It's Wednesday

It's Wednesday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is December 31st, the 365th day of 2014. This is the last day of the year.

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Ovechkin arrival key to hockey growth in D.C. region.

NHL to pay tribute to U.S. Armed Forces, Nation's Capital during festivities at 2015 NHL Winter Classic.

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

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On this date in 1695, the window tax was imposed in Britain, which resulted in many windows being bricked up.

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Tampa, FL. -- Some food for thought as the Lightning begin a four-game road trip …

Read the rest here.

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On this date in 1841, the State of Alabama enacted the first dental legislation in the U.S.

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Canada, United States to decide Group A top spot MONTREAL -- Canada and the United States each has heard its anthem played and had its flag raised following three successive victories at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship. Only one team will make it four straight on New Year's Eve when the North American rivals play Wednesday for top honors in Group A in the most anticipated match of preliminary-round play of the tournament at Bell Centre in Montreal (4 p.m. ET, NHLN-US, NHL.com). Canada is the top seed in Group A with three regulation victories and nine points. The United States, with two regulation wins and one shootout win for eight points is second, but a win of any kind Wednesday would allow them to pass Canada for first place. WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP The 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship is being held at Bell Centre in Montreal and Air Canada Centre in Toronto until Jan. 5. For a complete broadcast schedule of all games on NHL Network-US, CLICK HERE. Group A top spot at stake for Canada, United States U.S. captain Eichel focused on Canada, not McDavid Canada views game as but one on way to goal Hanifin expects playoff atmosphere against Canada  McDavid |  Eichel |  Lazar |  U.S. coach Denmark gets first-ever WJC win; SVK tops GER Matthews, Puljujarvi will be big stars of 2016 WJC MORE WJC STORIES ›WORLD JUNIORS BLOG › The winner and top seed in Group A will play a quarterfinal-round game against the fourth place team in Group B on Friday. The loser will earn the second seed and play the third-seeded team from Group B on Friday. "When you play with the puck most of the time you're not in trouble, and when you look at both teams, we're two teams that make good plays with the puck," Canada coachBenoit Groulx said. "We're both puck-possession teams and we have a lot of strength on both teams. We can skate, we can make plays with the puck, we can control the puck, we have smart players. "When you look at the matchup it's pretty even, so it's going to be interesting to see how it plays out." The last time the United States beat Canada in preliminary-round action was Dec. 31, 1998, a 5-2 victory in Winnipeg. The last three wins for the U.S. against Canada have come in the playoff round. That includes wins in the gold-medal game in 2004 (4-3) and 2010 (6-5 in overtime); the U.S. also beat Canada 5-1 in the semifinals in 2013. Canada leads the all-time series 28-3-1-6 and has outscored the United States 170-112; there also have been three ties. Of the 17 games since 2000, 11 have been decided by one goal and five have required overtime; twice the game has gone to a shootout. There was a 1-1 tie in 2000. The game will feature plenty of intriguing storylines, starting with the head-to-head matchup of two of the top prospects for the 2015 NHL Draft, Canada's Connor McDavid (one goal, three points, 10 shots on goal) and Jack Eichel (one goal, two points, 14 shots) of the United States. "I'm pretty excited," Eichel said. "It's always a lot of fun when you play Canada; it's always a battle. So we know it's going to be a tough 60 minutes; they're not going to hand it over to us. But we're really excited. New Year's Eve, you watch this game growing up, so getting to participate in it at the Bell Centre, it's going to be a great show." Eichel, who serves as captain of the United States, isn't too concerned over the media-induced rivalry between him and McDavid. "He's a good player but I'm not too worried about him right now, and I'm sure he's not too worried about me," Eichel said. "There's a lot bigger battle going on here. It's the United States versus Canada for the top seed in our bracket. I'm not worried about a 1-on-1 battle." Each team also features a balanced scoring attack. Canada has 11 players with at least one goal, and five with at least two. Nicolas Petan (Winnipeg Jets) leads Canada with six points (one goal, five assists) andMax Domi (Arizona Coyotes), who has two goals, five points and a plus-4 rating, has been a tower of strength at both ends. The United States has gotten goals from eight players, including a team-leading three goals and five points from center Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings). Larkin seemed to have good chemistry with Sonny Milano (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Hudson Fasching (Buffalo Sabres) in a 3-0 victory against Slovakia on Monday. "They're a fast team and we're a fast team, so it should be a good game and I'm looking forward to it," Larkin said of facing Canada. USA vs. Canada: What's at stake? The New Year's Eve preliminary round showdown between Canada and the United States will have significant playoff round implications. Here's a quick breakdown of the scenarios in each case: If Canada wins … Canada would earn the No. 1 seed in Group A and play the No. 4 seed from Group B in the quarterfinals Friday. The playoff game would be held at Air Canada Centre in Toronto (8 p.m. ET, NHLN-US). The United States would earn the No. 2 seed in Group A and play the No. 3 seed from Group B at Bell Centre in Montreal (1 p.m. ET, NHLN-US). The higher-seeded team is the designated home team. If United States wins … The United States would earn the No. 1 seed in Group A and play the No. 4 seed from Group B in the quarterfinals Friday. The playoff game would be held at Bell Centre in Montreal (5 p.m. ET, NHLN-US). Canada would earn the No. 2 seed in Group A and play the No. 3 seed from Group B at Air Canada Centre in Toronto (8 p.m. ET, NHLN-US). The higher-seeded team is the designated home team. -- Mike Morreale The only regular linemate alongside Eichel on the top line through three games has been right wing Alex Tuch (Minnesota Wild). U.S. coach Mark Osiecki has had Chase De Leo(Winnipeg Jets), Milano and Tyler Motte(Chicago Blackhawks) play left wing on Eichel's line in the opening three games. "Canada is tremendously deep up front, in goal and on defense," Osiecki said. "We need to show discipline, stay out of the [penalty] box, and will need to roll four lines." Staying out of the box certainly would bode well for the United States. Through three games Canada ranks first on the power-play (50.0 percent) with five goals on 10 chances. They also have killed off 11 opposing power plays. McDavid has played much of the tournament alongside Nick Ritchie (Anaheim Ducks) and Canada captain Curtis Lazar (Ottawa Senators). "It's going to be a lot of fun; it's a New Year’s Eve tradition now," Lazar said of playing the United States. "They've got a great team over there that we've seen throughout the tournament, but we feel we're up to the task. It's going to be two good teams going at it and hopefully we can put on a show for these fans." Canada and the United States have benefitted from sound defensive play and solid goaltending. Canada has outscored the opposition 16-1 backed by goaltenders Zachary Fucale (Montreal Canadiens) and Eric Comrie(Winnipeg Jets). Fucale was in goal for wins against Slovakia (8-0) and Finland (4-1), and has a 0.50 goals-against average and .975 save percentage; Hockey Canada announced Tuesday that Comrie would be in goal against the United States. "It's obviously a classic," Fucale said of the rivalry against the United States. "Every year we wait for that game. It's going to be a great game, there's no doubt about it. There's a lot of rivalry between these two countries, so we're excited about it." The U.S. has outscored its opponents 11-1 behind Thatcher Demko (Vancouver Canucks) and Brandon Halverson (New York Rangers). Demko (0.48 GAA, .978 save percentage) backstopped wins against Finland (2-1 in a shootout) and Slovakia (3-0).

************************************************ On this date in 1857, Britain's Queen Victoria decided to make Ottawa the capital of Canada. ************************************************ Top 10 Catches of 2014. Cauz: 15 New Years resolutions I plan to stick to. Please visit the league's official website, http://www.cfl.ca. ************************************************ On this date in 1862, U.S. President Lincoln signed an act admitting West Virginia to the Union. ************************************************ Tampa, FL. -- Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy stood near an entrance to Tampa Bay’s locker room talking about the end to another disappointing season. Read the rest here. ************************************************ On this date in 1877, U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes became the first U.S. President to celebrate his silver (25th) wedding anniversary in the White House. ************************************************ Corvallis, OR. --Welcome back to “Get to Know Coach Gary Andersen.” Today is the seventh installment with the “Voice of the Beavers” Mike Parker. Read the rest here. ************************************************ On this date in 1879, Thomas Edison gave his first public demonstration of incandescent lighting to an audience in Menlo Park, NJ.. ************************************************ Jimmy with the shepherds. ************************************************ You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as USA vs Canada hockey, isn't it? ************************************************ Today in Elvis History: 1955 - Elvis Presley's single "I Forgot To Remember" hit #1 on the U.S. Country chart.  1960 - The album "Elvis' Christmas Album" re-charted at #33 in the U.S.  1966 - Elvis Presley's song "If Every Day Was Christmas" hit #9 in the U.K.  1968 - In the U.K., the TV special "Elvis" aired on BBC2-TV.  1975 - Elvis Presley grossed $816,000 for a single performance in Pontiac, MI. ************************************************ On this date in 1891, New York's new Immigration Depot was opened at Ellis Island, to provide improved facilities for the massive numbers of arrivals. ************************************************ Today in Beatles History: 1970 - Paul McCartney filed a suit to dissolve the Beatles. The band was officially dissolved in court on January 9, 1975. ************************************************ On this date in 1923 in London, the BBC first broadcast the chimes of Big Ben. ************************************************ Today in Sports History: 1967 - The Green Bay Packers won the National Football League championship game by defeating the Dallas Cowboys 21-17. The game is known as the Ice Bowl since it was played with a wind chill of 40 degrees below zero.  1971 - The NHL announced that it had awarded a franchise to the New York Islanders.  1972 - Roberto Clemente (Pittsburgh Pirates) was killed in a plane crash near Puerto Rico while flying relief supplies to Nicaraguan earthquake victims.  1984 - ESPN debuted in Hawaii, making it available in all 50 states. ************************************************ On this date in 1929, Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians played "Auld Lang Syne" as a New Year's Eve song for the first time. ************************************************ Coming Up: Tonight -- World Junior Hockey Championships -- USA vs Canada at Montreal 4:00pm EST NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Buffalo Sabres 6:00pm EST Thursday -- NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild at Topeka Roadrunners 4:05pm EST Friday -- NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Pittsburgh Penguins 7:00pm EST NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild at Topeka Roadrunners 8:05pm EST Saturday -- NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild at Topeka Roadrunners 8:05pm EST Sunday -- NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Ottawa Senators 7:00pm EST Monday -- Nothin' Doin' Tuesday -- NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Montreal Canadiens 7:30pm EST Wednesday -- Nothin' Doin' Thursday -- Nothin' Doin' Friday -- USPHL Elite Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Islanders Hockey Club 8:30am EST USPHL Empire Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs JUnior Bruins 1:20pm EST USPHL Elite Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Bay State Breakers 6:20pm EST NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Buffalo Sabres 7:30pm EST NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild at Lone Star Brahmas 8:30pm EST USPHL Empire Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs P.A.L. Junior Islanders 9:50pm EST Saturday -- NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild at Lone Star Brahmas 8:30pm EST USPHL Empire Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Adirondack Wings 8:30pm EST USPHL Elite Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Jersey Hitmen 9:10pm EST Sunday -- USPHL Empire Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Rochester Junior Americans 7:30am EST USPHL Elite Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Junior Bruins 10:10am EST ************************************************ That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow.