It's Saturday

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

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Today is February 8th, the 39th day of 2014. There are 326 days left in the year.

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Olympics: Prelim schedule, TV info.

Avalanche poised to make run with Varlamov in net.

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

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Simon Willard patented the banjo clock on this date in 1802.

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Tampa, FL. --The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forward Vladislav Namestnikov (nam-est-NICK-ohv) and goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis (güd-LEV-skeez) from the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League, vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced today. Gudlevskis was recalled on an emergency basis.

Read the rest here.

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William D. Boyce incorporated the Boy Scouts of America on this date in 1910.

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Fairbanks, AK. – The Wenatchee Wild took on the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Friday night in the second of a three-game set at the Big Dipper Ice Arena and it was the Ice Dogs who came out on top, with a three-goal second period propelling them to a 6-3 win.

Brett Gervais, who scored the winner Thursday night, lit the lamp just 43 seconds into the contest off an assist from Viktor Liljegren, giving Fairbanks an early 1-0 lead. The Wild took advantage of a bad bounce off the side boards and into the slot, where Alex Rauter (Morristown, New Jersey) blasted it home. Troy Loggins (Huntington Beach, California) and David Powlowski (Rochester, New York) drew the assists at 14:53, tying the game 1-1. The Ice Dogs struck again just over three minutes later, with Ethan Somoza scoring from Chandler Madry at 18:17, putting Fairbanks up 2-1 after one.

Kyle Lee scored on the power play early in the second. The assists went to Tayler Munson and Liljegren at 3:03. Then, just 67 seconds later, Somoza scored his second of the night from Doug Rose at 4:10 and suddenly, the Ice Dogs were up 4-1. The lead grew on a Duggie Lagrone goal, from Madry and Lonnie Clary got the assists at 11:01, making the Fairbanks lead 5-1. Wenatchee scored a power play goal, as Rauter scored his second of the game, assisted by Powlowski at 16:54. Then, at 17:53, as Nicholas Rivera (Pacific Palisades, California) banged one home. Alex Bontje (Nobleton, Ontario) and Mike Coyne (Kenmore, New York) drew the helpers at 17:53, slicing the deficit to 2, at 5-3, through 40 minutes.

Gervais scored for the Ice Dogs from Clary 4:24 into the third and the Fairbanks lead grew to 6-3. There was no further scoring in the third period and the Ice Dogs held on for the 6-3 win. “Believe it or not, we played much better than we did last night” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach Bliss Littler. “Better effort all the way around tonight. Every time they (Fairbanks) had an opportunity, we made a glaring mistake and they made us pay for every one of them. Overall, it was a better effort; I look forward to coming back here tomorrow night and try to collect some points. When you’re playing a team like Fairbanks, when you make a mistake, they make you pay for it. I thought we got up and down the ice and I thought we competed with them much better tonight than last night. We need to regroup and get back after it tomorrow night.”

Fairbanks outshot the Wild 33-32. Austin Priebe (Wausau, Wisconsin) and Chase Perry (Andover, Minnesota) combined to make 27 stops for Wenatchee, while Kevin Aldridge made 29 saves for the Ice Dogs. The Wild was 1-for-4 on the power play and 1-of-2 on the penalty kill.

Wenatchee is now 22-19-5; Fairbanks is now 34-13-0.

Wenatchee remains in Fairbanks for one more game tomorrow (Saturday), before returning home to face the Soo on February 14^th and 15^th. Individual and group game tickets for all home games are on sale now. Call 509.888.PUCK (7825).

WILD 2.0 UPGRADE

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"The Stars and Stripes" newspaper was published for the first time on this date in 1918.

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U.S. National Under-18 Team Doubles Up Sweden, 4-2, at 2014 Five Nations Tournament Larkin Scores Two Goals, Adds Assist in Victory DMITROV, Russia - Dylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich.) scored two goals and added one assist as the U.S. National Under-18 Team doubled up Sweden, 4-2, here today at Dmitrov Arena. With the win, Team USA improves to 3-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) at the 2014 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament. Larkin opened the scoring at 5:13 of the first frame. Jack Glover (Golden Valley, Minn.) andRyan Hitchcock (Manhasset, N.Y.) collected helpers on the play. Sweden struck back just under two minutes later to knot the game at one. Team USA regained the lead off Larkin's second tally of the period. Hitchcock again connected with Larkin for his second assist. Alex Tuch (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) notched the lone goal of the second stanza, knocking his own rebound into the net. Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford, Mass.) and Sonny Milano (Massapequa, N.Y.) registered assists on the score. With the marker, Team USA took a 3-1 advantage into the second intermission. Sweden climbed to within one goal at 4:08 of the third period. Just as Team USA killed off a tripping penalty, Ryan Wagner (Park Ridge, Ill.) sprung from the box and potted a breakaway goal to lift the U.S. past Sweden, 4-2. Larkin recorded the lone assist on the insurance marker. Blake Weyrick (Ojai, Calif.) made 24 saves in the win for Team USA, while Felix Sandstrom turned away 35 shots in the loss for Sweden. The U.S. National Under-18 Team closes out tournament play tomorrow (Feb. 8) versus the Czech Republic. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:30 a.m. EST at Dmitrov Arena. NOTES: Team USA outshot Sweden, 39-26 ... The U.S. went 0-5 on the power play, while Sweden went 0-3 ... For the complete U.S. National Under-18 Team roster, click here ... The U.S. National Under-18 Team is seeking its first title at the Five Nations Tournament since 2011. Team USA has claimed first place six times (1999, 2005, 2007-09, 2011) ... Follow@USAHockeyScores on Twitter for live scoring updates during the Five Nations Tournaments. Scores will be designated with the #5nationsU18 tag ... For additional coverage, visit the NTDP Facebook page and follow @USANTDP on Twitter ... The U.S. National Under-18 Team trains with The Hockey IntelliGym, a revolutionary new software program that trains hockey sense. To learn more, visit USAHockeyIntelliGym.com. 2014 U18 Five Nations Tournament Schedule - United States Feb. 4-8, 2014 • Dmitrov, Russia Date Opponent Location Time (EST) / Result Tues., Feb. 4 Russia Dmitrov W, 5-2 Thurs., Feb. 6 Finland Dmitrov W, 8-3 Fri., Feb. 7 Sweden Dmitrov W, 4-2 Sat., Feb. 8 Czech Republic Dmitrov 6:30 a.m. 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. U.S. National Under-17 Team Holds Off Czech Republic, 4-2, at Five Nations Tournament Matthews Registers Three Assists in Win KOVLAND, Sweden - Auston Matthews (Scottsdale, Ariz.) registered three assists as the U.S. National Under-17 Team held off the Czech Republic, 4-2, here tonight at Anashallen Arena. With the win, Team USA improves to 2-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) at the 2014 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament. Team USA struck first at 5:31 of the first frame. Christian Fischer (Wayne, Ill.) tallied a short-handed goal on a feed from Matthews. The Czech Republic tied the game at 6:57 of the second stanza. Just under two minutes later,Luke Kunin (Chesterfield, Mo.) restaked the lead for the U.S. Jeremy Bracco (Freeport, N.Y.) and Casey Fitzgerald (North Reading, Mass.) recorded assists on the play. Charles McAvoy(Long Beach, N.Y.) extended the Team USA advantage, now 3-1, at 16:30. Matthews picked up his second helper, while Matthew Tkachuk (St. Louis, Mo.) registered the secondary assist. The Czechs struck back 41 seconds later to inch closer before time expired on the second period. Brendan Warren (Carleton, Mich.) provided an insurance goal for the U.S. at 16:16 of the third period. Matthews and Fischer combined to help set up the play. Luke Opilka (St. Louis, Mo.) kicked out 18 shots in the win for Team USA, while Ales Stezka made 45 saves in the loss for the Czech Republic. The U.S. National Under-17 Team will continue tournament play tomorrow (Feb. 8) against Russia. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:30 a.m. EST at Gardehov Arena. NOTES: Team USA outshot the Czech Republic, 49-20 ... The U.S. went 0-5 on the power play, while the Czech Republic went 0-5 ... For the complete U.S. National Under-17 Team roster, click here ... The U.S. National Under-17 Team is competing in the Five Nations Tournament for the second time. Last year, Team USA finished third with a record of 2-0-1-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) ... Follow @USAHockeyScores on Twitter for live scoring updates during the Five Nations Tournaments. Scores will be designated with the #5NationsU17 tag ... 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 new software program that trains hockey sense. To learn more, visit USAHockeyIntelliGym.com. 2014 U17 Five Nations Tournament Schedule - United States Feb. 5-9, 2014 • Sundsvall, Sweden Date Opponent Location Time (EST) / Result Wed., Feb. 5 Finland Gardehov W, 6-5 Fri., Feb. 7 Czech Republic Anashallen W, 4-2 Sat., Feb. 8 Russia Gardehov 6:30 a.m. Sun., Feb. 9 Sweden Gardehov 8:30 a.m. 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. U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team Defeats Finland, 3-1, to Open Competition in 2014 Olympic Winter Games Three different players score; Vetter turns away 14 shots in win SOCHI, Russia - Hilary Knight (Sun Valley, Idaho), Kelli Stack (Brooklyn Heights, Ohio) andAlex Carpenter (North Reading, Mass.) each scored and goaltender Jessie Vetter (Cottage Grove, Wis.) turned away 14 shots to help the 2014 U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team beat Finland, 3-1, in the team's opening game of the Olympic Winter Games at Shayba Arena. "I'm happy with the way our team started the game today," said Katey Stone, head coach of the 2014 U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team. "Obviously, to have an opportunity to score in the first minute of the game takes a little bit of the edge off the anxiety of the first game. I liked our team speed, we moved the puck really well and we scored three hard-earned goals. We're happy to have the first game under our belt and we're looking forward to Monday." Knight opened the scoring just 53 seconds into the contest when she converted on a semi-breakaway. After good pressure by Amanda Kessel (Madison, Wis.) created a turnover in the neutral zone, Knight scooped up the loose puck at the offensive blue line, flew into the zone and beat Finland goaltender Noora Raty with a quick wrister to the blocker side. Team USA doubled its lead 7:42 into the middle frame when Stack scored from the edge of the crease. Off an offensive-zone draw, Megan Bozek (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) used the end wall to get the puck to the front of the net, where it bounced off Knight and right to Stack. Stack waited for the puck to fall below the height of the crossbar and batted it out of the air past Raty. Just over eight minutes later, Carpenter connected on a power play to boost Team USA's edge to 3-0. Knight used her body on a Finnish defender behind the net to force the puck loose, and the Americans worked it across the zone to Anne Schleper (St. Cloud, Minn.) at the far point. Schleper's wide shot ended up on the stick of Carpenter, who backhanded the puck in from the bottom of the right circle. Finland scored a power-play goal of its own at 15:22 of the final stanza to spoil Vetter's shutout bid, but the United States didn't allow the Finns to pull any closer. The U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team is off tomorrow (Feb. 9) before resuming action in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games Monday (Feb. 10) against Switzerland. Puck-drop is scheduled for 5 a.m. ET. NOTES: For today's box score, plus video highlights and photos, click here ... For complete information on the 2014 U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team, including a team roster, player and staff bios, Olympic history and more, click here ... The U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team has medaled in all four Olympic appearances to date (gold-1998, silver-2002 and 2010, bronze-2006) ... The 2014 U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team is under the direction of General Manager Reagan Carey (Colorado Springs, Colo.) ... Katey Stone (Arlington, Mass.) was named head coach on June 8, 2012, and is the first female to serve as head coach of a U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team ... USA Hockey's international council, chaired by Gavin Regan, vice president of USA Hockey, has oversight responsibilities for all U.S. Olympic Teams. U.S. National Under-17 Team Outduels Russia, 6-4, at Five Nations Tournament White Notches Three Goals, Adds Two Assists in Win SUNDSVALL, Sweden - Colin White (Hanover, Mass.) notched three goals and added two assists as the U.S. National Under-17 Team out-dueled Russia, 6-4, here today at Gardehov Arena. With the win, Team USA improves to 3-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) at the 2014 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament. Russia struck first at 13:41 of the opening period. Team USA, skating a man down, evened the score off a White short-handed tally. The U.S. outshot Russia, 19-8, in the frame. Midway through the second stanza, Russia reclaimed its one-goal advantage. Less than one minute later, White once again knotted the game. Noah Hanifin (Norwood, Mass.) collected an assist on the play. Team USA took its first lead of the contest at 14:28 when Luke Kirwan(DeWitt, N.Y.) found the back of the net. White and Jeremy Bracco (Freeport, N.Y.) recorded helpers. White gave the U.S. a two-goal cushion just 27 seconds into the third frame. Hanifin and Bracco combined to help find White for the score. Russia negated the Team USA advantage, scoring back-to-back markers less than two minutes apart. After a Russian player sent the puck into the stands, Zach Werenski (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) capitalized and potted a power-play goal for the Americans at 13:27. Hanifin and White registered helpers. Matthew Tkachuk(St. Louis, Mo.) wristed a shot into the cage to provide an insurance goal for Team USA at 18:21. Luke Kunin (Chesterfield, Mo.) assisted on the tally. Michael Lackey (Washington, D.C.) made 19 saves in the win for the U.S., while Nikita Kolesnikov turned aside 42 shots in the loss for Russia. The U.S. National Under-17 Team will close out the tournament tomorrow (Feb. 9) against Sweden. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. EST at Gardehov Arena. NOTES: Team USA outshot Russia, 48-23 ... The U.S. went 1-6 on the power play, while Russia went 0-5 ... For the complete U.S. National Under-17 Team roster, click here ... The U.S. National Under-17 Team is competing in the Five Nations Tournament for the second time. Last year, Team USA finished third with a record of 2-0-1-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) ... Follow@USAHockeyScores on Twitter for live scoring updates during the Five Nations Tournaments. Scores will be designated with the #5NationsU17 tag ... 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 new software program that trains hockey sense. To learn more, visit USAHockeyIntelliGym.com. 2014 U17 Five Nations Tournament Schedule - United States Feb. 5-9, 2014 • Sundsvall, Sweden Date Opponent Location Time (EST) / Result Wed., Feb. 5 Finland Gardehov W, 6-5 Fri., Feb. 7 Czech Republic Anashallen W, 4-2 Sat., Feb. 8 Russia Gardehov W, 6-4 Sun., Feb. 9 Sweden Gardehov 8:30 a.m. 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.

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The White House began using radio on this date in 1922 after U.S. President Harding had it installed.

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All you Drew: Bombers tab Willy as starting QB.

2014 Free Agent Forecast: Saskatchewan Roughriders.

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

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The last issue of the "Saturday Evening Post" was published on this date in 1969. It was revived in 1971 as a quarterly publication and later a 6 times a year.

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Tampa, FL. — On Friday, the Bucs announced the hiring of Bobby Slater as the team’s new head athletic trainer...A standout on the Bears’ training staff, Slater replaces the departed Todd Toriscelli.

Read the rest here.

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The Nasdaq stock-market index debuted on this date in 1971.

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Jimmy got building blocks.

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You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as webcasting hockey, isn't it?

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Today in Elvis History

1963 - The "Bossa Nova" sequence was shot for Elvis Presley's movie "Fun In Acapulco." 

1964 - Elvis Presley's album "Fun In Acapulco" hit #9 in the U.K.

1968 - Evlis Presley was inducted into "Playboy" magazine's Hall of Fame.

1969 - The soundtrack "Elvis," from the NBC-TV special, hit #8 in the U.S. 

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U.S. Senate leaders named seven members of a select committee to investigate the Watergate scandal on this date in 1973.

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Today in Beatles History:

1958 -   The Quarrymen, with John Lennon and Paul McCartney, performed at the Wilson Hall in Garston, England. Paul introduced John to George Harrison at the show.

1963 - The Beatles were refused entry into a ballroom in Carlisle, England, because they were wearing leather jackets.

1969 - George Harrison's tonsils were removed at London's University College Hospital. The tonsils were destroyed so they could not be sold.

1972 - The official Beatles Fan Club disbanded.

2004 - The Beatles were given a special award at the 46th annual Grammy Awards for their first visit to the U.S.

2010 - Ringo Starr's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was unveiled in front of Capitol Records.

2011 - The Beatles' "LOVE" became available as an iTunes LP or as individual songs. Two exclusive "LOVE" versions of "The Fool On The Hill" and "Girl" were included.

2011 - The first official Beatles App, The Beatles LOVE, was released on iTunes. (iPhone App link)

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The three-man crew of the Skylab space station returned to Earth after 84 days on this date in 1974.

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Today in Sports History:

1896 - The Western Conference was formed by representatives of Midwestern universities. The group changed its name to the Big 10 Conference. 

1936 - The first National Football League (NFL) draft was held. Jay Berwanger was the first to be selected. He went to the Philadelphia Eagles.

1950 - The Associated Press named Jim Thorpe and Baby Didrikson Zaharias the greatest male and female athletes of the first half of the 20th century.

1963 - Lamar Hunt, owner of the American Football League franchise in Dallas, TX, moved the operation to Kansas City. The new team was named the Chiefs.

1984 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar broke Wilt Chamberlains record of 12,681 goals. He scored 15,836 goals before retiring in 1989.

1991 - Roger Clemens signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox that paid $5,380,250 per year.

1996 - Charles Barkley became the 22nd player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points.

1997 - Scotty Bowman won his 1,000th NHL regular season game as a coach.

1997 - Mike Gartner (Phoenix Coyotes) became only the sixth player in NHL history to get 600 career goals and 600 career assists.

1998 - The first female ice hockey game in Olympic history was played. Finland beat Sweden 6-0.

2003 - Mario Lemieux (Pittsburg Penguins) became the second fastest NHL player to reach 1,000 career assists.
 

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"The Dukes of Hazzard" ended its 6-1/2 year run on CBS television on this date in 1985.

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

USPHL Elite Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Space Coast Hurricanes 5:00pm EST

USPHL Empire Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Florida Junior Blades 5:15pm EST

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Detroit Red Wings 7:00pm EST

NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild at Fairbanks Ice Dogs 11:30pm EST

Sunday --

USPHL Elite Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Space Coast Hurricanes 11:45am EST

USPHL Empire Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Florida Junior Blades 12:05pm EST

Monday --

Nothin' Doin'

Tuesday --

Nothin' Doin'

Wednesday --

Nothin' Doin'

Thursday --

Nothin' Doin'

Friday --

NAHL -- Wenatchee Wild vs Soo Eagles 10:05pm EST

USPHL -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Pennsylvania Showcase

Saturday --

NAHL -- Wenatchee Wild vs Soo Eagles 10:05pm EST

USPHL -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Pennsylvania Showcase

Sunday --

USPHL -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Pennsylvania Showcase

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