It's Saturday

It's Saturday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is January 4th, the 4th day of 2014. There are 361 days left in the year.

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Semifinals: Sweden vs. Russia; Canada vs. Finland.

2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic watched by record 8.2 million viewers across North America.

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

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Dr. William Grant performed the first successful appendectomy on this date in 1885. The patient was Mary Gartside.

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Calgary, AB. -- Bolts netminder Ben Bishop may have said he was not bothered by the Olympic snub dealt to him Wednesday, but it may have given him a little extra motivation, winning his second straight contest, 2-0, against the Calgary Flames since Team USA's announcement.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1896, Utah became the 45th U.S. state.

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U.S. Men's National Under-17 Team Defeats Quebec, 9-1, to Advance to World U17 Hockey Challenge Title Game White, Tkachuk Register Three Points, Boka Nets Two Goals SYDNEY, Nova Scotia - Colin White (Hanover, Mass.) and Matthew Tkachuk (St. Louis, Mo.) scored two goals and added an assist each and Nicholas Boka (Plymouth, Mich.) netted two goals as the U.S. Men's National Under-17 Team defeated Canada's Team Quebec, 9-1, here tonight at Centre 200 in semifinal action at the 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. With the win, Team USA advances to the title game tomorrow at 4 p.m. EST. "The final result was a bit misleading, with the perspective that we had to battle hard through the first half of the game to create separation," said Don Granato, head coach of the U.S. Men's National Under-17 Team. "We are certainly happy we have the opportunity to reach our goal coming into the event tomorrow." Team USA opened the scoring at 6:14 of the first period. Boka took a Tkachuk feed at the right faceoff circle and one-timed the puck past Quebec netminder Olivier Tremblay. Team USA doubled its lead after a Boka shot caromed off the glass and changed direction on Tremblay, who tried to play the puck. Casey Fitzgerald (North Reading, Mass.) and Auston Matthews(Scottsdale, Ariz.) collected assists on the play. White pushed the U.S. lead to three scores at 9:25 of the second stanza. Jeremy Bracco(Freeport, N.Y.) picked up the puck behind the Quebec net and circled around the attacking zone, as White slid into the slot. When Bracco reached the opposite side of the goal line, he sent a pass to White who redirected the puck into the cage. Quebec responded at 13:15 before Tkachuk potted a rebound goal just under two minutes later. Luke Kunin (Chesterfield, Mo.) and Zach Werenski (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) recorded helpers on the play. Matthews made it a 5-1 game at 15:43, swatting the puck out of mid-air on his backhand. Christian Fischer(Wayne, Ill.), who had the initial shot on goal, and Brendan Warren (Carleton, Mich.) were credited with assists. White notched his second of the night while on a two-man advantage 1:19 into the final frame. Noah Hanifin (Norwood, Mass.) and Bracco assisted. Michael Floodstrand (Hinsdale, Ill.) joined the scoring at 5:36, burying a pass from Luke Kirwan (Dewitt, N.Y.). Tkachuk scored his second goal, an unassisted marker, at 9:21 and Jack Roslovic (Columbus, Ohio) capped the scoring for Team USA with a power-play marker at 14:51. Dennis Yan (Troy, Mich.) andJoseph Masonius (Spring Lake, N.J.) chipped in on the final goal. Michael Lackey (Washington, D.C.) made 19 saves for Team USA in the win, while Tremblay and Callum Booth combined to block 37 shots for Quebec in the loss. The U.S. National Under-17 Team will next compete in the title game at the 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge tomorrow (Jan. 4). Team USA will face Canada's Team Pacific. The contest will be held at Centre 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia beginning at 4 p.m. EST. NOTES: For a complete box score, click here ... Matthew Tkachuk was named Team USA's player of the game ... For Team USA's full roster, click here ... All 22 players on the roster come from the U.S. National Under-17 Team that is part of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program based in Ann Arbor, Mich. ... The 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge includes two pools of five teams. Pool A consists of teams from the Czech Republic, Pacific, Quebec, Sweden and West. Pool B consists of teams from Atlantic, Germany, Ontario, Russia and the United States ... The U.S. enters the tournament having captured first place three times (2001-02, 2010) and second place four times (1999, 2008, 2011-12) ... Follow @USAHockeyScores on Twitter for live scoring updates during the tournament. Scores will be designated with #WU17... For additional coverage, visit the NTDP Facebook page and follow @USANTDP on Twitter ... The U.S. National Under-17 Team trains with The Hockey IntelliGym, a revolutionary software program that trains hockey sense. To learn more, visit USAHockeyIntelliGym.com Team USA 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge ScheduleDec. 28, 2013 - Jan. 4, 2014 • Cape Breton, Nova Scotia Date Opponent Location Time (EST)/Result Streaming Sat., Dec. 28 Quebec* Richmond Arena W, 6-2 Sun., Dec 29 Russia Civic Centre W, 5-1 FASTHockey Mon., Dec. 30 Germany Emera Centre North W, 14-1 FASTHockey Tues., Dec. 31 Atlantic Centre 200 W, 9-1 FASTHockey Thurs., Jan. 2 Ontario Centre 200 W, 6-2 FASTHockey Fri., Jan. 3 Quebec- Semifinal Centre 200 W, 9-1 FASTHockey Sat., Jan. 4 Championship Game Centre 200 4:00 p.m. FASTHockey *Pre-tournament game ABOUT THE NTDP: In 1996, USA Hockey launched a new initiative called the National Team Development Program, based in Ann Arbor, Mich. Celebrating its 17th season of play in 2013-14, the goal of this full-time development program is to prepare student-athletes under the age of 18 for participation on U.S. National Teams and success in their future hockey careers. Its efforts focus not only on high-caliber participation on the ice, but creating well-rounded individuals off the ice.

************************************************ On this date in 1928, NBC Radio debuted "The Dodge Victory Hour" which starred Will Rogers, Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra and singer Al Jolson. ************************************************ Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wild resumed play following the holiday break Friday night, with a game against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs and it was a late goal off a scramble in tight that gave the Wild an exciting 3-2 win over the Midwest Division leading Fairbanks Ice Dogs, before 2,933 at the Town Toyota Center. Wenatchee got the early lead, when Jakob Ahlgren (Fergus Falls, Minnesota) picked up a loose puck from a fallen Ice Dogs player and fired home a shot from about 15-20 feet straight on. Max McLain (Placentia, California) and Andre Pison (Herlev, Denmark) assisted on the goal at 1:58, giving the Wild a 1-0 lead. Fairbanks’ Tayler Munson tied the game early in the second, tucking home a backhander. Hans Gorowski and Willie Brooks drew the assists at 2:05, tying the game 1-1. Jacob Hetz filed home a rebound of a point shot at 3:13 of the third period, assisted by Todd Burgess, giving the Ice Dogs their first lead of the night, at 2-1. Chris Koukis (Brentwood, California) hammered home a crossing pass to tie the game in the latter stages of the period. The Wenatchee marker, assisted by Gadel Gumerov (Nizhnekamsk, Russia) and Ryan Gotelaere (Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin) came at 14:27, tying the game 2-2. An end board rebound resulted in a mad scramble at the Fairbanks goalmouth late in regulation and it was the Wild’s Mike Coyne (Kenmore, New York) who would join the fray and bang it home for the go-ahead goal. Tanner Barnes (Burnsville, Minnesota) and Matthew Nuttle (Marilla, New York) got the assists at 17:57. The Ice Dogs would pull the goaltender late but Wenatchee would hold on for their third win in as many games against the Ice Dogs this season, winning the contest 3-2. “Overall, I was happy with our effort” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach Bliss Littler. “We had a lot of kids playing in positions they normally don’t play. They made the most out of some opportunities. Overall, it’s a good win for our team.” The Wild outshot Fairbanks on the night, 39-25. Gustaf Johansson (Uppsala, Sweden) made 23 saves for Wenatchee; Kevin Aldridge had 36 stops for the Ice Dogs. The Wild was 0-for-4 on the power play and 3-of-3 on the penalty kill. The Wild is now 16-13-3; Fairbanks is 23-11-0. The Wild remains home for another game against Fairbanks tomorrow night (Saturday), with faceoff set 7:05pm PST. After that, Wenatchee hits the road for three games in Kenai River January 9th, 10th and 11th, then three games in Fairbanks on January 16th, 17th and 18th, before returning home to face Bismarck on January 24th and 25th. Individual and group game tickets for all home games are on sale now. Call 509.888.PUCK (7825). WILD 2.0 UPGRADE ************************************************ Bob Hope was heard for the first time on network radio as part of "The Intimate Revue" on this date in 1935. ************************************************

Top 10 Plays of 2013.

Tim Horton's Field Virtual Venue.

Please visit the league's official website, cfl.ca.

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On this date in 1936, the first pop music chart based on national sales was published by "Billboard" magazine.

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Tampa, FL. — Leslie Frazier will be the next defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the former Minnesota Vikings coach told ESPN's Josina Anderson.

Read the rest here.

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Britain granted independence to Burma on this date in 1948.

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Jimmy gettin' ready for the Christmas show.

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You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as wishing your little sister a happy birthday, isn't it?

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Today in Elvis History

1954 - Elvis Presley recorded "It Wouldn't be the Same Without You" and "I’ll Never Stand in Your Way."

1957 - In Memphis, Elvis Presley reported to Kennedy Veterans Hospital for an army pre-induction physical.

1975 - Elvis' update of the ballad "My Boy" hit #5 in the U.K. 

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On this date in 1953, tufted plastic carpeting was introduced by Barwick Mills.

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Today in Beatles History:

1962 -  The Beatles topped the first Mersey Beat popularity poll.

1970 - George Harrison recorded the lead guitar solo for the album version of "Let It Be."

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The Soviet satellite Sputknik I fell to the earth from its orbit on this date in 1958. The craft had been launched on October 4, 1957.

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Today in Sports History:

1883 - The Ontario Rugby Football Union was formed. The organization was the forerunner of the CFL.

1920 - The National Negro Baseball League was organized.

1957 - The Dodgers bought a 44-passenger twin-engine airplane for $775,000. They were the first team to own their own plane.

1957 - Former heavyweight boxing champ Joe Louis appeared on "The Steve Allen Show" to introduce singer Solomon Burke. Burke performed Louis' "You Can Run, but You Can't Hide."

1974 - NBC-TV presented hockey in prime time. The Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers were the teams in the National Hockey League (NHL) game.

1975 - The Montreal Canadiens beat the Washington Capitals 10-0.

1976 - The Dallas Cowboys became the first wild-card team to make it to the Super Bowl. They beat the Los Angeles Ram 37-7 in the NFC title game.

1977 - Mary Shane was hired by the Chicago White Sox as the first woman TV play-by-play announcer.

1982 - Bryant Gumbel moved from NBC Sports to the anchor desk where he joined Jane Pauley as co-host of the "Today" show on NBC.

1983 - The USFL (United States Football League) held its first player draft.

1984 - Wayne ‘The Great One’ Gretzky scored eight points (four goals and four assists) for the second time in his National Hockey League (NHL) career. Edmonton’s Oilers defeated the Minnesota North Stars, 12-8. The game was the highest-scoring NHL game to date.

1992 - Mike Gartner (New York Rangers) scored his 1000th career point.

1996 - Don Shula announced his retirement from coaching the Miami Dolphins after 26 seasons.

1997 - The New York Rangers won their 2,000th game as an NHL franchise. Wayne Gretzky assisted on four second period goals.

1999 - Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura was sworn in as Minnesota's 37th governor.

2003 - The Green Bay Packers lost 27-7 to the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC wild card game. It was the first time that the Packers had lost a playoff game at home.

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The Fender Guitar Company was sold to CBS for $13 million on this date in 1965.

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild vs Fairbanks Ice Dogs 10:05pm EST

USPHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at New England Showcase

Sunday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Edmonton Oilers 8:00pm EST

USPHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at New England Showcase

Monday --

Nothin' Doin'

Tuesday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Winnipeg Jets 8:00pm EST

Wednesday --

Nothin' Doin'

Thursday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals 7:30pm EST

Friday --

Nothin' Doin'

Saturday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Philadelphia Flyers 1:00pm EST

Sunday --

Nothin' Doin'

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