It's Thursday

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

************************************************

Today is October 16th, the 288th day of 2014. There are 77 days left in the year.

************************************************

Nelson at center of Islanders' quick start to season.

Rosen's mailbag - Oct. 15, 2014.

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

************************************************

Today's Birthdays: Angela Lansbury is 89. Suzanne Somers is 68. Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption, Mystic River) is 56. Singer-songwriter John Mayer is 37.

************************************************

Tampa, FL. -- Fantasy owners have been waiting a long time for Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman to show he should be mentioned in the same sentence as players like P.K. Subban, Erik Karlsson, and Duncan Keith. That patience was finally rewarded with a breakout performance last season and things look to be getting even better.

Read the rest here.

************************************************

On this date in 1829 in Boston, MA, the first modern hotel in America opened. The Tremont Hotel had 170 rooms that rented for $2 a day and included four meals.

************************************************

Varady Named Head Coach of 2014 U.S. Junior Select Team World Junior A Challenge Set For Dec. 14-20 in Kinderseley, Saskatchewan COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey announced today that Jay Varady (Cahokia, Ill.) has been named head coach for the 2014 U.S. Junior Select Team, which is set to compete at the 2014 World Junior A Challenge in Kindersley, Saskatchewan, Dec. 14-20. "Jay has been on the coaching staff for a couple of our teams, including our gold-medal winning 2010 U.S. National Junior Team," said Marc Boxer, Team USA general manger and USA Hockey's director of junior hockey. "Given his coaching experience and ability to develop players, I felt it was time for him to take the helm of a team." Representing the U.S., Varady was the video coach for the 2010 U.S. National Junior Team that won the gold medal. He also was an assistant coach for the 2010 U.S. Under-18 Select Team that took second place in the 2010 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup. Varady is in his second season as head coach and director of hockey operations for the United State Hockey League's Sioux City Musketeers. In his first season, Sioux City finished 38-19-3 (W-L-OTL), reaching the conference final of the USHL Clark Cup Playoffs. Prior to Sioux City, Varady spent two seasons as the head coach of the Les Ducs D'Angers, a professional team in France's top league, leading them the 2012-13 regular-season championship. Varady spent eight seasons (2003-11) with the Western Hockey League's Everett Silvertips, serving as assistant coach, associate coach and interim head coach. Kaufman and Paulsen Selected as Assistant Coaches for 2014 U.S. Junior Select Team Omaha Lancers' second-year head coach and general manager, Brian Kaufman (Shoreview, Minn.), and Madison Capitols' assistant general manager and associate head coach, Keith Paulsen (Eau Claire, Wis.), have been chosen as assistant coaches for the 2014 U.S. Junior Select Team. Prior to joining the Lancers, Kaufman began his coaching career as the graudate assistant coach at Miami University. He also spent four years playing for the RedHawks (2005-09), amassing 84 pointsin 125 games. Kaufman served as team captain during his junior and senior campaigns. Paulsen joined the Capitols' organzation in November 2013. Before helming the Capitols, Paulsen spent four and a half seasons with the Sioux City Musketeers. He began as a regional scout and worked his way up to assistant coach and director of scouting. Notes: The World Junior A Challenge is in its ninth year, and the United States will be competing for the eighth time. Team USA has won five of the last six tournaments (2008-10, 2012-13) ... The 2014 field includes Canada East, Canada West, Denmark, Russia, Switzerland and the United States ... The official event website is available here ... The roster for the 2014 U.S. Junior Select Team will be announced in mid-November ... Team general manager, Marc Boxer, has been involved with the U.S. Junior Select Team every year its competed in the World Junior A Challenge.

************************************************* On this date in 1869, a hotel in Boston became the first in the U.S. to install indoor plumbing. ************************************************

Regina, SK. -- Saskatchewan Roughriders offensive co-ordinator George Cortez is under a microscope - an instrument that is also required to peruse the CFL team's puny point totals on the road.

Read the rest here.

Coming up next for the 9-6 Riders is a week 17 home game with the10-5 Edmonton Eskimos on Sunday, October 19th. Game time at Regina's Mosaic Stadium is 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 ESPN2.

************************************************

On this date in 1923, Walt Disney contracted with M.J. Winkler to distribute the Alice Comedies. This event is recognized as the start of the Disney Company.

************************************************

. Pedersen: Riders trying to find a leader until Durant's return. Out of the Blue: Bombers release RB Grigsby. Please visit the league's official website, cfl.ca. ************************************************ Toyota is recalling over 1½ million vehicles. [One day, when self-driving vehicles get recalled will we simply wake up one morning to find that our cars have left us a note in the driveway?] ************************************************  Tampa, FL. -- Bye week notes: With Mike Evans, Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Robert Herron all contributing, the Bucs suddenly have an abundance of options through the air...Plus, Isaiah Frey's opportunity and more. Read the rest here. ************************************************ Each morning an 81-year-old woman in China gets up at 5 to perform a regiment of push-ups and sit-ups that would leave most young men gasping for breath. She can do more than 100 push-ups in 5 minutes. ************************************************ Corvallis, OR. -- The Oregon State softball team and head coach Laura Berg have announced a 54-game schedule for 2015, including 24 games against 11 opponents who made the 2014 NCAA tournament. The Beavers will play five tournaments before Pac-12 play, with trips to Tempe, Ariz., San Diego, Calif., Palm Springs, Calif., Fresno, Calif., and Honolulu, Hawaii. Read the rest here. ************************************************ Marvin Pipkin received a patent for the frosted electric light bulb on this date in 1928. ************************************************ San Francisco, CA. -- Ryan Vogelsong called it "Giants karma." Pablo Sandoval referred to it as "the small game." By any term, the force that drove the Giants to their 6-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Wednesday night's Game 5 of the National League Championship Series materialized in the sixth inning. That's when the Giants vaulted ahead with three runs, combining opportunistic offense with St. Louis' defensive lapses. Read the rest here. ************************************************ "Right To Happiness" debuted on the NBC-Blue network on this date in 1939. ************************************************ Weeeeeeee! I'm having fun Daddy! ************************************************ You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as watching the Giants win, isn't it? ************************************************ Today in Elvis History: 1956 - The Elvis Presley film "Love Me Tender" premiered.  1957 - Elvis Presley made his first radio appearance on the "Louisiana Hayride."  1976 - Elvis Presley's single "The Girl Of My Best Friend" hit #9 in the U.K.  2001 - The CD single of Elvis Presley's version of "America the Beautiful" was released. ************************************************ Friends is coming back to the small screen, but not as a new series. All 10 seasons and 236 episodes of the popular NBC series will be instantly available on Netflix beginning January 1. ************************************************ Today in Beatles History: 1963 - The Beatles recorded "I Saw Her Standing There," "Love Me Do," "Please Please Me," "From Me to You," and "She Loves You" for the BBC program Easy Beat.  1963 - It was announced that the Beatles would play at the coming year's Royal Command Performance.  1964 - The Beatles appeared on the British TV show "Ready Steady Go."  1987 - George Harrison released his single "I Got My Mind Set on You" in the U.S. The song went to number one. ************************************************ Neil Patrick Harris will host the Oscars on February 22. It will be his first time as host. ************************************************ Today in Sports History: 1946 - Gordie Howe (Detroit Red Wings) played his first NHL game.  1960 - The National League voted to admit Houston and New York to the league. It was the first structural change since 1900.  1971 - Norm Ullman (Toronto Maple Leafs) recorded his 1,000th point in a 5-3 loss to the New York Rangers.  1972 - Joe Namath was on the cover of TIME magazine.  1991 - Roy Tarpley (Dallas Mavericks) became the 7th player to be banned from the National Basketball Association (NBA) for life under the league's anti-drug agreement.  1992 - Magic Johnson played his first professional game since coming out of retirement.  1996 - In Guatemala City, at least 84 people died and 147 were injured when a stampede of soccer fans occurred before the 1998 World Cup qualifying match between Guatemala and Costa Rica.  2003 - Two NHL games ended in a scoreless tie for the first time since December 30, 1934. The games were Atlanta at the New York Rangers and Philadelphia at San Jose.  ************************************************ LINK WE LIKE - The 2014 Fall Foliage Map is the ultimate visual planning guide to the annual progressive changing of the leaves. ************************************************  Coming Up: Tonight -- MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs St. Louis Cardinals (Game 5 NLCS) 8:00pm EDT  College Football -- Oregon State Beavers vs Utah Utes 10:00pm EDT Friday -- Nothin' Doin' Saturday -- MLB -- San Francisco Giants at St. Louis Cardinals (Game 6 NLCS) 4:00pm EDT (if necessary) USPHL Empire Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Palm Beach Hawks 5:15pm EDT NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Vancouver Canucks 10:00pm EDT Sunday -- USPHL Empire Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Florida Eels 9:30am EDT USPHL Elite Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Florida Eels 12:15pm EDT Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway 2:00pm EDT CFL Football -- Saskatchewan Roughriders vs Edmonton Eskimos 4:00pm EDT MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs St. Louis Cardinals (Game 7 NLCS) 7:30pm EDT (if necessary) ************************************************ That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow.