It's Friday

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

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Today is April 25th, the 115th day of 2014. There are 250 days left in the year.

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Bergeron, Kopitar, Toews voted Selke Trophy finalists.

Wild's Cooke issues statement on Barrie hit.

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

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A patent was granted for the thimble on this date in 1684.

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Tampa, FL. -- The CHL playoffs are underway with QMJHL and OHL each holding their respective playoffs all leading up to the Memorial Cup, which will be hosted by the London Knights May 15-26.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1831, the New York and Harlem Railway was incorporated in New York City.

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The Midwest Division final series, led by Fairbanks 2-1, now shifts to Wenatchee for game 4 tonight, April 25th and game 5, if necessary, tomorrow, April 26th. Faceoff time is 7:05pm PDT. Individual and group game tickets for all home playoff games are on sale now. Call 509.888.PUCK (7825). WILD 2.0 UPGRADE ************************************************ On this date in 1859, work began on the Suez Canal in Egypt. ************************************************ U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team Topples Slovakia, 6-2, at IIHF Men's Under-18 World Championship Team USA Advances to Semifinal Round Saturday LAPPEENRANTA, Finland - Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford, Mass.) notched one goal and earned two assists, and Johnathan MacLeod (Dracut, Mass.) scored two power-play goals, as the U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team downed Slovakia, 6-2, in quarterfinal action here this afternoon at Lappeenranta Arena. With the win, Team USA advances to the semifinals of the 2014 International Ice Hockey Federation Men's Under-18 World Championship. The United States struck first just 54 seconds into the opening period. After Slovakia committed a turnover, Eichel found himself all alone in front of goaltender Matej Tomek. Eichel quickly deked around Tomek and stuffed the puck past him for the goal. MacLeod doubled the U.S. lead with a power-play marker at 3:28. MacLeod fired a hard shot that struck Tomek's leg pad, but snuck underneath the goaltender and into the cage. Eichel picked up an assist on the play. Team USA struck again with 2:52 remaining in the period when Anders Bjork (Mequon, Wis.) took a centering feed from Eichel and wristed it past Tomek. Sonny Milano (Massapequa, N.Y.) recorded the secondary assist. Team USA did not allow a shot on net in the period. The U.S. continued its offensive attack four minutes into the second stanza off the stick of Auston Matthews (Scottsdale, Ariz.). Jack Glover (Golden Valley, Minn.) fed Kyle Connor (Shelby Township, Mich.) with a pass that sent the forward streaking up the middle of the ice. Connor drew the goalie to one side of the net before hitting Matthews with a cross-ice pass for the chip-in goal. Slovakia found the back of the net just at 6:17 the final frame before Team USA responded with two power-play goals. MacLeod struck first just 2:13 later with his second power-play marker of the day. Alex Tuch (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) found MacLeod standing on the blue line for the one-timer score. Nolan Stevens (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) got on the board at 12:37, teaming up with Ryan Collins (Bloomington, Minn.) to push the U.S. lead to 6-1. Slovakia answered with a five-on-three goal at 15:30, but would get no closer as Team USA secured a 6-2 victory and berth in the semifinal round. The U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team will next face the winner of the Finland/Sweden matchup held at Lappeenranta Arena later this evening. Game times for the semifinal contests are 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. EDT on Saturday (April 26), also to be held in Lappeenranta. Team USA's game will be broadcast live, for free, on FASTHockey.com. 2014 IIHF Men's U18 World Championship Schedule - United States April 17-27, 2014 • Lappeenranta, Finland Date Opponent Time (Local/EDT)/Result Live Webcast Tues., April 14 Germany* W, 9-1 -- Thurs., April 17 Switzerland L, 2-4 -- Sat., April 19 Czech Republic W, 3-0 -- Sun., April 20 Denmark W, 7-0 -- Tues., April 22 Finland W, 4-3 Thurs., April 24 Quarterfinals - Slovakia W, 6-2 -- Sat., April 26 Semifinals - Finland/Sweden TBD FASTHockey.com. Sun., April 27 Bronze-Medal 3:00 p.m. / 8:00 a.m. TBD Gold-Medal 7:00 p.m. / 12:00 p.m. TBD *pre-tournament game NOTES: For a complete U.S. roster, click here ... Team USA outshot Slovakia, 43-12 ... Jack Eichel was named Team USA's best player ... Kyle Connor holds a six-game point scoring streak, netting one goal in each of Team USA's preliminary-round games to go with an assist today. The Youngstown Phantoms product also scored in the pre-tournament contest against Germany ... Sonny Milano has at least one point in each of his first five tournament games, including two goals and five assists. Factoring in the pre-tournament game versus Germany, the forward has 10 points (4-6) in six games ... Jack Eichel is riding a four-game point streak. The forward has four goals and four assists over that span ... Auston Matthews is also enjoying a four-game point streak. The forward has netted two goals and collected two assists during those contests ... The U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team is led by Danton Cole, serving as head coach at his second IIHF Men's Under-18 World Championship. Cole is currently in his fourth season as one of two head coaches at USA Hockey's National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich. ... The U.S. squad seeks its eighth gold medal in the event after capturing the tournament title in four of the last five years. Team USA had won four-consecutive gold medals before having its streak snapped last year in Sochi, Russia. The silver medal in 2013 marked 10-straight top-three finishes for the U.S. ... Twenty players on the U.S. roster come from USA Hockey's NTDP. Kyle Connor (Shelby Township, Mich.) skated this season for the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League. Alex Nedeljkovic played for the Ontario Hockey League's Plymouth Whalers ... The roster for the U.S. features 15 players recently listed on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of draft-eligible players. Among those players in the top twenty are forwards Alex Tuch (Baldwinsville, N.Y./12th),Sonny Milano (Massapequa, N.Y./16th) and Dylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich./17th). Goaltenders Alex Nedeljkovic (Parma, Ohio) and Edwin Minney (Wind Gap, Pa.) were ranked fourth and seventh respectively ... Team USA's roster includes 20 players born in 1996 and two from the 1997 birth year. Forward Auston Matthews (Scottsdale, Ariz.), born Sept. 17, 1997, is Team USA's youngest player, while Nedeljkovic, born Jan. 7, 1996, is the oldest ... Eleven different states are represented on the roster. New York leads the way with five skaters, while Minnesota boasts four ... The U.S. enters the tournament having captured a record 10-consecutive medals, including back-to-back golds in 2005-06 and four-straight gold medals from 2009-12; three silver medals (2004, 2007, 2013); and one bronze medal (2008). Team USA's seven gold medals are the most of any country in IIHF Men's Under-18 World Championship history. The event began in 1999. Team USA earned its first gold medal in 2002 ... The U.S. will play in Group B alongside the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland and Switzerland. Group A consists of Canada, Germany, Russia, Slovakia and Sweden ... Follow @USAHockeyScores on Twitter for live scoring updates during the tournament. Scores will be designated with the #U18Worlds tag ... For additional coverage, visit the NTDP Facebook page and follow @USANTDP on Twitter ... The U.S. National Under-18 and Under-17 Teams train with The Hockey IntelliGym, a software program that trains hockey sense. To learn more, visit USAHockeyIntelliGym.com. ************************************************ The first Japanese diplomats to visit a foreign power reached Washington, DC on this date in 1860. They remained in the U.S. capital for several weeks while discussing expansion of trade with the United States. ************************************************

Higgins likes what he sees from Als early on.

Backfield depth: Argos sign RB Steve Slaton.

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

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Tokyo was opened for foreign trade on this date in 1867.

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Tampa, FL. — On the last day of the Buccaneers’ offseason mini-camp, Head Coach Lovie Smith discussed the potential of Olympic sprinter Jeff Demps, the team’s overall conditioning level and much more.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1901, New York became the first state to require license plates for cars. The fee was $1.

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St. Petersburg, FL. -- In a perfect baseball world, the bullpen doesn't stir until at least the seventh inning. That's the way it's been for the Rays the past several years, as the team ascended from doormat to contender.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1925, General Paul von Hindenburg took office as president of Germany.

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San Francisco, CA. -- A pair of Giants prospects led Triple-A Fresno to a 5-0 victory against Albuquerque on Thursday. Second baseman Joe Panik (No. 14) hit his first Triple-A home run and left-hander Mike Kickham (No. 17) threw eight scoreless innings to earn his first win of the season.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1928, a seeing eye dog was used for the first time.

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Jimmy really gets in to Star Wars.

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

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Today in Elvis History

1912 -Elvis Presley's mother, Gladys Love Smith, was born.

1933 - Song writer Jerry Leiber was born in Baltimore, MD.

1956 - Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" hit #1.

1959 - Elvis Presley's single "I Need Your Love Tonight" hit #4 in the U.S.

1977 - Elvis Presley recorded a concert in Saginaw, Michigan. Three of the songs later appeared on the album "Moody Blue."

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"Your Family and Mine," a radio serial, was first broadcast on this date in 1938.

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Today in Beatles History:

1964 - The Beatles had 14 singles on the American chart.

1964 - Peter & Gordon's cover of the Beatles' "World Without Love" was #1 in the U.K.

1967 - The Beatles recorded "All You Need Is Love" during a British TV broadcast.

1968 - The Beatles refused to perform for the Queen of England at a British Olympic Appeal Fund show because "Our decision would be the same no matter what the cause. We don't do benefits."

1981 - Wings broke up. Paul McCartney announced that he would carry on as a solo artist.

  
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W2XBS (now WCBS-TV) in New York City presented the first circus on TV on this date in 1940.

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Today in Sports History:

1901 - The American League debuted at the Chicago Cricket Club. Chicago defeated Cleveland 8-2.

1909 - "Home Run" Baker hit his first and only grand slam.

1945 - Albert B. "Happy" Chandler was unanimously elected baseball commissioner.

1951 - The Soviet Union officially applied to compete in the Olympics.

1956 - Rocky (Brockton Blockbuster) Marciano retired as the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world. He had 43 knockouts and 3 decisions to his credit.

1963 - Bob Cousy (Boston Celtics) retired.

1974 - Tampa Bay was awarded the NFL's 27th franchise.

1995 - Darryl Strawberry was sentenced to three years probation, six months of house confinement and a $350,000 fine. Strawberry had avoided prison for tax evasion.

1995 - Petr Nedved (Pittsburgh Penguins) scored the game-winning goal with only 45 seconds left remaining in the fourth overtime period between the Penguins and the Washington Capitals. The game was the third longest in NHL history.

1996 - The Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers combined for the most runs in 26 years. The Twins won with a final score of 24-11.

1997 - Patrick Roy (Colorado Avalanche) got his 89th career playoff win. He passed Billy Smith for the top spot. The game was also Roy's 10th playoff shutout.

2002 - The NHL suspended Kyle McLaren (Boston Bruins) for an elbow to the face of Richard Zednik (Montreal Canadiens).

2010 - The NHL implemented a new rule that allowed the NHL Hockey Operations Department to review any hit where the head was targeted and/or the principal point of contact for the purpose of Supplementary Discipline.

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U.S. Senator Wayne Morse of Oregon ended the longest speech in U.S. Senate history on this date in 1953. The speech on the Offshore Oil Bill lasted 22 hours and 26 minutes.

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Toyotacare 250 at Richmond International Raceway 7:00pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox 8:10pm EDT

NAHL Playoffs -- Wenatchee Wild vs Fairbanks Ice Dogs 10:05pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Cleveland Indians 10:15pm EDT

Saturday --

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Cleveland Indians 4:05pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway 7:00pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox 7:10pm EDT

NAHL Playoffs -- Wenatchee Wild vs Fairbanks Ice Dogs 10:05pm EDT (If necessary)

Sunday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox 2:10pm EDT

Verizon Indy Car Series -- Honda Grand Prix of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama 3:00pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Cleveland Indians 4:05pm EDT

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