It's Friday

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

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Today is December 6th, the 340th day of 2013. There are 25 days left in the year.

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Predators say Rinne will rehab hip for 2 more weeks.

Heritage Classic tickets are on sale now.

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

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Today's Birthdays: JoBeth Williams (Poltergeist, The Big Chill) is 65; Craigslist founder Craig Newmark is 61; Director Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) is 46.

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Tampa, FL. -- Looking for signs of life after two consecutive shutouts, the Tampa Bay Lightning found enough to squeeze out a win, 3-1, against the Ottawa Senators Thursday night at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1774, Austria became the first nation to introduce a state education system.

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U.S. National Sled Hockey Team Defeats Russia, 4-1, to Advance to World Sledge Hockey Challenge Championship Game Team USA will play either Canada or Korea Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET TORONTO – Josh Pauls (Green Brook, N.J.) scored twice and Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.) recorded three points to help the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team defeat Russia, 4-1, in the semifinals of the 2013 World Sledge Hockey Challenge here today. “I was pleased with our game, and we played better than we did yesterday against Canada,” said head coach Jeff Sauer. “It’s always fun to win. I thought we had a much better start today than we did against Canada, but the bottom line is Russia is a good team that plays very smart hockey. I was pleased with how we adjusted to that style of play.” After a scoreless first period in which the United States held a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal but couldn’t find the back of the net, Pauls wasted little time changing that trend in the middle frame. Just 19 seconds into the second stanza, Farmer knocked a puck to Pauls in the neutral zone, sending him in on a breakaway. Pauls deked, moved to his right and fired a shot off the crossbar and in to give Team USA a 1-0 lead. Paul Schaus (Buffalo, N.Y.) doubled the U.S. lead when he got a stick on a rebound in the crease at 7:33 of the second. After a Josh Sweeney (Phoenix, Ariz.) attempt was stopped, Schaus won a race to the loose puck in the crease and pushed it past Russian goaltender Mikhail Ivanov. Then, just under four minutes later, Pauls and Farmer connected again to boost the Team USA lead to 3-0. Farmer worked the play behind the Russia net and left a drop pass for Pauls at the side of the goal. Pauls got to the edge of the crease and slipped the puck in before Ivanov could get back to his post. Farmer added an insurance marker – a power-play tally 5:33 into the final period – with help from Taylor Chace (Hampton Falls, N.H.) to close the Team USA scoring. United States goaltender Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.) started the game in net, stopping all 12 shots he faced. Jen Yung Lee (San Francisco, Calif.) relieved Cash with 5:14 remaining in regulation and made two saves. The U.S. National Sled Hockey Team will next play Saturday night against either Canada or Korea in the World Sledge Hockey Challenge championship game. Puck-drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. 2013 World Sledge Hockey ChallengeDec. 1-7 - Toronto, Ontario - MasterCard Centre Date Opponent Time (ET)/Result Live Streaming Sun., Dec. 1 Russia W, 2-1 FASTHockey.com Mon., Dec. 2 Korea W, 5-0 FASTHockey.com Wed., Dec. 4 Canada L, 1-4 FASTHockey.com Thurs., Dec. 5 Russia (Semifinal) W, 4-1 FASTHockey.com Sat., Dec. 7 Championship Game 7:30 p.m. Notes: For a complete box score, click here ... Pauls was named the U.S. Player of the Game ... For complete information on the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, including a team roster, schedule, news and more, click here ... Follow all U.S. games during the World Sledge Hockey Challenge via Twitter by following @USAHockey and @USAHockeyScores, and join the conversation by using hashtag #WSHC2013 ... Eighteen players were named to the 2014 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team on July 24. Team USA's roster will be trimmed to 17 players by Jan. 1, 2014, to conform to the Paralympic Games roster limit … Nine players return from the 2010 U.S. squad that captured the gold medal at the 2010 Paralympic Games in Vancouver, B.C., including goaltender Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.); defensemen Taylor Chace (Hampton Falls, N.H.), Nikko Landeros (Johnstown, Colo.), Josh Pauls (Green Brook, N.J.) and Andy Yohe(Bettendorf, Iowa); and forwards Taylor Lipsett (Plano, Texas), Adam Page (Lancaster, N.Y.),Alexi Salamone (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Greg Shaw (Merritt Island, Fla.). Cash, Chace, Lipsett, Salamone and Yohe also received bronze medals at the 2006 Paralympic Games in Torino, Italy … Dan Brennan (Colorado Springs, Colo.), director of sled and inline national teams for USA Hockey, is serving as the general manager of the 2014 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team ... Jeff Sauer (Madison, Wis.) is the head coach of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. Guy Gosselin(Grafton, Wis.), American Development Model regional manager for USA Hockey, is in his third season as an assistant coach for the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team ... Due to rights restrictions, the championship game of the World Sledge Hockey Challenge is only available in Canada on TSN.

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On this date in 1790, The U.S. Congress moved from New York to Philadelphia.

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Report: Campbell to be named first REDBLACKS coach.

Price checked off free agent list; receiver signs extension.

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

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Today (Friday) is Work in the Nude Day and St. Nicholas Day. Saint Nicholas is the former Bishop of Turkey and the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, thieves, children and students. His reputation for secret gift-giving to those in need became the inspiration for the modern day Santa Claus.

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Regina, SK. -The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced today they have signed four non-import veterans to contract extensions. Receivers Chris Getzlaf and Rob Bagg, as well as offensive linemen Brendon LaBatte and Dominic Picard have re-upped with the team.

Read the rest here.

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The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified on this date in 1865. The amendment abolished slavery in the U.S.

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Tampa, FL. — Thursday Notes: Unseasonably warm weather made practice less enjoyable for the Buccaneers on Thursday but might turn into an edge this Sunday against Buffalo…And other notes.

Read the rest here.

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A woman gave birth at an Arkansas Denny's. [Finally, a reason to name a kid "Grand Slam".]

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Spider Jimmy is in search of more treats.

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You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as taking your son to school, isn't it?

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Today in Elvis History

1968 - Elvis Presley received one of 66,000 letters that U.S. President Nixon sent out to potential administrative office holders.

1991 - The Elvis Presley album "Memories At Christmas" was certified gold by the RIAA.

2005 - The 1962 Elvis Presley movie "Kid Galahad" was released on DVD.

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Sure, you can get your iPhone 5s in Apple's own gold finish, but so can just about anyone else with a few hundred dollars to throw around. If you really want to stand out from the crowd, you need the Apple Solid Gold iPhone 5S. Instead of the typical gold finish, this one comes in solid, 24-karat gold covering the edges, top, bottom, and back. $3,300 is the cost.

... If a solid gold phone is on your Christmas wish list, but you're not an Apple iPhone fan, that's OK -- because for $2,500 you can own a 24-carat gold HTC One Android phone.

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Today in Beatles History:

1963 - The Beatles' first Christmas record was delivered to their fan club.

1966 - The first session for "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" occurred at Abbey Road. The Beatles performed two takes of "When I'm 64."

1967 - The Beatles opened the Apple Boutique in London.

1980 - John Lennon mixed "Walking on Thin Ice." Mark David Chapman arrived in New York City a day after leaving Honolulu.

1986 - Ringo Starr became the first Beatle to get into advertising when he became a spokesman for a wine cooler company.

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TV TONIGHT: THE GRAMMY NOMINATIONS CONCERT LIVE - LL Cool J hosts as the nominations for the Grammy's are announced. Scheduled performers include Drake, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Robin Thicke, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban. (10p ET, CBS)

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Today in Sports History:

1960 - Gene Autry and Bob Reynolds were granted the Los Angeles Angels baseball franchise by the American League.

1988 - The Milwaukee Bucks won their 1,000th NBA game.

1990 - The National Hockey League granted a membership to the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Ottawa Senators.

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NEW IN THEATERS TODAY - Out of the Furnace (R) starring Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, Woody Harrelson, Sam Shepard, Willem Dafoe, Forest Whitaker.

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild vs Johnstown Tomahawks 10:05pm EST

Saturday --

USPHL Empire Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Palm Beach Hawks 3:30pm EST

USPHL Elite Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Pa;m Beach Hawks 6:30pm EST

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Winnipeg Jets 7:00pm EST

NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild vs Johnstown Tomahawks 10:05pm EST

Sunday --

USPHL Empire Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Palm Beach Hawks 9:30am EST

USPHL Elite Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Palm Beach Hawks 12:30pm EST

NFL Football -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Buffalo Bills 1:00pm EST

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That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow!