It's Thursday

It's Thursday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is July 3rd, the 184th day of 2014. There are 181 days left in the year.

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Some big names remain on free-agent market.

On the phone with Steve Yzerman.

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

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Today's Birthdays: Writer Dave Barry is 67. Tom Cruise is 52. Yeardley Smith (voice of Lisa Simpson on The Simpsons) is 50. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is 43.

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Tampa, FL. -- Johnathan Drouin and Anthony DeAngelo hit the ice together for the first time Wednesday, as the Tampa Bay Lightning’s annual development camp opened at Brandon Ice Sports Forum, but the experience was very different for the pair of first-round draft picks in 2013 and 2014.

Read the rest here.

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The city of Quebec was founded by Samuel de Champlain on this date in 1608.

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2014 U.S. Under-18 Select Team Announced

Twenty-two players will participate in Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Twenty-two players who participated at the USA Hockey Boys’ Select 17 Player Development Camp have been chosen for the U.S. Under-18 Select Team that will compete at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup Aug. 11-16 in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Piestany, Slovakia. The Boys’ Select 17 Player Development Camp took place June 30-July 2 at the Northtown Center at Amherst in Williamsville, N.Y. This roster features five players who helped the undefeated U.S. Under-17 Select Team capture first place at the the 2013 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament, held in Trnava, Slovakia. They include Brock Boeser (Burnsville, Minn), Tory Dello (Crystal Lake, Ill.), Brent Gates (Grand Rapids, Mich.), Thomas Novak (River Falls, Mich.) and Troy Terry (Highland Ranch, Colo.). For a complete roster, click here. For complete Ivan Hlinka coverage, including Team USA schedule and news, click here. The Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup is an annual event held each August for national under-18 teams from around the world. Named for one of the first Czech hockey stars, the tournament began in 1991 as a three-team showcase. Between 1997 and 2002, the format shifted to the current eight-team tournament. It was then named after Hlinka in 2007, three years after his passing. NOTES: The 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup will include teams from Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States … With a second-place showing in 2013, Team USA has finished in the top three of the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup 11 times since the tournament began in 1991. The U.S. earned first place in 2003, second on eight occasions (1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2010, 2013) and third twice (1991, 1995) … The 22 players on the roster represent 12 different states. Michigan leads the pack with five representatives, Illinois has four, Minnesota three and Massachusetts has two … The annual USA Hockey Select 17 Player Development Camp provides top young players with concentrated on- and off-ice training and instruction as well as the opportunity to compete at the national level against other top players from their age group. ************************************************ John Wise flew the first dirigible in Lancaster, PA on this date in 1878. ************************************************ Regina, SK. -- Saskatchewan Roughrider defensive end Ricky Foley has been named a CFL Gibson's Finest Player of the Week. Read the rest here. Coming up, the Saskatchewan Roughriders travel to Toronto to take on the Argonauts on Saturday, July 5th. Game time from Rogers Centre is 3:00pm EDT. Catch the game on 620 CKRM, the Rider Radio Network and 620ckrm.com with Rod Pedersen and Carm Carteri calling the action. The game can be seen in Canada on TSN and in the U.S. on ESPN2. (There will be no stream on ESPN3 in the lower 48.) ************************************************ Idaho became the 43rd state to join the United States of America on this date in 1890. ************************************************ . 2014 CFL.ca Game Notes: A look at Week 2. Landry: Black, Argos defence ready for redemption. Please visit the league's official website, cfl.ca. ************************************************ The FTC is filing suit against T-Mobile for sticking customers with millions of dollars of bogus charges. [They charged extra if you dialed with your left hand, if you butt-dialed, or if you answered the phone by saying, "Yello!"] ************************************************ Tampa, FL. -- Buccaneers.com contributors Scott Smith and Andrew Norton debate the players on the Bucs’ 2014 roster who are most likely to show up on next year’s NFL Top 100 list. Read the rest here. ************************************************ The first cable across the Pacific Ocean was spliced between Honolulu, Midway, Guam and Manila on this date in 1903. ************************************************ New York, NY. -- A sweep. The perfect tonic for a team hoping to salvage a season. Read the rest here. ************************************************ According to a study 11% of Instagram users posting under the #nofilter tag are in-fact using a filter. Quit yer lying! ************************************************ San Francisco, CA. -- Ryan Vogelsong reminded observers what the bottom line is in competitive athletics. Read the rest here. ************************************************ "Fruit Garden and Home" magazine was introduced on this date in 1922. It was later renamed "Better Homes and Gardens." ************************************************ Jimmy loves chocolate milk. ************************************************ You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as dental work. ************************************************ Today in Elvis History: 1960 - Elvis Presley's father, Vernon, announced that he would remarry. Elvis' mother had died two years before. ************************************************ A man who decided to take a nap in a Poland parking lot survived after a car reversed over his head. The man dozed off to sunbathe. But he soon woke up when a car accidentally reversed over his head and left him trapped underneath the car. The 25-year-old somehow avoided serious injury. ************************************************ Today in Beatles History: 1965 - The Beatles ended their European tour at the Plaza de Toros Monumental in Barcelona, Spain.  1967 - In London, John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney appeared at a party thrown for the Monkees.  1976 - The Beatles album "Rock'n'Roll Music" hit #1 in the U.K.  1982 - "The Beatles Movie Medley" hit #10 in the U.K.  2005 - Paul McCartney's London Live 8 performance of "The Long and Winding Road" was made available for download. ************************************************ Russia used its informal veto power to block the hit Netflix series House of Cards from filming scenes at the U.N. Security Council in New York. A source says the Russian delegation denied the request saying that the chamber needed to be kept open and available for unanticipated crises. ************************************************ Today in Sports History: 1912 - Rube Marquard of the New York Giants set a baseball pitching record when earned his 19th consecutive win.  1937 - Del Mar race track opened in Del Mar, CA.  1947 - The Cleveland Indians purchased the contract of Larry Doby from the Newark Eagles of the Negro National League. Doby became the first black player to play in the American League.  1966 - Tony Cloninger (Atlanta Braves) became the first National League pitcher to hit two grand slams in one game.  2001 - The National Basketball Association (NBA) owners unanimously approved to move the Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis for the 2001-02 season. ************************************************ Chic Young’s comic strip character, "Blondie" was first heard on CBS radio on this date in 1939. ************************************************ Coming Up: Tonight -- MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs St. Louis Cardinals 3:45pm EDT MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Detroit Tigers 7:08pm EDT Friday -- MLB -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 6:40pm EDT MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Detroit Tigers 7:08pm EDT Saturday -- CFL Football -- Saskatchewan Roughriders at Toronto Argonauts 3:00pm EDT MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Detroit Tigers 4:08pm EDT MLB -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 7:15pm EDT Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway 7:30pm EDT Sunday -- Verizon Indy Car Series -- Pocono Indy Car 500 at Long Pond, PA. 12:00pm EDT MLB -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 4:10pm EDT MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Detroit Tigers 8:00pm EDT ************************************************ That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow.