It's Thursday

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

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Today is December 5th, the 339th day of 2013. There are 26 days left in the year.

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Versatility key as U.S. selects WJC camp roster.

Islanders assistant Weight excited for outdoor game.

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

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Today's Birthdays: Little Richard is 81; Paula Patton (Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol) is 38; Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle) is 28.

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Tampa, FL. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Ottawa Senators meet for the first of five games this season Thursday.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1901, movie producer Walt Disney was born in Chicago. He created his first Mickey Mouse cartoon at the age of 27.

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2014 U.S. National Junior Team Preliminary Roster Announced Total of 26 Players to Attend Training Camp Dec. 15-18 in Minneapolis COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Hockey today unveiled its 26-player preliminary roster for the 2014 U.S. National Junior Team that will participate in the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship Dec. 26, 2013-Jan. 5, 2014, in Malmo, Sweden. For the complete preliminary roster, click here. The 26 players will participate in a training camp Dec. 15-18 at the University of Minnesota's Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis, with preparations continuing in Angelholm, Sweden, before the final 23-man roster is announced on Dec. 23. The U.S. will play three games before the start of the IIHF World Junior Championship, including Dec. 17 against Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., and contests in Angelholm vs. Finland on Dec. 20 and Sweden on Dec. 22. "We're excited about the group of players we've invited to camp," said Jim Johannson, general manager of the 2014 U.S. National Junior Team and assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey. "There will be some tough decisions in getting to the final roster, but that's certainly a good problem to have." The preliminary roster includes three players that helped the U.S. capture the gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship a year ago in forwards Riley Barber (Pittsburgh, Pa./Miami Univ.) and Ryan Hartman (West Dundee, Ill.) and goaltender Jon Gillies (South Portland, Maine/Providence College). NOTES: Practices at Mariucci Arena will be open to the public ... Team USA has medaled in three of the last four IIHF World Junior Championships, winning gold in 2010 and 2013, plus bronze in 2011 ... Don Lucia (Plymouth, Minn.), head coach of the University of Minnesota men's ice hockey team, is the head coach of the 2014 U.S. National Junior Team. Bob Motzko(St. Cloud, Minn.), head coach of the St. Cloud State University men's ice hockey team, Greg Brown (Scituate, Mass.), associate head coach of the Boston College men's ice hockey team, and David Lassonde (Denver, Colo.), assistant coach of the University of Denver men's ice hockey team, are the assistant coaches. Dan Muse (Clinton, Conn.), assistant coach of Yale University's men's ice hockey team, is serving as the team's video coordinator... Jim Johannson (Colorado Springs, Colo.), USA Hockey's assistant executive director of hockey operations, is serving as the general manager of Team USA for the fifth consecutive year ...Don Waddell (Detroit, Mich.), an international consultant to USA Hockey, is assisting with player identification for Team USA ... The U.S. will compete in a group with Canada, Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship. For more information about the tournament, click here ... In August, 44 players attended the 2013 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, N.Y. Complete details from that camp can be found here. 2014 U.S. National Junior Team Training Camp ScheduleDec. 15-23 • Minneapolis, Minn. & Angelholm, Sweden Date Event Venue Location Time Sun., Dec. 15 Practice Mariucci Arena Minneapolis, Minn. 6:30-8 p.m. CT Mon., Dec. 16 Practice Mariucci Arena Minneapolis, Minn. 10-11:30 a.m. CT Practice Mariucci Arena Minneapolis, Minn. 5-6 p.m. CT Tues., Dec. 17 Practice Mariucci Arena Minneapolis, Minn. 10-11:30 a.m. CT at Minnesota State University Verizon Wireless Center Mankato, Minn. 7:30 p.m. CT Wed., Dec. 18 Practice Mariucci Arena Minneapolis, Minn. 9:30-10:30 a.m. CT Fri., Dec. 20 vs. Sweden Lindab Arena Angelholm, Sweden 1:30 p.m. ET Sun., Dec. 22 vs. Finland Lindab Arena Angelholm, Sweden 7:30 a.m. ET Paint America Red, White and Blue Campaign Off and Running Effort is to Help Strengthen Hockey at All Levels COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - With the 2014 Olympic Winter Games straight ahead, and an objective to help strengthen hockey at all levels in the United States, The USA Hockey Foundation has launched its “Paint America Red, White and Blue” fundraising campaign, which runs through the end of the year. “This is a unique initiative to really celebrate and honor our sport through giving,” said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey and The USA Hockey Foundation. “We’re out to help give more kids a chance to play this great sport and also assist those that represent our country on their path to what we hope is a gold-medal performance.” As donations are made, states will be “painted” on a digital map based on how many donations come in from that state. States with 1-10 donations will be painted red; states with 11-25 donations will be painted white; and states with 26 or more donations will be painted blue. On December 31, the end of the campaign, the state with the most donations will be painted gold. Donations can be made in multiple ways: • Online at www.usahockeyfoundation.com/paintamerica • By phone at 719.538.1106 • By sending a text to 41444 with the message PAINT and amount of your pledge Fans are encouraged to contribute whatever they can and then Tweet to @usahockey (hashtag #PaintAmerica) to share that they’ve contributed and what state they’re from. The USA Hockey Foundation supports USA Hockey efforts that give opportunities to disabled and disadvantaged youth; help increase participation through a variety of initiatives; enhance the safety of the game; help the U.S. be the best internationally; provide education programs for athletes, coaches, officials and parents; and celebrate the game through commemoration. Sled Hockey Featured on Showtime's 60 Minutes Sports Tonight Other Airings Throughout the Month COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Players from the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team, as well as other members of the American sled hockey community, will be featured on Showtime's 60 Minutes Sports tonight at 10 p.m. ET. The segment examines the growth of the sport across the country and how it benefits a broad spectrum of disabled athletes. The re-air schedule is below: Dec. 5 at 12 a.m. ET Dec. 7 at 9 a.m. ET Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. ET Dec. 15 at 5 a.m. ET Dec. 22 at 9 a.m. ET Dec. 25 at 10 p.m. ET Jan. 1 at 5:30 a.m. ET

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On this date in 1932, German physicist Albert Einstein was granted a visa making it possible for him to travel to the U.S.

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Argos add Tim Burke to coaching staff.

O'Shea named Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach.

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

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TV chef Nigella Lawson now admits that she did indeed use cocaine. [With a pinch of lemon thyme.]

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Regina, SK. -The Saskatchewan Roughriders are pleased to announce that five players have been selected 2013 CFL All-Stars. Three players from the Green and White were selected to the offence while two were selected to the defence. The All-Stars were selected by Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) and CFL head coaches.

Read the rest here.

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Prohibition came to an end on this date in 1933 when Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

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Tampa, FL. — Wednesday Notes: After taking on two strong defensive fronts in Detroit and Carolina, the Buccaneers' offense gets another serious test with the NFL's top sack team…Plus injuries and other notes.

Read the rest here.

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As 2012 came to a close a survey was taken: "What promise are you making to yourself in 2013?" Most people said things like find a new job, read more books, or volunteer more. But 2% of respondents said they planned to get their boss fired.

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Can I have a cookie please?

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You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as trying to find time to look at houses, isn't it?

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Today in Elvis History

1970 - The album "Elvis Back In Memphis" hit #183 in the U.S. The work was originally released as the second part of the album "From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis."

1981 - The Elvis Presley compilation album "The Ultimate Performance" hit #45 in the U.K.

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Scientists have created candy that is actually good for your teeth. A Berlin-based company (Organobalance) has developed a candy that contains a bacteria (Lactobacillus paracasei) which has been found to reduce cavities in lab rats.

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Today in Beatles History:

1969 - Ringo Starr and his family moved from Surrey, England to Roundhill (in London).

1973 - The Paul McCartney and Wings album "Band on the Run" was released.

1980 - John Lennon gave his final "Rolling Stone" interview to Jonathan Cott. On the same day, Mark David Chapman left Honolulu to fly to New York City. Three days later Chapman killed John Lennon.

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The Fast & Furious YouTube page has released a tribute video to Paul Walker. The 40-year-old starred in five of the six Fast & Furious films before his death on November 30. | video

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Today in Sports History:

1908 - At the University of Pittsburgh, numerals were first used on football uniforms worn by college football players.

1970 - The Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe Trophy and the Bill Masterson trophy were stolen from the NHL Hall of Fame.

1973 - Ron Santo became the first major league player to veto his trade.

1978 - Pete Rose signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. The contract was for four years and $3.2 million making Rose the highest paid athlete in team sports.

1982 - Mel Gray ended an NFL streak of 121 consecutive games with receptions.

1983 - Steve Howe (Los Angeles Dodgers) was suspended for 1 year for cocaine use.

1983 - The video arcade game "NFL Football" was unveiled in Chicago. It was the first video arcade game to be licensed by the National Football League.

1995 - Dan Marino (Miami Dolphins) passed for 300 yards in a game for the 52nd time to set an NFL record.

2000 - Karl Malone (Utah Jazz) moved past Wilt Chamberlain into second place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

2002 - Michal Handzus (Philadelphia Flyers) became only the second NHL player to score an overtime goal on a penalty shot. The Flyers beat the New York Rangers 3-2.

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While TV viewership has been spread thin across more and more networks -- and now portable devices like tablets -- make no mistake: Americans still watch a LOT of TV. New data shows we're watching more TV than ever. The average person is wasting, er, watching nearly five hours a day.

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Ottawa Senators 7:30pm EST

Friday --

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!