982 - The Atlanta Braves ended their 13-game winning streak to start the season. It was the longest streak of wins at the beginning of the season in major league baseball history. 1994 - Michael Moorer became the first left-handed heavyweight champion. 2010 - The NFL Draft was aired in prime time for the first time. ************************************************ On this date in 2000, Elian Gonzalez was reunited with his father. He had to be taken from his Miami relatives by U.S. agents in a predawn raid. ************************************************ KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Matt Kenseth likened his victory in the STP 400 to a game of musical chairs -- you had to be leading when the music stopped. Read the rest here. *********************************************** ABC-TV aired a small portion of the Clinton-DiCaprio interview on this date in 2000. ************************************************ LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Amid the Victory Circle celebration for Takuma Sato, conspicuously absent and certainly missed was the team's inspirational leader, A.J. Foyt. Read the rest here. ************************************************ The Madonna album "American Life" was released on this date in 2003. ************************************************ Coming Up: Tonight -- MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees 7:10pm EDT MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks 10:15pm EDT Tuesday -- MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees 7:10pm EDT MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks 10:15pm EDT Wednesday -- MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks 3:45pm EDT NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightnings vs Toronto Maple Leafs 7:00pm EDT MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees 7:10pm EDT Thursday -- NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Boston Bruins 7:30pm EDT MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox 8:10pm EDT Friday -- Nascar Nationwide Series -- Toyotacare 250 at Richmond International Raceway 7:30pm EDT MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox 8:10pm EDT NAHL Playoff Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild vs Kenai River or Fairbanks 10:05pm EDT MLB -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 10:10pm EDT Saturday -- NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers 7:00pm EDT (Final game of regular season) MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox 7:10pm EDT Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway 7:30pm EDT MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks 8:40pm EDT NAHL Playoff Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild vs Kenai River or Fairbanks 10:05pm EDT Sunday -- MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox 2:10pm EDT MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks 4:10pm EDT ************************************************ That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow!