It's Saturday

It's Saturday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is March 8th, the 67th day of 2014. There are 298 days left in the year.

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Watch: Nieuwendyk's No. 25 raised to rafters.

Super 16: Teams hang on to top picks.

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

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Johann Kepler discovered the third Law of Planetary Motion on this date in 1618.

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Tampa, FL. --Go behind the scenes of Steven Stamkos' return to the ice in this exclusive Lightning Vision video...

Read the rest here.

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A train passed over the first railway suspension bridge at Niagara Falls, NY on this date in 1855.

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Seventh Annual Hockey Weekend Across America, Presented by CCM, Sets New Standard Nearly 16,000 Boys and Girls Try Hockey for First Time COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The seventh annual Hockey Weekend Across America, presented by CCM, concluded last Sunday (March 2) and was highlighted by hundreds of thousands of fans wearing their favorite hockey jerseys, nearly 16,000 boys and girls trying hockey for the first time, millions of viewers watching NBC's Hockey Day in America broadcast, and the sport celebrating its local hockey heroes from coast-to-coast. "It was perhaps the best Hockey Weekend Across America yet," said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. "The engagement and participation of those at all levels of the game was outstanding. It was particularly exciting to see the record number of kids come out to try the sport for the very first time." Each of the three days associated with Hockey Weekend Across America had a theme, including Wear Your Favorite Jersey Day on Friday (Feb. 28); Try Hockey Day on Saturday (March 1); and Celebrate Local Hockey Heroes Day on Sunday (March 2). On Friday, fans were encouraged to tweet at USA Hockey using #HWAA to share photos of themselves, their friends and colleagues wearing their favorite hockey jersey. Fan also submitted pictures on USA Hockey's Facebook page. To see a collection of images from the day, click here. On Saturday, a record 15,844 children from across the nation were introduced to hockey for the first time at some 420 Try Hockey for Free events in 47 states. To view images from the day, click here. On Sunday, local teams and associations honored their hockey heroes in various ways and fans shared stories of their local hockey heroes on Twitter, Facebook andHockeyWeekendAcrossAmerica.com. Sunday also marked the fourth edition of NBC's "Hockey Day in America" coverage, which included live broadcasts of three NHL games (one on NBC, two on NBCSN) and studio coverage that showcased all levels of hockey. Also, as part of Hockey Weekend Across America, some 30 aspiring youth officials had the chance to meet and learn from current NHL officials in conjunction with NHL games in American markets over the course of the three days. Hockey Weekend Across America also included the CCM "Great Day for Hockey" Sweepstakes. The grand prize winners -- Beverly Odden (Fargo, N.D.), Beth Roesler (Yankton, S.D.) andDarlyne Stone (Mulberry, Fla.) -- each received their selection of six CCM products. First-place winners Cheryl Cala (Rochester, N.Y.), Charles Chisam (Nashville, Tenn.) and Barbara Lacien(Dyer, Ind.) collected CCM RBZ hockey sticks. Finally, 30 second-place winners were issued USA Hockey hats. The list includes Helene Schmidt (Sterling Heights, Mich.), Ronald Strause(Fruitland, Iowa), John Barbera (Congers, N.Y.), Tim Zels (Cary, Ill.), Marcia Sobotka(Kennedale, Texas), Valerie Arnold (Cape Coral, Fla.), Susan Sassone (Lake Grove, N.Y.),Mark Wiltgen (Lockport, Ill.), Susan Howard (Buffalo, N.Y.), Katina Marie Neitzel (Big Rapids, Mich.), Keith Crofutt (Chadron, Neb.), Roxanne Parrella (Massapequa, N.Y.), Patrick Kochanowski (Murrysville, Pa.), Denise Anderson (Clio, Mich.), Shawn Ainsworth (Brooklyn, Wis.), Chance Hall (Newcastle, Neb.), Joyce Beebe (Lincoln, Del.), Vince Kilduff (San Jose, Calif.), Vito Biondo (Lake Saint Louis, Mo.), Dawn Tyler (Wanship, Utah), Ronald Ashmore(Stanley, N.C.), Barbara McAdams (Big Rapids, Mich.), John O'Hayer (Ridgefield, Wash.), Ann Sakurada (West Bloomfield, Mich.), Sean Gill (Stow, Mass.), Connie Gentili (Oceanside, Calif.),Christopher Turner (Audubon, Pa.), Susie Klimisch (Yankton, S.D.), Justin Garzia (Larchmont, N.Y.) and Danny Goldberg (Deerfield, Ill.). Notes: Hockey Weekend Across America was created by USA Hockey in 2008 to engage the hockey community in celebrating the sport of hockey at all levels and exposing the sport to new audiences ... Nineteen NHL and nine NCAA games -- including an exhibition contest between the U.S. National Under-18 Team, part of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, and Michigan State University -- were televised during Hockey Weekend Across America ... USA Hockey's two national Try Hockey for Free Days this season, which are supported by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Total Hockey, included a record 28,446 participants. ************************************************ SPRING FORWARD - Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday morning. We move our clocks ahead one hour. ************************************************ Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wild played the Fairbanks Ice Dogs at the Town Toyota Center Friday night and it was an solid effort from start to finish that gave the Ice Dogs a 4-0 win over Wenatchee, in front of 2,177 fans. Fairbanks opened the scoring late in the first period, on a goal by Jacob Hetz. Johnny Mueller and Ross Olsson assisted at 18:29, giving the Ice Dogs a 1-0 lead. Halfway through the second period, the lead doubled for Fairbanks, as Viktor Liljegren scored from Tayler Munson and Nick Hinz at 10:26, giving the Ice Dogs a 2-0 lead. The lead grew in the third period, as Duggie Lagrone scored, assisted by Todd Burgess and Kevin Aldridge at 9:36, putting Fairbanks on top 3-0. Lonnie Clary then scored from Jake Bushey at 13:50 and the Ice Dogs were up 4-0, which ended up being the final. “They played like champions” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach Bliss Littler. “And we played fat and happy. Every aspect, from coaching, to whatever you want to talk about, they were better we were tonight. I thought we were still feeling good about last weekend and forgot to check in and I’ll take the blame for that. I don’t want to make any excuses, Fairbanks, they played like champions. Anything I say it takes away because they were that much better than we were tonight. The only bright spot for us was Chase Perry. So, regroup and need to be better tomorrow.” Fairbanks outshot the Wild 35-16 on the night. Chase Perry (Andover, Minnesota) made 31 saves for Wenatchee; Aldridge had 16 saves for the Ice Dogs. The Wild went 0-for-2 on the power play and 3-of-3 on the penalty kill. Wenatchee is now 28-21-6; Fairbanks is now 41-13-1. The Wild hosts the Ice Dogs again tomorrow night, with puck drop at 7:05pm PST. Then, after taking next weekend off, Wenatchee hosts the Port Huron Fighting Falcons on Friday and Saturday, March 21st and 22nd, then wrap up the regular season by hosting the Aberdeen Wings on Friday and Saturday, March 28th and 29th. Individual and group game tickets for all home games are on sale now. Call 509.888.PUCK (7825). WILD 2.0 UPGRADE ************************************************ On this date in 1880, U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes declared that the United States would have jurisdiction over any canal built across the isthmus of Panama. ************************************************ Glenn: 'I've asked to be traded'. That's a wrap: Reid announces his retirement. Please visit the league's official website, cfl.ca. ************************************************ The telescopic fishing rod was patented by Everett Horton on this date in 1887. ************************************************ Tampa, FL. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-signed one of their own potential free agents Friday. Linebacker Jonathan Casillas was signed to a one-year contract, the team announced. Read the rest here. ************************************************ A dog license law was enacted in the state of New York on this date in 1894. It was the first animal control law in the U.S. ************************************************ Jimmy loves to bounce. ************************************************ You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much as going to a parade, isn't it? ************************************************ Today in Elvis History 1961 - Tennessee Governor Buford Ellington gave the honorary title of colonel to Elvis Presley. 1968 - The Elvis Presley movie "Stay Away, Joe" opened. 1975 - Elvis Presley's "My Boy" hit #20 in the U.S. ************************************************ Phyllis Mae Daley received a commission in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps on this date in 1945. She later became the first African-American nurse to serve duty in World War II. ************************************************ Today in Beatles History: 1962 -  The Beatles appeared on "Teenager's Turn." It was their first radio appearance. 1973 - Paul McCartney pled guilty to charges of growing marijuana outside of his Scottish countryside farm. He claimed that a fan had given him the seeds and that he did not know what they would grow. He was fined $240. ************************************************ In New York City on this date in 1946, the "Journal American" became the first commercial business to receive a helicopter license. ************************************************ Today in Sports History: 1930 - The New York Yankees signed Babe Ruth to a two-year contract worth $160,000.  1954 - Herb McKenley set a world record for the quarter mile when he ran the distance in 46.8 seconds. 1954 - The Milwaukee Hawks and the Baltimore Bullets played the first double header in NBA history. 1957 - The International Boxing Club was ruled a monopoly putting it in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Law. 1971 - Joe Frazier retained his world heavyweight championship by defeating Muhammad Ali in a 15-round decision. It was Ali's first loss in 32 professional fights. 1986 - Martina Navratilova became the first woman tennis player to win more than $10 million in her career. 2004 - Todd Bertuzzi (Vancouver Canucks) hit Steve Moore (Colorado Avalanche) in the side of the head from behind and drove his head into the ice. Moore landed face-first with Bertuzzi on top of him. Moore suffered a broken neck, a concussion and deep cuts on his face. On March 11, the NHL suspended Bertuzzi for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs and announced that his eligibility would be assessed the following season and would take into account Moore's health and the progression of his recovery. 2006 - NFL owners and the players' union agreed on a union proposal which extended the collective bargaining agreement for six years. ************************************************ Groucho, Chico and Harpo made their final TV appearance together on this date in 1959. ************************************************ Coming Up: Tonight -- Nascar Nationwide Series -- Boyd Gaming 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway 4:15pm EST NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Boston Bruins 7:00pm EST NAHL Hockey -- Wenatchee Wild vs Fairbanks Ice Dogs 10:05pm EST Sunday -- Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway 3:00pm EDT Monday -- NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Phoenix Coyotes 7:30pm EDT Tuesday -- Nothin' Doin' Wednesday -- Nothin' Doin' Thursday -- NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers 7:30pm EDT Friday -- Nothin' Doin' Saturday -- Nascar Nationwide Series -- Drive to stop Diabetes 300 presented by Lilly Diabetes at Bristol Motor Speedway 1:00pm EDT NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs New Jersey Devils 7:00pm EDT Sunday -- Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway 1:00pm EDT ************************************************ That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow!