It's Friday

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

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Today is September 5th, the 247th day of 2014. There are 118 days left in the year.

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Brodeur willing to be Canadiens' backup: report.

Rangers' Lundqvist visits David Letterman on Monday.

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

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The first session of the U.S. Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia on this date in 1774. The delegates drafted a declaration of rights and grievances, organized the Continental Association, and elected Peyton Randolph as the first president of the Continental Congress.

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Tampa, FL. -- Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos said Thursday his injured right leg is much better than it was at the end of last season.

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1836, Sam Houston was elected as the first president of the Republic of Texas.

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USA Hockey Announces Roster and Schedule for U.S. Women's National Team Evaluation Camp Camp Held Sept. 12-15 at University of New England COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey announced today the 35 players invited to the 2014 U.S. Women's National Team Evaluation Camp that will take place Sept. 12-15, at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine. The camp will be utilized to evaluate player progression and provide training guidelines as players prepare for upcoming opportunities with the U.S. Women's National Team. Three intrasquad scrimmages will be held as part of the camp. Highlighting the roster for the camp are 13 members of the silver medal-winning 2014 U.S. Women's Olympic Ice Hockey Team, including Kacey Bellamy (Westfield, Mass.), Megan Bozek(Buffalo Grove, Ill.), Alex Carpenter (North Reading, Mass.), Kendall Coyne (Palos Heights, Ill.), Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wis.), Hilary Knight (Sun Valley, Idaho), Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson (Grand Forks, N.D.), Monique Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.), Gigi Marvin (Warroad, Minn.), Brianne McLaughlin-Bittle (Sheffield Village, Ohio), Michelle Picard(Taunton, Mass.), Molly Schaus (Natick, Mass.) and Lee Stecklein (Roseville, Minn.). In addition, Lisa Chesson (Plainfield, Ill.) was a member of the 2010 U.S. Women's Olympic Ice Hockey Team. The 35-player roster (13 defensemen, 18 forwards and four goaltenders) and staff listing is available here. Players will be divided into two teams during camp. The 35 players represent 15 different states. Massachusetts, Minnesota and New York lead the pack with five representatives each, Illinois has four, Michigan three and Ohio, North Dakota, and Wisconsin have two. California, Georgia, Idaho, Maryland, North Carolina, Vermont and Washington all have one representative. NOTES: Reagan Carey (Colorado Springs, Colo.), USA Hockey's director of women's hockey, is the general manager of the 2014 U.S. Women's National Team ... The coaching staff for the camp will include Ken Klee (Littleton, Colo.), Robb Stauber (Medina, Minn.), Bob Deraney(Providence, R.I.), Brett Strot (Tampa, Fla.), Jodi McKenna (Middleton, Conn.) and Paul Kennedy (Woburn, Mass.). The intrasquad scrimmages are open to the public at no charge and autograph sessions with select players will be held following the scrimmages on Sept. 12 and 14. 2014 U.S. Women's National Team Evaluation Camp On-Ice Schedule • Sept. 12-15, 2014  University of New England • Harold Alfond Forum • Biddeford, Maine (All Times ET • Subject to Change) Date Event Time (ET) Fri., Sept. 12 Practice - Team White 9-9:50 a.m. Practice Team Blue 10-10:50 a.m. Scrimmage - White vs. Blue 6:30 p.m. Sat., Sept. 13 Practice - Team White 12:45-2:45 p.m. Practice - Team Blue 3-5 p.m. Sun., Sept. 14 Practice - Team White 9-9:50 a.m. Practice - Team Blue 10-10:50 a.m. Scrimmage - White vs. Blue 5 p.m. Mon., Sept. 15 Scrimmage - White vs. Blue 10 a.m. USA Hockey Extends Partnership With Harrow Sports Multi-Year Deal Supports USA Hockey's Men's and Women's National University Teams as Official Equipment, Uniform, Apparel, and Bag Supplier COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey has entered into a multi-year agreement with Harrow Sports to continue as the official equipment, uniform, apparel, and bag supplier of the 2015 and 2017 USA Hockey Men's and Women's National University Team. The partnership supports the U.S. National University Teams participating in the Winter World University Games. "We're extremely pleased to have Harrow Sports involved with our National University Teams," said Mike Bertsch, assistant executive director for marketing and communications at USA Hockey. "We appreciate their on-going support of both our men's and women's teams at the Winter World University Games." The Winter World University Games are held every two years and Harrow Sports has played an integral role since partnering with USA Hockey in 2008, including the most recent success of the men's and women's team in 2013. Both squads had their best finish ever, with the women earning a bronze medal and the men finishing fourth. Harrow has worked with the men's team three times (2009, 2011, 2013) and the women's team once (2013). "Extending our relationship with USA Hockey and the National University Teams allows us to continue to show our support for both USA Hockey and the American Collegiate Hockey Association," said Todd Johnson, chairman of the hockey advisory board for Harrow Sports. "We look for continued success for the men and women and are excited to be a part of it." ABOUT USA HOCKEY: USA Hockey Inc., founded on October 29, 1937, and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, provides the foundation for the sport of ice hockey in America; helps young people become leaders, sometimes Olympic heroes; and connects the game at every level while promoting a lifelong love of the sport. With more than one million players, coaches, officials and volunteers that span all 50 states, USA Hockey serves as the National Governing Body for the sport in the United States. For more information, visit: www.usahockey.com. ABOUT HARROW SPORTS: Harrow Sports was founded in May of 2000 with the vision to provide innovative and quality sporting goods equipment that cater to the needs and desires of our customers. After over a decade of service, Harrow Sports has become a leading marketer, manufacturer, and distributor of Squash, Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Ice Hockey, Racquet Sports, and a comprehensive selection of customizable team apparel, bags, and footwear. ABOUT THE WINTER WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES: Players from the American Collegiate Hockey Association will make-up the U.S. roster for the men's and women's ice hockey competition at the 27th Winter World University Games in Granada, Spain, February 4-14, 2015.

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The American Red Cross provided relief for disaster for the first time on this date in 1881. The disaster was the Great Fire of 1881 in Michigan.

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Regina, SK. -- "They're talking about it being the greatest game of the year in the CFL." Read the rest here. Next up for the 7-2 Riders is a week 11 away game at the 6-4 Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday, September 7th. Kickoff for the Banjo Bowl at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg is set for 4:00pm EDT. Catch all the action with Rod Pedersen and Carm Carteri on 620 CKRM, the Rider Radio Network and 620ckrm.com. The game can be seen in Canada on TSN and in the U.S. on ESPN. ************************************************ The first U.S. Labor Day parade was held in New York City on this date in 1882. ************************************************ . 2014 CFL.ca Game Notes: A look at Week 11. Stephen: Cornish, Stamps out to sweep Alberta rival. Please visit the league's official website, cfl.ca. ************************************************ Jake Gumper bought the first gasoline pump to be manufactured in the U.S. on this date in 1885. ************************************************ Tampa, FL. -- Since we're just a few days removed from the start of the 2014 NFL season, Read the rest here. ************************************************ France proclaimed a protectorate over Chad on this date in 1900. ************************************************ St. Petersburg, FL. -- Starting in the bottom of the ninth inning on Thursday night, Joe Maddon saw the story of the Rays' season play out at Tropicana Field. And that wasn't a good thing. Read the rest here. ************************************************ On this date in 1917, federal raids were carried out in 24 cities on International Workers of the World (IWW) headquarters. The raids were prompted by suspected anti-war activities within the labor organization. ************************************************ San Francisco, CA. -- Numbers can lie. Jake Peavy is proof. Read the rest here. ************************************************ Charles Creighton and James Hagris completed the drive from New York City to Los Angeles and back to New York City all in reverse gear on this date in 1930. The trip took 42 days in their 1929 Ford Model A. ************************************************ This way Daddy! ************************************************ You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as a late night chat with a new friend, isn't it? ************************************************ Today in Elvis History: 1954 - Elvis Presley made his first and last appearance at the Grand Ole Opry.  1957 - Elvis Presley began recording seasonal tracks for a forthcoming Christmas album.  1957 - Elvis Presley recorded the song "Treat Me Nice." The song was released as a single in September 1957.  1992 - The Elvis Presley five-CD boxed set "The King Of Rock'n'Roll - The Complete 50's Masters" hit #159 in the U.S.  2001 - "Junichiro Koizumi Presents - My Favorite Elvis Songs" was released exclusively in Japan. The collection of Elvis Presley songs were picked by Japan's prime minister.  2006 - The Elvis Presley two CD and one DVD set "Essential" was released in Australia.  ************************************************ The NBC Red network broadcast "Life Can Be Beautiful" for the first time on this date in 1938. ************************************************ Today in Beatles History: 1996 - Capitol Records released The Beatles Anthology video set. Over ten hours of material made up the set.  ************************************************ The U.S. proclaimed its neutrality in World War II on this date in 1939. ************************************************ Today in Sports History: 1901 - The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues was formed in Chicago, IL. It was the first organized baseball league.  1906 - Brandbury Robinson of St. Louis University was recognized as throwing the first forward pass in football history.  1914 - Babe Ruth hit his first home run as a professional player in the International League.  1918 - Babe Ruth (Boston Red Sox) threw a six-hitter in the opening game of the World Series.  1920 - Bill Tilden won the first of seven U.S. Open men's singles crowns.  1955 - Don Newcombe (Brooklyn Dodgers) hit his seventh home run of the season. The feat set a National League record for home runs by a pitcher.  1960 - Cassius Clay won the gold medal in light heavyweight boxing at the Olympic Games in Rome, Italy. Clay later changed his name to Muhammad Ali.  1971 - J.R. Richard, of the Houston Astros, tied Karl Spooner’s record when he struck out 15 batters in his major-league baseball debut.  1972 - Arab guerrillas, the Black September movement, attacked the Israeli delegation at the Munich Olympic games. 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team, five guerrillas and a police officer were killed in the siege.  1975 - In New York, Martina Navratilova appeared at the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service office and asked for political asylum.  1983 - "Sports Illustrated" became the first national weekly magazine to use four-color process illustrations on every page.  1987 - John McEnroe was fined $17,500 and suspended for two months for his behavior during a match with Slobodan Zivojinovic.  1989 - Chris Evert retired from professional tennis after a 19 year career.  1997 - The FOX group announced a deal to purchase the Los Angeles Dodgers.  1998 - Mark McGwire (St. Louis) hit his 60th home run of the season. The home run tied McGwire with Babe Ruth.  1998 - Sammy Sosa (Chicago Cubs) hit his 58th home run of the season.  1999 - The Cincinnati Reds set a major league team record for home runs in two consecutive games. The team hit 14 home runs over the two games at Veterans Stadium.  2001 - The New York Islanders signed Alexi Yashin to a 10-year $90 million contract. It was the biggest deal in NHL history.  2002 - In New York, the NFL held a concert to celebrate its season opener. Eve, Alicia Keys, Bon Jovi, Enrique Iglesias and 'N Sync's Joey Fatone performed. The event preceded the rare Thursday-night opener between the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers. ************************************************ The first color videotaped program was aired on this date in 1958. It was "The Betty Freezor Show" on WBTV-TV in Charlotte, NC. ************************************************ Coming Up: Tonight -- MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Detroit Tigers 7:08pm EDT MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles 7:10pm EDT Nascar Nationwide Series -- Virginia529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway 7:30pm EDT Saturday -- MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Detroit Tigers 1:08pm EDT MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles 1:10pm EDT Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway 7:30pm EDT College Football -- Oregon State Beavers at Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors 10:30pm EDT Sunday -- MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles 1:40pm EDT CFL Football -- Saskatchewan Roughriders at Winnipeg Blue Bombers 4:00pm EDT NFL Football -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Carolina Panthers 4:25pm EDT MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Detroit Tigers 8:00pm EDT ************************************************ That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow.