Monday Morning Meissnervations

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

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Today is March 10th, the 69th day of 2014. There are 296 days left in the year.

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Stars retire Mike Modano's No. 9.

Flames' Stajan mourns death of newborn son.

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

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Today's Birthdays: Chuck Norris is 74; Sharon Stone (The Mighty, Basic Instinct) is 56; Jon Hamm (The Town, Mad Men) is 43; Robin Thicke is 37; Olivia Wilde (Cowboys & Aliens) is 30.

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Tampa, FL. --One thing the Tampa Bay Lightning have not been able to overcome of late is giving up two-goal leads. That story was replayed Saturday in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins at the Tampa Bay Times Forum

Read the rest here.

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W2XBS-TV in New York City aired the first televised opera as it presented scenes from "I Pagliacci" on this date in 1940.

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U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team Knocks Off South Korea, 3-0, in Paralympic Winter Games Preliminary Round Adam Page Scores Twice to Help Team USA Clinch Spot in Semifinals SOCHI, Russia – Adam Page (Lancaster, N.Y.) scored twice, Dan McCoy (Cheswick, Pa.) tallied a pair of assists and goaltender Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.) turned away nine shots to help the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team defeat South Korea, 3-0, in its second preliminary-round game of the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games at Shayba Arena. The victory guarantees Team USA a spot in the medal round. The U.S. can clinch the top seed in Group B against Russia on Tuesday (March 11). "We played better than we did the other night (against Italy), we improved in each period and did a good job," said Jeff Sauer, head coach of the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. "We played more consistently, had better passing and moved the puck a little quicker." The United States jumped out to a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by Taylor Chace (Hampton Falls, N.H.) and Page. Just 57 seconds into the contest, Chace intercepted a Korea clearing attempt inside the offensive blue line and fired a low shot through traffic from the top of the left circle and under the sled of goaltender Man-Gyun Yu. Then, at 11:51, Page batted a rebound between Yu and the nearside post to double the U.S. lead. After Team USA dumped the puck into the right corner, Greg Shaw (Merritt Island, Fla.) knocked a Korean off the puck, allowing Page to swoop in and send a centering pass to McCoy at the edge of the crease. McCoy's shot was stopped, but Page was there to convert on the rebound try. Page and McCoy hooked up again late in the middle frame to boost the U.S. lead to three goals. Following a Korean shot that was directed into the corner by Cash, McCoy sent a long pass to Page streaking through the neutral zone. Page wheeled around a Korean defenseman, deked left and slipped the puck under Yu's sled. Cash recorded the secondary assist on the play. Neither team found the back of the net in the third period despite good scoring chance both ways. The U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team will conclude its preliminary-round schedule against Russia Tuesday (March 11) at 8:30 a.m. ET. The game will be streamed live on TeamUSA.org with a rebroadcast available on NBC Sports Network at 3 p.m. ET. Notes: For today's box score and photos, click here ... Taylor Chace tallied his sixth career goal in the Paralympics. He had two at the 2006 Paralympic Games and three in 2010 ... Adam Page scored the second and third Paralympic goals of his career. He had one goal at the 2010 Paralympic Games ... Goaltender Steve Cash has yet to allow a Paralympic goal against in his career. His shutout streak spans three Paralympic Games and 316:20 of game action. Tonight was Cash's sixth career Paralympic shutout ... Team USA's captain is Andy Yohe, while its alternate captains are Taylor Chace and Josh Sweeney ... The youngest player on the roster is Brody Roybal, who turned 15-years old in May and is making his debut on a U.S. National Team. Declan Farmer turned 16 years old in November ... The oldest player on the squad isAndy Yohe at 35-years old ... Four members of the team have served in the U.S. military. Jen Lee is active duty in the U.S. Army. Rico Roman is a U.S. Army veteran, while Paul Schaus andJosh Sweeney served in the U.S. Marine Corps ... 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. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team ... Jeff Sauer (Madison, Wis.) is the head coach of the 2014 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team, while Guy Gosselin (Grafton, Wis.), American Development Model regional manager for USA Hockey, is serving as assistant coach for the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team ... Additional staff members include team physician Mike Uihlein (Grafton, Wis.), athletic trainer Mike Cortese (Boynton Beach, Fla.) and equipment manager Joel Isaacson (Houghton, Mich.). 2014 Paralympic Winter Games Game Schedule for U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey TeamMarch 8-15 - Shayba Arena - Sochi, Russia Date Opponent Time (ET)/Result Broadcast (Time) Live Stream Sat. March 8 Italy W, 5-1 NBCSN (5:30 p.m. ET) Sun., March 9 South Korea W, 3-0 NBCSN (11 p.m. ET) Tues., March 11 Russia 8:30 a.m. NBCSN (3 p.m. ET) TeamUSA.org Thurs., March 13 Semifinals 5 a.m. NBCSN (Live) TeamUSA.org 12 p.m. NBCSN (Live) TeamUSA.org Sat., March 15 Bronze-Medal Game 5 a.m. None TeamUSA.org Gold-Medal Game 12 p.m. NBC (1 p.m. ET) TeamUSA.org U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team Defeats Italy, 5-1, in Paralympic Winter Games Opener Brody Roybal Scores Twice, Nikko Landeros Adds Three Assists SOCHI, Russia -- Brody Roybal (Northlake, Ill.) had a pair of goals, Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.) collected a single tally and added an assist and defenseman Nikko Landeros (Johnstown, Colo.) notched three assists to help the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team begin the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games with a 5-1 victory over Italy today at Shayba Arena. "I wasn't really pleased early on, so we made some adjustments," said Jeff Sauer, head coach of the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. "We were able to contain them a little more in the second period and as the game progressed we settled down." Late in a tightly contested opening stanza -- one that saw both teams generate chances early -- Team USA was able to break through for the game's first goal. While on the power play, Farmer gathered the puck on the left side of the slot and beat Italian goaltender Santino Stillitano with a quick shot at 13:45 to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead. Neither team found the back of the net again until 11:12 of the second period when Roybal grabbed a rebound and tucked it into the top corner for a 2-0 lead. Seconds after a tough stick save by Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.), Josh Sweeney (Phoenix, Ariz.) capitalized on a turnover in Italy's zone 3:04 into the third period. Sweeney had a semi-breakaway from the right side and reached around the goalie to push the puck inside the left post. In the final five minutes, an Italian goal was sandwiched between a pair of U.S. markers. Roybal buried his second of the game after Team USA exited its own end with speed and made a nice passing play on the rush. Then, with just five seconds left in the contest, Paul Schaus(Buffalo, N.Y.) batted home a rebound to close the scoring. Cash stopped all nine shots he faced in 40:18 of action. Jen Lee (San Francisco, Calif.) made two saves on three shots. The U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team will play its next preliminary-round game tomorrow (March 9) when it squares off against South Korea at 8:30 a.m. ET. Notes: For today's box score and photos, click here ... Brody Roybal and Declan Farmerbecame the first- and second-youngest Americans to score a goal at the Paralympic Games. Roybal is 15 years old and Farmer is 16 years old ... Goaltender Steve Cash has yet to allow a Paralympic goal against in his career. His shutout streak spans three Paralympic Games and 256:20 of game action ... Team USA's captain is Andy Yohe, while its alternate captains areTaylor Chace and Josh Sweeney ... The youngest player on the roster is Brody Roybal, who turned 15-years old in May and is making his debut on a U.S. National Team. Declan Farmerturned 16 years old in November ... The oldest player on the squad is Andy Yohe at 35-years old ... Four members of the team have served in the U.S. military. Jen Lee is active duty in the U.S. Army. Rico Roman is a U.S. Army veteran, while Paul Schaus and Josh Sweeney served in the U.S. Marine Corps ... 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. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team ... Jeff Sauer (Madison, Wis.) is the head coach of the 2014 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team, while Guy Gosselin (Grafton, Wis.), American Development Model regional manager for USA Hockey, is serving as assistant coach for the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team ... Additional staff members include team physician Mike Uihlein (Grafton, Wis.), athletic trainer Mike Cortese (Boynton Beach, Fla.) and equipment manager Joel Isaacson (Houghton, Mich.). 2014 Paralympic Winter Games Game Schedule for U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey TeamMarch 8-15 - Shayba Arena - Sochi, Russia Date Opponent Time (ET)/Result Broadcast (Time) Live Stream Sat. March 8 Italy W, 5-1 NBCSN (5:30 p.m. ET) Sun., March 9 South Korea 8:30 a.m. NBCSN (11 p.m. ET) TeamUSA.org Tues., March 11 Russia 8:30 a.m. NBCSN (3 p.m. ET) TeamUSA.org Thurs., March 13 Semifinals 5 a.m. NBCSN (Live) TeamUSA.org 12 p.m. NBCSN (Live) TeamUSA.org Sat., March 15 Bronze-Medal Game 5 a.m. None TeamUSA.org Gold-Medal Game 12 p.m. NBC (1 p.m. ET) TeamUSA.org ************************************************ It's Napping Day. Always the day after Daylight Saving Time begins. ************************************************ Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wild played the Fairbanks Ice Dogs at the Town Toyota Center Saturday night and skated stride-for-stride with the Midwest Division leaders, before falling at the end 5-2, in front of 3,029 fans. A left point blast by Mitch Demario (Franklin, Wisconsin) opened the scoring for the Wild. The power play goal was assisted by Omar Mullan (Dearborn, Michigan) and Matthew Nuttle (Marilla, New York) at 11:32, putting Wenatchee on top, 1-0. The Ice Dogs tied the game early in the second period on a goal by Brett Gervais, assisted by Lonnie Clary at 21 seconds, making it a 1-1 score. It didn’t take the Wild long to regain the lead, as Nicholas Rivera (Pacific Palisades, California) knocked home a sharp angle pass at the left post. Mullan drew the lone assist at 2:02, putting Wenatchee back on top, at 2-1. Tayler Munson struck on the power play for Fairbanks, tying the game. The power play goal was assisted by Kyle Lee and Doug Rose at 12:18, knotting the contest at 2-2. The Ice Dogs took their first lead late in the third, as Wyatt Ege scored from Brett Gervais and Colton Wolter at 16:32, putting Fairbanks on top, 3-2. The Ice Dogs would add an empty net goal in the final minute, as Viktor Liljegren scored from Nick Hinz at 19:05, then Rose would hit the empty net again at 19:56 with an unassisted marker and the Ice Dogs would skate away with a 5-2 win. “Frustrating” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach Bliss Littler. “Played awful well tonight. Come up with no points is frustrating, but the effort was very good and we’ll build on that.” Fairbanks outshot the Wild 29-24 on the night. Chase Perry (Andover, Minnesota) had 24 saves for Wenatchee, while Kevin Aldridge had 22 stops for Fairbanks. The Wild went 1-for-2 on the power play and 1-of-2 on the penalty kill. Wenatchee is now 28-22-6; Fairbanks is now 42-13-1. The Wild takes next weekend off, then hosts the Port Huron Fighting Falcons on Friday and Saturday, March 21st and 22nd, then wrap up the regular season by hosting the Aberdeen Wings on Friday and Saturday, March 28th and 29th. Individual and group game tickets for all home games are on sale now. Call 509.888.PUCK (7825). WILD 2.0 UPGRADE ************************************************ Feeling a bit tired today? Experts say it could take some of us up to two weeks to recover from the effects of our shifted clocks. ************************************************ Better late than never for Higgins, Alouettes. Video: Lulay Pushing to be Ready for Training Camp. Please visit the league's official website, cfl.ca. ************************************************ The last broadcast of "The Silver Eagle" was heard on radio on this date in 1955. ************************************************ Tampa, FL. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers reportedly tried to trade right guard Davin Joseph. However, they were unsuccessful and instead cut the 30-year-old veteran, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Saturday. The Tampa Bay Times first reported the news. Read the rest here. ************************************************ University of California students who drink coffee to get through the day will soon be able to study the science behind the beverage. This week the University of California, Davis will host a research conference run by its recently founded Coffee Center. The center is currently without a dedicated home, but the university hopes to formalize the research in coming years and eventually offer a major in coffee science. ************************************************ Ouch! I hurt myself. ************************************************ You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much as watching Lightning hockey, isn't it? ************************************************ Today in Elvis History 1959 - RCA Records released Elvis Presley's single "I Need Your Love Tonight"/"A Fool Such as I." 1973 - The Elvis Presley album "Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite" hit #11 in the U.K. 2004 - The Vermont Teddy Bear Company announced it would be releasing a limited edition Elvis Bear 2. The bears were to be offered (March 29-April 24, 2004) at more than 750 Kroger stores free of charge with a minimum purchase. ************************************************ Security video cameras captured a man robbing a thrift store in Australia. The man was wearing nothing but a G-string. The confident robber entered the second-hand shop and stole a Batman costume. ************************************************ Today in Beatles History: 1965 -  The Beatles "Eight Days A Week" hit #1 in the U.S. 1975 - John Lennon released his cover of Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" in the U.S. ************************************************ 300: Rise of an Empire conquered the North American box office in its debut weekend -- and made even more money overseas. With its $45 million No. 1 debut in the U.S. the sword-and-sandals sequel had an impressive $133 million first weekend worldwide. The original 2007 film made $456 million worldwide. ************************************************ Today in Sports History: 1920 - Joe Malone (Quebec Bulldogs) scored 6 goals in a game against the Ottawa Senators.  1941 - The Brooklyn Dodgers announced that their players would begin wearing batting helmets during the 1941 season. 1993 - Sherry Davis became the first woman to be the PA voice of a major league team. She was the public address announcer for the San Francisco Giants. 2002 - ESPN aired "A Season on the Brink." It was the first original motion picture by ESPN. The movie was about Bobby Knight. 2004 - Todd Bertuzzi (Vancouver Canucks) held a press conference to apologize for hitting Steve Moore (Colorado Avalanche) in the side of the head from behind and driving his head into the ice in a game on March 8. Moore landed face-first with Bertuzzi on top of him. Moore suffered a broken neck, a concussion and deep cuts on his face. On March 11, the NHL suspended Bertuzzi for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs and announced that his eligibility would be assessed the following season and would take into account Moore's health and the progression of his recovery. ************************************************ Donald Trump is ready to shoot the next season of Celebrity Apprentice. Among those signed are Kate Gosselin, Ian Ziering, Martina Navratilova, and figure skater Johnny Weir. ************************************************ LAS VEGAS – In the closing laps of Saturday's Boyd Gaming 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kyle Busch was close enough to make Brad Keselowski uncomfortable. Read the rest here. ************************************************ Julie Andrews at the age of 23 made her TV debut on this dte in 1956 in "High Tor" with Bing Crosby and Nancy Olson. ************************************************  LAS VEGAS — Unfortunately for Dale Earnhardt Jr., crew chief Steve Letarte's words proved prophetic. Read the rest here. ************************************************ Walter Matthau and Art Carney opened in "The Odd Couple" on this date in 1965. It later became a hit on television. ************************************************ Coming Up: Tonight -- NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Phoenix Coyotes 7:30pm EDT Tuesday -- Nothin' Doin' Wednesday -- Nothin' Doin' Thursday -- NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers 7:30pm EDT Friday -- Nothin' Doin' Saturday -- Nascar Nationwide Series -- Drive to stop Diabetes 300 presented by Lilly Diabetes at Bristol Motor Speedway 1:00pm EDT NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs New Jersey Devils 7:00pm EDT Sunday -- Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway 1:00pm EDT ************************************************ That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow!