Monday Morning Meissnervations

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

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Today is April 28th, the 118th day of 2014. There are 247 days left in the year.

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Francis to become Hurricanes GM: report.

After long wait, Canadiens can now prepare for Bruins.

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

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Today's Birthdays: Former talk show host Jay Leno is 64; Penélope Cruz (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Vicky Cristina Barcelona) is 40; Jessica Alba (Fantastic Four, Sin City) is 33

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New York, NY. -- Ben Bishop of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins and Semyon Varlamov of the Colorado Avalanche are the three finalists for the 2013-14 Vezina Trophy, which is awarded "to the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at his position," the National Hockey League announced today.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1788, Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the U.S. constitution.

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Tyler Johnson Added to 2014 U.S. Men's National Team Roster Boosted to 20 Players; IIHF Men's World Championship Starts May 9 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Forward Tyler Johnson (Spokane, Wash./Tampa Bay Lightning) has been added to the 2014 U.S. Men's National Team that will compete at the International Ice Hockey Federation Men's World Championship May 9-25 in Minsk, Belarus. Johnson previously contributed to a pair of U.S. National Junior Teams. In 2010, he helped Team USA capture the gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Saskatoon, Sask. He notched three goals and two assists in seven games. He also played at the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa, Ont., tallying one goal in six games. Team USA's roster now has 12 forwards, seven defensemen and one goaltender. The maximum roster size is 25. For Team USA's updated roster, click here. NOTES: Fifteen of 20 announced members of Team USA played U.S. college hockey ... Seven of the 19 players are products of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, including Jimmy Hayes, Seth Jones,Jake McCabe, Peter Mueller, Connor Murphy, Drew Shore and Jacob Trouba ... Nine NHL teams are represented on the roster: Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets ... The staff and players of the 2014 U.S. Men's National Team are selected by the U.S. Men's National Team Advisory Group, led by Jim Johannson, assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey. Other members, all affiliated with National Hockey League teams, include Stan Bowman (Chicago),Brian Burke (Calgary), Paul Holmgren (Philadelphia), Dean Lombardi (Los Angeles), David Poile (Nashville),Ray Shero (Pittsburgh), Dale Tallon (Florida), and Don Waddell (Pittsburgh). Tom Kurvers (Tampa Bay) will be part of the advisory group for this year's championship ... USA Hockey's international council, chaired by Gavin Regan, vice president of USA Hockey, has oversight responsibilities for all U.S. national teams … Sixteen teams will compete at the 2014 IIHF Men's World Championship, split into two groups of eight. Teams will play a round-robin format among their group with the top four teams from each group advancing to quarterfinals … NBC Sports Network will televise all Team USA games in the 2014 IIHF Men's World Championship.. Team USA 2014 IIHF Men's World Championship ScheduleMay 9-25 • Minsk, Belarus Date Opponent Venue Time (Local/EDT) Fri., May 9 Belarus Minsk Arena 8:45 p.m./1:45 p.m. Sat., May 10 Switzerland Minsk Arena 8:45 p.m./1:45 p.m. Mon., May 12 Russia Minsk Arena 8:45 p.m./1:15 p.m. Thurs., May 15 Latvia Minsk Arena 4:45 p.m./9:45 a.m. Fri., May 16 Kazakhstan Minsk Arena 4:45 p.m./9:45 a.m. Sun., May 18 Finland Minsk Arena 4:45 p.m./9:45 a.m. Tues., May 20 Germany Minsk Arena 12:45 p.m./5:45 a.m. Thurs., May 22 Quarterfinals TBD TBD Sat., May 24 Semifinals Minsk Arena 2:45 p.m./7:45 a.m. 6:45 p.m./11:45 a.m.  Sun., May 25 Bronze-Medal Game Minsk Arena 4:30 p.m./9:30 a.m. Gold-Medal Game Minsk Arena 9:00 p.m./2:00 p.m.

U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team Defeats the Czech Republic, Wins Gold at IIHF Men's Under-18 World Championship Matthews Nets Two Goals, Milano Records Three Points LAPPEENRANTA, Finland - Auston Matthews (Scottsdale, Ariz.) had two goals and Sonny Milano (Massapequa, N.Y.) registered one goal and two assists as the U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team defeated the Czech Republic, 5-2, here tonight at Lappeenranta Arena. With the win, Team USA captures its eighth gold medal at the 2014 International Ice Hockey Federation Men's Under-18 World Championship. Team USA struck first just 33 seconds into the game off the stick of Jack Dougherty (Cottage Grove, Minn.). Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford, Mass.) corralled the puck in the attacking zone and found Milano for a shot that bounced off Czech goaltender Vitek Vanecek. Dougherty picked up the loose puck and sent it into the net for the tally. Matthews doubled the U.S. lead at the 6:55 mark. A blast from Ryan Collins (Bloomington, Minn.) created a scramble in front of Vanecek that resulted in a loose puck in the high slot. Kyle Connor (Shelby Township, Mich.) reached across his body and dove to put a second effort on net. The puck caromed to Matthews who jammed it under Vanecek's pads for the tally. Milano gave Team USA a 3-0 lead just 1:46 later. Johnathan MacLeod (Dracut, Mass.) had a shot blocked at the right point and Louie Belpedio (Skokie, Ill.) launched the ricochet on net. Vanecek deflected the puck high in the air and Milano snuck behind the goaltender to swat the puck into the cage on its way down. Before time expired on the period the Czech Republic notched a rebound goal to close the gap, 3-1. Dylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich.) reclaimed the three-goal lead for Team USA at 1:13 the second stanza. Alex Tuch (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) dumped the puck deep into the Czech zone to initiate a line change. Milano won a footrace to the puck behind the net and changed direction as he gained possession. Moving to his backhand, Milano found Larkin streaking to the slot from the bench as he had just replaced Tuch on the ice. Larkin lifted the puck up and over Vanecek for the tally. Matthews notched his second of the night at 6:57 to push the lead to 5-1 in favor of the U.S. Brandon Fortunato (North Hills, N.Y.) hit Matthews with a pass near center ice, allowing Matthews to walk to the top of the faceoff circles for a wrist shot that sailed over Vanecek's glove and into the net. The Czech Republic struck back with a power-play goal at 13:20 to cut its deficit to 5-2. The third period saw Team USA hold the Czech Republic to just three shots on net, each turned aside by U.S. goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (Parma, Ohio), who made 15 total saves in the victory. 2014 IIHF Men's U18 World Championship Schedule - United States April 17-27, 2014 • Lappeenranta, Finland Date Opponent Result 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 Slovakia- Quarterfinals W, 6-2 Sat., April 26 Sweden - Semifinals W, 4-1 Sun., April 27 Czech Republic - Gold-Medal Game W, 5-2 *pre-tournament game NOTES: For a complete U.S. roster, click here ... Team USA outshot the Czech Republic, 41-17. The U.S. was not outshot all tournament and held an 291-121 overall shot advantage ... Sonny Milano was named Team USA's best player ... Louie Belpedio, Jack Eichel, and Alex Nedeljkovic were named the three best players of the tournament for the United States ... Kyle Connor recorded a point in all seven tournament games, netting four goals and three assists. The Youngstown Phantoms product also scored in the pre-tournament contest against Germany ... Jack Eichel finished tournament play on a six-game point streak. The forward had five goals and five assists over that span ... Auston Matthews also enjoyed a six-game point streak. The forward netted five goals and collected two assists during those contests ... This marked Team USA's sixth-straight gold-medal game at the tournament. Team USA has won the gold five times and silver once in those six games ... The U.S. captured its record 11th consecutive medal, including seven gold, three silver and one bronze ... The U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team was 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 won 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 came from USA Hockey's NTDP. Kyle Connor 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. featured 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 included 20 players born in 1996 and two from the 1997 birth year. Forward Auston Matthews (Scottsdale, Ariz.), born Sept. 17, 1997, was Team USA's youngest player, while Nedeljkovic, born Jan. 7, 1996, was the oldest ... Eleven different states were represented on the roster. New York led the way with five skaters, while Minnesota boasted four ... Team USA's eight 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. played in Group B alongside the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland and Switzerland. Group A consisted of Canada, Germany, Russia, Slovakia and Sweden ... 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. ************************************************ A one-year-old child in Utah is safe after crawling across a busy four-lane highway. [And to make matters even scarier, he was texting the whole time.] ************************************************

CFL.ca's top 20 most significant moves of the off-season.

Track 'em: 2014 CFL Draft Order.

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

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The Addressograph was patented by J.S. Duncan on this date in 1896.

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Tampa, FL. — With the first minicamp over, let’s take a look at whose stock is on the way up and whose is on the way down.

Read the rest here.

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Some less-than-appealing news from Britain: There's a decent chance the guy sitting next to you is wearing 7-year-old underwear. That's the average length of time men hang on to their undies before buying new ones.

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Chicago, IL. -- David Price expects to go nine innings every time he takes the hill, and through five innings on Sunday afternoon, it looked like he might do just that for the second start in a row.

Read the rest here.

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Tired of washing your car? Engineers at Nissan are using a new paint finish called Ultra-Ever Dry on the new Nissan Note supermini that can repel water and oils, as well as dirt, dust, mud and grit. The paint uses nanotechnology to create a thin air shield above the surface of the car that makes rain, road spray, frost, sleet and standing water roll off the car without tainting its surface at all. Nissan is currently attempting to determine if the material is durable for long-term use on vehicles -- and if it will hold up in different weather conditions around the globe.

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San Francisco, CA. -- Refreshing his memory probably never felt so good for Brandon Hicks.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1910, the first night air flight was performed by Claude Grahame-White in England.

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This is how you play this game Aunt Dee Dee.

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You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as a fresh cup of coffee, isn't it?

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Today in Elvis History

1956 -Elvis Presley's recording of "Heartbreak Hotel" hit #1 on the Billboard pop singles chart.

1956 - In Las Vegas, Elvis Presley performed a Saturday matinee for teenagers at The New Frontier Hotel.

1958 - The Elvis Presley compilation album "Elvis' Golden Records" hit #3 in the U.S.

1994 - Lisa Marie Presley announced that her marriage to musician Danny Keough was over.

1998 - The Reader's Digest compilation album "Elvis! His Greatest Hits" was certified platinum by the RIAA.

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A Pennsylvania woman thwarted a bank robber's getaway by purposely ramming her vehicle into his car.

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Today in Beatles History:

1975 - John Lennon appeared on "The Tonight Show."

1975 - Ringo Starr performed "No No Song" on "The Smothers Brothers Show."

  
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W.H. Carrier patented the design of his air conditioner on this date in 1914.

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Today in Sports History:

1930 - The first organized night baseball game was played in Independence, Kansas. 

1961 - The NFL chose Canton, Ohio, as the site for the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

1967 - Muhammad Ali refused induction into the U.S. Army and was stripped of boxing title. He cited religious grounds for his refusal.

1971 - Hank Aaron hit his 600th career home run.

1985 - Billy Martin was named the manager of the New York Yankees for the fourth time.

1987 - It was announced that the NBA expansion teams would be in Charlotte and Miami in 1988.

1988 - The Baltimore Orioles lost for the 21st consecutive time. It was the longest streak to start a season in major league baseball.

1993 - Dale Hunter (Washington Capitals) executed a blindside check on Pierre Turgeon (New York Islanders). On May 4 Hunter was given a 21 game suspension.

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The first animated-cartoon electric sign was displayed on a building on Broadway in New York City on this date in 1937. It was created by Douglas Leight.

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RICHMOND, Va. -- As soon as Kevin Harvick took the lead in Friday night's ToyotaCare 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Richmond International Raceway, it was over.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1947, Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl and five others set out in a balsa wood craft known as Kon Tiki to prove that Peruvian Indians could have settled in Polynesia. The trip began in Peru and took 101 days to complete the crossing of the Pacific Ocean.

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RICHMOND, Va. -- Joey Logano was penciled into a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Now you can write his name in indelible ink.

Read the rest here.

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Mike Wallace was seen on TV for the first time on this date in 1957. He was the host of "Mike Wallace Interviews.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Individuals at Barber Motorsports Park certainly have a sense of humor. At the tail end of a 2-hour, 30-minute rain delay to the green flag of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, Jimmy Cliff's "I Can See Clearly Now (the Rain is Gone)" covered the grounds through loud speakers.

Read the rest here.

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Captain America: The Winter Soldier hung on to the top spot at the US box office for three weeks straight, but the superhero's latest weekend adventure was knocked out of the top spot by Cameron Diaz and Kate Upton. The Other Woman made just over $25 million Friday-Sunday, knocking Captain America down to second place.

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

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

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres 10:15pm EDT

Tuesday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres 10:15pm EDT

Wednesday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres 10:15pm EDT

Thursday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 7:10pm EDT

Friday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees 7:05pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Atlanta Braves 7:35pm EDT

Saturday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees 1:05pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway 3:00pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Atlanta Braves 7:10pm EDT

Sunday --

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway 1:00pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees 1:05pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Atlanta Braves 1:35pm EDT

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