It's Wednesday

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

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Today is April 1st, the 91st day of 2015. There are 274 days left in the year.

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Whirlwind trip for hockey fanatic has charitable payoff.

Eichel remains a hot topic entering NCAA Frozen Four.

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

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Today's Birthdays: Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is 65. MSNBC host Rachel Maddow is 42. Reality TV personality Jon Gosselin is 38. Asa Butterfield (Ender’s Game, Hugo) is 18.

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Toronto, ON. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning missed an opportunity take over first place in the Atlantic Division, losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 at Air Canada Centre on Tuesday.

Read the rest here.

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A photographer named Andy Davidhazy hiked the 2,600 miles from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail. It was both a physical endeavor and a photographic one: every mile he traveled, Davidhazy stopped and took a selfie. He’s released a time-lapse video that he created after his epic journey. • Video

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North Dakota Claims No. 1 in USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine College Hockey Poll USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine 2014-15 Men's College Hockey Poll - Postseason #25 (First-place votes in parentheses) Rank School Last Week's Rank 2014-15 Record Weeks in Top 15 1. University of North Dakota, 492 (17) 3 29-9-3 25 2. Boston University, 491 (17) 2 27-7-5 25 3. University of Omaha Nebraska, 401 9 20-12-6 19 4. Providence College, 367 14 24-13-2 18 5. Minnesota State University, 359 1 29-8-3 25 6. University of Denver, 339 6 24-14-2 21 7. Miami University, 290 4 25-14-1 25 8. University of Minnesota Duluth, 286 7 21-16-3 18 9. Michigan Tech University, 252 5 29-10-2 20 10 St. Cloud State University, 186 13 20-19-1 10 11. Harvard University, 175 8 21-13-3 20 12. University of Minnesota, 109 10 23-13-3 21 13. Quinnipiac University, 103 11 23-12-4 17 14. Boston College, 83 12 21-14-3 19 15. Yale University, 81 n/a 18-10-5 8 Others Receiving Votes: RIT, 34; UMass Lowell, 13; Bowling Green, 12; Colgate University, 3; St. Lawrence University, 3; University of Michigan, 1. Notes: There will be no men's poll April 6 ... This season's poll will conclude Monday, April 13, following the Frozen Four tournament in Boston (April 9-11) ... A total of 21 schools received votes in this week's poll ... The National Collegiate Hockey Conference leads all conferences with six ranked schools. The Hockey East Association and ECAC Hockey have three ranked schools apiece, while the Western Collegiate Hockey Association has two and the Big Ten Conference has one ranked school ... This season's previous polls can be found here. About the Poll: The 20th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the six NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey. Champions Crowned at 2015 Toyota-USA Hockey National Championships Youth, Girls, High School, Junior and Women's winners emerge COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A total of 25 national champions were crowned across the country at the 2015 Toyota-USA Hockey Youth, Girls, Tier III Junior, High School and Women's National Championships. Title game results are below for all completed levels. Still to come, the national sled hockey championship will be decided April 12 and the adult nationals will be contested later this month. 2015 Toyota-USA Hockey Youth Tier I National Championship | Amherst, N.Y. Level Champion Runner-Up Score 14U Detroit HoneyBaked (Mich.) Chicago Mission (Ill.) 2-1 (2 OT) Note: Second 14U national championship in three seasons for HoneyBaked. Level Champion Runner-Up Score 16U Shattuck-St. Mary's (Minn.) Detroit HoneyBaked (Mich.) 7-0 Note: First-ever 16U national championship for Shattuck-St. Mary's. Level Champion Runner-Up Score 18U Connecticut Wolf Pack (Conn.) New Jersey Avalanche (N.J.) 5-4 Note: First 18U national champion from outside Illionis, Massachusetts, Michigan or Minnesota since 2002. 2015 Toyota-USA Hockey Girls Tier I National Championship | Green Bay, Wis. Level Champion Runner-Up Score 14U Boston Junior Eagles (Mass.) Pittsburgh Penguins Elite (Pa.) 2-1 Note: First-ever 14U national championship for the Boston Junior Eagles. Level Champion Runner-Up Score 16U Shattuck-St. Mary’s (Minn.) Chicago Young Americans (Ill.) 3-1 Note: Third straight 16U title for SSM. Level Champion Runner-Up Score 19U Chicago Mission (Ill.) Shattuck-St. Mary's (Minn.) 3-2 Note: Chicago breaks streak of six straight Tier I 19U national championships for either Assabet Valley (Mass.) or SSM. 2015 Toyota-USA Hockey Youth Tier II 14U National Championship | Salt Lake City, Utah Level Champion Runner-Up Score 14U 1A Portland Jr. Winterhawks (Ore.) Idaho Junior Steelheads (Idaho) 3-2 (OT) Note: First-ever USA Hockey national championship for Oregon-based team. Level Champion Runner-Up Score 14U 2A Tampa Scorpions (Fla.) Chesterfield Falcons (Mo.) 5-4 Note: First Tier II 14U 2A national championship for Florida-based team. Level Champion Runner-Up Score 14U 3A Oakland Grizzlies (Mich.) Steel City Renegades (Pa.) 4-1 Note: Second straight Tier II 14U 3A national championship for a Michigan-based team. 2015 Toyota-USA Hockey Youth Tier II 16U National Championship | Plano, Texas Level Champion Runner-Up Score 16U 1A Team South Dakota Montana Thunderblades (Mont.) 4-3 Note: Second straight Tier II 16U 1A national championship for Team South Dakota and third in four seasons. Level Champion Runner-Up Score 16U 2A Tampa Scorpions (Fla.) Affton Americans (Mo.) 3-1 Note: Second Tier II 16U title in three seasons for Tampa Scorpions. Level Champion Runner-Up Score 16U 3A St. Clair Shores (Mich.) Hyland Hills Jaguars (Colo.) 4-1 Note: St. Clair Shores adds to its numerous collection of USA Hockey national championships, the first of which came in 1968 at the single-class 17U tournament. 2015 Toyota-USA Hockey Youth Tier II 18U National Championship | Troy, Mich. Level Champion Runner-Up Score 18U 1A Portland Junior Pirates (Maine) Charlotte Checkers (N.C.) 3-2 (OT) Note: First Tier II 18U national champion from Maine since Lewiston won in 2011. Level Champion Runner-Up Score 18U 2A Ashburn Xtreme (Va.) Team Ohio Black 4-3 (OT) Note: Second Tier II 18U 2A national title in three seasons for Ashburn Xtreme. Level Champion Runner-Up Score 18U 3A Mid-State Mustangs (Pa.) Littleton Hawks (Colo.) 4-1 Note: Back-to-back Tier II 18U 3A national titles for Mid-State Mustangs. 2015 Toyota-USA Hockey Girls Tier II National Championship | East Lansing, Mich. Level Champion Runner-Up Score 14U Assabet Valley Red (Mass.) Amherst Knights (N.Y.) 2-1 (OT) Note: Back-to-back Tier II 14U national championships for Assabet. Level Champion Runner-Up Score 16U East Coast Wizards (Mass.) Team Alaska 2-1 Note: East Coast Wizards played in two of the three Tier II Girls national championship games in 2015. Level Champion Runner-Up Score 19U Portland Pirates (Maine) East Coast Wizards (Mass) 2-1 Note: All three Tier II Girls national championship games were decided by 2-1 scores. 2015 Toyota-USA Hockey Junior Tier III National Championship | Simsbury, Conn. Level Champion Runner-Up Score Tier III - Division 1 North Iowa Bulls Northern Cyclones (N.H.) 2-1 Note: Second Tier III Junior national championship in three seasons for North Iowa. Level Champion Runner-Up Score Tier III - Division 2 Boston Junior Bruins (Mass.) New York Aviators (N.Y.) 9-1 Note: Second straight Tier III Junior national championship for Boston Junior Bruins. 2015 Toyota-USA Hockey Women’s A, B & C National Championship | Green Bay, Wis. Level Champion Runner-Up Score Senior A Minnesota McGoverns Minnesota Blue J's 2-0 Note: First Women’s Senior A national championship for the Minnesota McGoverns. Level Champion Runner-Up Score Senior B Anaheim Lady Ducks (Calif.) Rochester Edge (N.Y.) 8-2 Note: Second Women’s Senior B national title in three seasons for the Lady Ducks. Level Champion Runner-Up Score Senior C Minnesota Blue J Bandits O'Leary Hawks (Mich.) 3-1 Note: First-ever Women’s Senior C national title for a Minnesota-based team. 2015 Toyota-USA Hockey High School National Championship | St. Louis, Mo. (March 23) Level Champion Runner-Up Score Pure Regis Jesuit H.S. (Colo.) Santa Margarita H.S. (Calif.) 3-1 Combined Cherry Creek (Colo.) Dubuque Devils (Iowa) 2-1 U.S. Women's National Team Defeats Russia, 9-2, at 2015 IIHF Women's World Championship Lamoureux-Davidson Notches Four Points (Three Goals, One Assist) in Win MALMO, Sweden. – The U.S. Women's National Team defeated Russia, 9-2, here today at the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship. Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson (Grand Forks, N.D.) registered four points (three goals, one assist) and 10 players had at least one point in the victory. Hilary Knight (Sun Valley, Idaho) had two goals and one assist andAnne Schleper (St. Cloud, Minn.) registered three assists. "We controlled the play and dictated the tempo but Russia played a defensive-minded game so we had to be patient and get pucks through traffic on net," said Ken Klee, head coach of the 2015 U.S. Women's National Team. "Today was a good test at being patient and focusing on the little things. We'll enjoy a day off and will begin preparing for our semifinal game." For a complete recap and box score, click here. Team USA will play next in the semifinals on Friday (April 3) at 6 a.m. ET. The opponent is yet to be determined. NOTES: The U.S. outshot Russia 49-5 ... Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson was named U.S. Player of the Game. The U.S. has in the gold medal game in all 15 of the previous events, capturing the event’s top prize a total of five times (2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013), including four of the last five tournaments and five of the last seven. USA Hockey Foundation Finalizes Purchase of Compuware Arena USA Hockey's NTDP Will Move to Plymouth, Michigan, Facility This Summer COLROADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The USA Hockey Foundation has finalized the purchase of Compuware Arena, effective today, and will take over operations of the Plymouth, Michigan, facility immediately. “It’s an exciting day for us,” said Ron DeGregorio, president of The USA Hockey Foundation and USA Hockey. “There are a lot of people to thank, too many to mention them all, but I’d particularly like to recognize Tony Rossi for all of his hard work on this effort and also commend our Board for their vision and support throughout the process. Obviously there is much work ahead, but we look forward to the future and all the opportunities having this facility will bring.” DeGregorio noted the facility will be called USA Hockey Arena and that it will serve as the new home for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, beginning with the 2015-16 season. “We’re grateful to the Ann Arbor Ice Cube, which has been the home of the NTDP since it was founded in 1996,” said Dave Ogrean, executive director of the USA Hockey Foundation and USA Hockey. “The good news is, that for fans in Ann Arbor, we will not be far away. Also, we very much look forward to welcoming the fans of the Plymouth Whalers and we’re confident they’ll enjoy the product they’ll see on the ice. Our two teams that make up the NTDP play in the USHL, which is the top junior hockey league in our country. Coupled with some of the college opponents that we'll host, as well as international competition, our schedule of games and events will be very attractive to fans.” “There’s a lot to accomplish now that the sale is complete,” continued Ogrean. “We intend to have a formal press conference and community event later this spring and at that time will have more details related to what fans and the community can expect going forward.” Notes: The purchase of the facility, which includes two ice sheets, also includes the drive-in movie business that operates in the arena parking lot during the summer months, C.J.’s Restaurant and the arena pro shop. USA Hockey intends to continue operation of all three …  USA Hockey Arena will remain the home of the Compuware youth hockey program … The NTDP is expected to re-locate to USA Hockey Arena over the course of the summer.

************************************************ A budget airline in China is rewarding lighter passengers with free luggage check-in. The airline says that male travelers weighing less than 130 pounds and women less than 99 pounds can check in luggage free of charge. ************************************************ Combine Analysis: Who took the spotlight on Sunday? Abou-Mechrek: Kick the convert talk and leave it where it is. Please visit the league's official website, http://www.cfl.ca. ************************************************ Fans of the late Paul Walker will get more than his final on-screen performance in Furious 7 as the film will present a video tribute to the actor before the end credits roll. Franchise star Tyrese Gibson said the clip package will honor Walker’s “life and work”. ************************************************ Tallahassee, FL. -- Long before he made even the first of the 102 passes that comprised his workout, former Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston became the star of Florida State University Pro Day on Tuesday. Read the rest here. ************************************************ The Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart movie, Get Hard, is getting lousy reviews. [Which means that if it were a TV show, it could be a long-running CBS comedy.] ************************************************ Corvallis, OR. -- This spring, a new group will begin studying Division I transfer rules. Its goal: to recommend changes that will be considered during the 2015-16 legislative cycle. Read the rest here. ************************************************ Managers will be happy to know you’re putting 100% of your efforts into work today — and not your bracket. The NCAA Men’s Basketball season is winding down now that the Final Four games are set. Saturday night Michigan State and Duke will play, then Wisconsin and Kentucky will play. The winners advance to the championship game next Monday night. ************************************************ Jimmy turns on the music for the dogs. ************************************************ You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as a sore shoulder, isn't it? ************************************************ Today in Elvis History: 1955 - Elvis Presley released "Baby, Let's Play House." The b-side was "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone." 1956 - Elvis Presley filmed his first Hollywood screen test for Hal Wallis.  1959 - Elvis Presley rented a piano while in Germany.  1977 - Elvis Presley was admitted to a Memphis hospital due to fatigue and intestinal flu. He stayed in the hospital for six days.  1981 - The album "The Million Dollar Quartet" was released for the first time on Sun in the U.K.  1993 - Michael Jackson tried to buy the remains of Elvis' twin brother, Jesse.  ************************************************ If you’ll be attending Lollapalooza this year, leave your selfie stick at home. Festivals like Lollapalooza and Coachella are banning “narcissistic” devices. Major venues have been banning selfie sticks for some time. A spokesperson for the Wembley Arena in London says: “The sticks might mean you are refused entry to the venue so our advice is don’t bring them and stick with the tried and tested use of an arm.” ************************************************ Today in Beatles History: 1961 - The Beatles began a 92 night stop in Hamburg, West Germany, at the Top Ten club.  1964 - John Lennon was reunited with his father, Fred Lennon, after 17 years.  1967 - The Beatles recorded "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" at Studio Two, Abbey Road. 1970 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono announced that they were going to have dual sex-change operations.  1970 - Ringo Starr layed down the drum tracks for the overhauled "Let It Be" sessions.  1973 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono announced that they were creating a new country called Nutopia. The country would have no laws, no boundaries and the the national anthem was silence.  1976 - Paul McCartney and Wings released the song "Silly Love Songs."  2003 - The 5-DVD set "The Beatles Anthology" was released. ************************************************ Jamal Steward told St. Paul, Minnesota, investigators a very creative story when he was confronted about a stolen computer he allegedly pawned. Steward said he found the computer … in a bag of jewels … that happened to by lying beside him when he came to after passing out at a party. ************************************************ Today in Sports History: 1919 - The final game of the 1919 Stanley Cup was canceled due to the worldwide epidemic of influenza. No winner was declared in the series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Seattle Metropolitans.  1930 - Leo Hartnett of the Chicago Cubs broke the altitude record for a catch by catching a baseball dropped from the Goodyear blimp 800 feet over Los Angeles, CA.  1931 - Jackie Mitchell became the first female in professional baseball when she signed with the Chattanooga Baseball Club.  1972 - The Major League Baseball Players Association went on strike. The strike lasted 12 days and canceled 86 games.  1978 - Mike Bossy (New York Islanders) became the first NHL rookie to score 50 goals in a season.  1983 - Mike Bossy (New York Islanders) became the first National Hockey League (NHL) player to score 60 goals in 3 consecutive seasons.  1992 - Players began the first strike in the 75-year history of the National Hockey League (NHL).  1996 - U.S. President Bill Clinton threw out the first ball preceding a game between the Kansas City Royals and the Baltimore Orioles.  1996 - Baseball umpire John McSherry died after collapsing during a game between the Cincinnati Reds and Montreal Expos. ************************************************ NEW ON DVD THIS WEEK - Released March 31 • The Imitation Game • Interstellar • Wild • Gravity: Special Edition • VEEP: Season 3 ************************************************  Coming Up: Tonight -- Nothin' Doin' Thursday -- NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Ottawa Senators 7:30pm EDT Friday -- NAHL Playoff Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild at Corpus Christi IceRays 8:05pm EDT Saturday -- NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers 7:00pm EDT NAHL Playoff Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild at Corpus Christi IceRays 8:05pm EDT Sunday -- Nothin' Doin' ************************************************ That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow.