It's Monday. Here's what's happening....
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Today is April 4th, the 94th day of 2011. There are 271 days left in the year.
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Rangers outlast Flyers in shootout.
Sabres edge 'Canes in OT.
Wings clinch Central with win over Wild.
Blues cruise past Jackets in win.
Bolts blank Blackhawks.
Kiprusoff leads Flames past Avs.
Stars stay alive with win at Anaheim.
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Todays birthdays: Actress Estelle Harris (Estelle Costanza on Seinfeld, the voice of Mrs. Potato Head in Toy Story 2 and 3) is 79; actor Craig T. Nelson (Coach, The Family Stone) is 67; screen/scriptwriter David E. Kelley (Alley McBeal, The Practice) is 55; actor Hugo Weaving (Captain America: The First Avenger, The Matrix's Agent Smith, Lord of the Rings movies) is 51; actor Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes, Wonder Boys, Iron Man) is 46; Illusionist David Blaine is 38.
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Gamblers win big to tie for first.
Dubuque stuns RoughRiders in OT.
Force stay in hunt for first-round playoff bye with win.
A look at some future Huskies.
Sioux Falls second period too much for Lancers.
Black Hawks trump Jacks, continue playoff push.
'Crazy Larry,' Buccaneers' games have changed.
Greco's four goals keep Bucs alive.
Musketeers win seventh straight.
Dubuque rallies past Tri-City.
Phantoms fall to Team USA in OT.
RoughRiders bounce back with big win at Green Bay.
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A New York dentist called police Saturday after a package containing 31 pounds of marijuana showed up at his dental office. The drugs, which had been sent from Texas, were valued at around $50,000.
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National Team Development Program Weekly Update
NTDP Players Prepare for IIHF World Under-18 Championship;
Under-17 Team Looks to Claim Home Ice for First Round of USHL Playoffs
NTDP PLAYERS SET SIGHTS ON GOLD: The roster was recently announced for the 2011 U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team that will look to capture its third straight gold medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Men's U18 Championship from April 14-24, in Crimmitschau and Dresden, Germany.
All 22 players on this year's roster come from the NTDP, including 18 members of the Under-18 Team and four players on the Under-17 Team. U18 forwards Tyler Biggs (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Rocco Grimaldi (Rossmoor, Calif.) were both on the 2010 squad that captured Team USA's second consecutive gold medal at the tournament. Ron Rolston will serve as head coach for the fourth time, having previously led the U18 Team to two golds (2005, 2009) and one silver (2007).
Team USA will skate in two exhibition games against Canada (April 9) and Finland (April 11) prior to opening tournament play on April 14 against Switzerland. Beginning with the preliminary round, all of Team USA's games will be streamed live on FASTHockey.com. For the complete schedule and roster, visit USAHockey.com.
U17 TEAM AIMS TO CLAIM HOME ICE FOR PLAYOFFS: The U.S. National Under-17 Team faces off against the Youngstown Phantoms in a home-and-home series this weekend. Tonight (April 1), the U17's head to the Covelli Centre, where a win (two points) will give Team USA home ice in the first round of the USHL playoffs. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. EDT. The following night (April 2), the U17's host the Phantoms at 7 p.m. EDT at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube, in their last regular season home game.
TEAM USA CLINCHES FIRST USHL PLAYOFF BERTH: The U.S. National Under-17 Team clinched Team USA's first-ever United States Hockey League playoff berth last weekend with a 2-1 victory over the Muskegon Lumberjacks (March 26). Matthew Lane (Rochester, N.Y.) opened the scoring in the first period, before the Lumberjacks tied the game early in the middle frame. Frankie Vatrano (East Longmeadow, N.J.) notched the game-winner with 25 seconds remaining in the second to send Team USA to the postseason for the first time. Jared Rutledge (Chicago, Ill.) made 29 saves in goal for the U.S.
The following night (March 27), Team USA picked up two more points by blanking Des Moines, 1-0, at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. Collin Olson (Apple Valley, Minn.) stopped all 41 shots he faced to earn the shutout. After two scoreless periods, Nicolas Kerdiles (Irvine, Calif.) netted the eventual game-winner for the U.S. at 9:57 of the final frame.
U18 TEAM FALLS TO LINCOLN IN FINAL USHL GAME: In its final USHL game of the season, the U.S. National Under-18 Team fell to the Lincoln Stars, 4-2, at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube last Friday. Connor Murphy (Dublin, Ohio) and Austin Wuthrich (Anchorage, Alaska) each scord a goal tied the game at two goals a piece heading into the second period, but the Stars notched a goal in each of the final two periods to earn the victory. John Gibson (Pittsburgh, Pa.) stopped 26 shots for Team USA in the loss.
NTDP ALUMNI UPDATE: Anaheim rookie Cam Fowler (Farmington Hills, Mich./2007-09) scored the tiebreaking power-play goal early in the third period Monday night (March 28) as the Ducks defeated the Colorado Avalanche 5-4. Fowler is tied for ninth in rookie points (9-27--36) in the National Hockey League and leads first year defensemen in that category, along with fellow NTDP alum, Kevin Shattenkirk (New Rochelle, N.Y./2005-07) of the St. Louis Blues (8-28--36) ... Patrick Kane (Buffalo, N.Y./2004-06) had two assists, including the assist on Marian Hossa's game-winner in overtime, to help the Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Detroit Red Wings, 3-2, on March 28 ... James van Riemsdyk(Middletown, N.J./2005-07) notched his first career NHL hat trick on March 26 to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-1 win over the New York Islanders. The forward is the second NTDP alum to reach the milestone this season, as Nashville rookie Blake Geoffrion (Brentwood, Tenn./2004-06) scored his first NHL hat trick on March 20 ... Ryan Kesler (Livonia, Mich./2000-02) is tied for fourth in the NHL in scoring with 36 goals ... Red Wings' goaltender Jimmy Howard (Odgensburg, N.Y./2001-02) is tied for fourth in wins with 34 ... The 2011 NCAA Men's Frozen Four's features 19 NTDP alumni, including eight from the University of Michigan, six from the University of Notre Dame, three from the University of North Dakota and two from the University of Minnesota Duluth.
For the complete weekly update, click here.
U.S. Players Highlight Men's Frozen Four Rosters
USA Hockey's National Team Development Program,
National Teams and Junior Leagues Well Represented
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Once again, the NCAA Men's Frozen Four will feature an American flair, as 80 of the 104 players on the rosters of the University of Michigan, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of North Dakota and Unviersity of Notre Dame have developmental roots in the United States.
Play in the NCAA Men's Frozen Four begins Thursday (April 7) at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., with Minnesota Duluth battling Notre Dame and Michigan facing North Dakota.
Of the players competing in the NCAA Men's Frozen Four, 19 have been part of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. Located in Ann Arbor, Mich., the NTDP is an elite training program for the top 16- and 17-year-old players in the United States. The NTDP is a member of the United States Hockey League, the only Tier I junior league in the U.S.
In addition, seven NCAA Men's Frozen Four participants have skated for the U.S. National Junior Team at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, while 15 have competed at the IIHF World Men's U18 Championship as members of the U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team.
Junior hockey leagues in the United States continue to play a major role in the development of collegiate athletes as well. This year's Frozen Four will showcase 71 players with ties to junior hockey in America prior to their collegiate days, including 55 from the United States Hockey League, 30 from the North American Hockey League, three from the Eastern Junior Hockey League and one from the Northern Pacific Hockey League.
A total of 19 states will be represented by players in the Frozen Four, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.
In addition, 31 American players competing in the Frozen Four have been drafted by National Hockey League teams.
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Talbot made the most of his CFL career.
2011 CFL Schedule is here.
Donate to the Tony Proudfoot Fund.
Visit the leagues' official website, http://www.cfl.ca/.
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Time to play with the trains.
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An Illinois teen texted friends saying she'd been robbed and shot in the foot. It was an April Fool's Day prank and police issued the girl a $100 ticket for disorderly conduct and a $50 for skipping school Friday.
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Today in Elvis History:
1959 - The Elvis Presley compilation album "For LP Fans Only" hit #19 in the U.S.
1960 - Elvis Presley recorded "Are You Lonesome Tonight."
1973 - NBC aired the Elvis Presley movie "Aloha From Hawaii." It was the first American airing of the performance.
1981 - The documentary film "This is Elvis" premiered at the USA Film Festival in Dallas, TX. The film was premiered for the press the previous day.
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"Hop" debuted at #1 over the weekend with $38.1 million. Jake Gyllenhaal's "Source Code" debuted in 2nd.
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ST. PETERSBURG -- Talk about a weekend the Rays would like to forget.
After the Rays hoisted a championship banner on Friday night to commemorate their 2010 American League East title, everything went downhill. The bats fell silent, Evan Longoria's left oblique strain proved severe enough to land him on the 15-day disabled list, and Baltimore completed a three-game sweep of the defending division champs with a 5-1 win Sunday afternoon in front of a crowd of 17,408 at Tropicana Field.
Read the rest here.************************************************
Charlie Sheen's first live show was so poorly received that people started leaving before it had even finished. That was Detroit. He was scheduled to take the stage in Chicago Sunday night so check your Internet sources to see if he improved.
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LOS ANGELES -- Losing three of four games to open the season, even to the archrival Los Angeles Dodgers, gave the Giants no cause for alarm. Not with 158 games remaining, and not even after San Francisco's 7-5 defeat Sunday night.
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Read the rest here.This is Vitamin C Day.
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Today in Beatles History:
1963 -The Beatles performed at Stowe School in Buckinghamshire, England.
1964 - The Beatles made music history by holding the top five places in the singles charts with the songs "Can't Buy Me Love," "Twist and Shout," "She Loves You," "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "Please Please Me."
1965 - John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote the song "Help!"
1967 - Paul McCartney advised Derek Taylor, Beatles publicist and Monterey Pop Festival organizer, that he should book a guitarist named Jimi Hendrix.
1996 - Paul McCartney released made the statement, "The Beatles aren't interested. Money is not an issue. We wouldn't do it for twice as much. The answer is no."
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Today is World Rat Day. (Linky Link)
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Today in Sports History:
1921 - The Ottawa Senators beat the Vancouver Millionaires in the 1921 Stanley Cup Finals. The Senators became the first NHL team to win back-to-back Stanley Cup titles.
1971 - Veterans stadium in Philadelphia, PA, was dedicated this day.
1974 - Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth's major league baseball home-run record with 714.
1986 - Wayne Gretzky set an NHL record with his 213th point of the season.
1987 - Denis Potvin (New York Islanders) became the first defenseman in NHL history to score 1,000 career points. His career total was 1,052.
1994 - Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes (Chicago Cubs) became the first player in the National League to hit three home runs on Opening Day.
1996 - The Boston Celtics beat the Orlando Magic 100-98. The loss was the Magic's first loss to an Eastern Conference team at home since April of 1994. The streak was 51 games long.
1996 - Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) became the fourth player in NBA history to reach 2,000 career steals.
1998 - Mark McGwire (St. Louis Cardinals) became the second National League player to hit a home run in the first four games of a season. Willie Mays (San Francisco) had hit home runs in the first four games of the 1971 season.
1999 - The Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres played the first major league season opener to be held in Mexico. The Rockies beat the Padres 8-2. The game was also the first season opener to be held in a country other than the United States or Canada.
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Today is the start of National Networking Week.
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Coming Up:
MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Kevin Harvick won his second consecutive race -- and in the process may have become the most unpopular man in Virginia.
Harvick passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the lead on Lap 497 of 500 and pulled away to win the Goody's Fast Relief 500 Sprint Cup race Sunday at Martinsville Speedway. Earnhardt ran second, extending his winless streak to 99 races.
The victory was Harvick's second of the season and his first at Martinsville. Harvick has 16 victories in the Cup Series.
Read the rest here.
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This is day one of National Public Health Week.
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Coming Up:
Tonight --
Nothin' Doin'
Tuesday --
MLB -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 6:35pm EDT
MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Los Angeles Angels 6:40pm EDT
NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Buffalo Sabres 7:00pm EDT
Wednesday --
MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Los Angeles Angels 1:10pm EDT
MLB -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 6:35 pm EDT
Thursday --
MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox 2:10pm EDT
Friday --
MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs St. Louis Cardinals 4:35pm EDT
NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers 7:30pm EDT
MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox 8:10pm EDT
Nascar Nationwide Series -- O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Fort Worth, Texas 8:30pm EDT
Saturday --
MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox 4:10pm EDT
NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Carolina Hurricanes 7:00pm EDT (Final game of regular season)
Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Samsung Mobile 500 at Fort Worth, Texas 7:30pm EDT
MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs St. Louis Cardinals 9:05pm EDT
Sunday --
MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox 2:10pm EDT
MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs St. Louis Cardinals 4:05pm EDT
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That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow.
Nothin' Doin'
Tuesday --
MLB -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 6:35pm EDT
MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Los Angeles Angels 6:40pm EDT
NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Buffalo Sabres 7:00pm EDT
Wednesday --
MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Los Angeles Angels 1:10pm EDT
MLB -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres 6:35 pm EDT
Thursday --
MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox 2:10pm EDT
Friday --
MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs St. Louis Cardinals 4:35pm EDT
NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers 7:30pm EDT
MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox 8:10pm EDT
Nascar Nationwide Series -- O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Fort Worth, Texas 8:30pm EDT
Saturday --
MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox 4:10pm EDT
NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Carolina Hurricanes 7:00pm EDT (Final game of regular season)
Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Samsung Mobile 500 at Fort Worth, Texas 7:30pm EDT
MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs St. Louis Cardinals 9:05pm EDT
Sunday --
MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox 2:10pm EDT
MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs St. Louis Cardinals 4:05pm EDT
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That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow.
