Today is Saturday, Dec. 27, the 361st day of 2025. There are four days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Dec. 27, 1831, naturalist Charles Darwin set out on a round-the-world voyage from Plymouth, England, aboard the HMS Beagle.

Also on this date:

In 1904, James Barrie’s play “Peter Pan: The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up” opened at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London.

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In 1932, New York City’s Radio City Music Hall opened to the public.

In 1945, the International Monetary Fund was formally established as its first 29 member countries ratified its Articles of Agreement; the IMF began operations in 1947.

In 1968, the Apollo 8 capsule splashed down safely in the Pacific, completing the first crewed mission to orbit the moon.

In 1979, Soviet forces seized control of Afghanistan. President Hafizullah Amin (hah-FEE’-zoo-lah ah-MEEN’) was overthrown and executed and was replaced by Babrak Karmal.

In 1985, American naturalist and conservationist Dian Fossey, 53, who had studied mountain gorillas in Africa for nearly 20 years, was found murdered in her cabin in Rwanda. No one was arrested for the crime.

In 2007, former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a shooting and bomb attack that killed at least 20 people in the city of Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

In 2022, Adam Fox, co-leader of a plot to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, was sentenced to 16 years in prison after being convicted of conspiracy charges. Barry Croft Jr. would be sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison in the plot.

In 2022, state and military police were sent to keep people off Buffalo’s snow-choked roads after western New York’s deadliest storm in at least two generations; more than 30 people were reported to have died in the region.

Today’s Birthdays:

Basketball Hall of Fame coach Nolan Richardson is 84.
Rock musician Mick Jones (Foreigner) is 81.
Actor Gérard Depardieu is 77.
Rock musician David Knopfler (Dire Straits) is 73.
Basketball Hall of Fame coach Bill Self is 63.
TV journalist Savannah Guthrie is 54.
Actor Masi Oka is 51.
Actor Aaron Stanford is 49.
Actor Jay Ellis is 44.
Olympic sprint gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is 39.
Rock singer Hayley Williams (Paramore) is 37.
Country singer Shay Mooney (Dan + Shay) is 34.
Actor Timothée Chalamet is 30.
NFL quarterback Brock Purdy is 26.

When he arrived on campus at the University of Minnesota in the fall of 2024, Brodie Ziemer became the first Gopher in more than 100 years of hockey to wear number 74.

Serving as captain of Team USA in the World Juniors, which started on Friday in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Ziemer is wearing 74 in red, white and blue as well.

The source of those unique digits is a point of some debate at the Ziemer home in Carver. Brodie’s father Eric was born in 1974 and is convinced that it’s a paternal tribute. His mother Nicole thinks it comes from watching another Minnesotan – TJ Oshie – wear that number for Team USA in his famous one-man shootout show at the Winter Olympics in 2014.

The newest American 74 was on the ice of Grand Casino on Friday night, setting up a first-period goal and coming oh so close to a breakaway goal of his own in the second period. Team USA prevailed 6-3 over Germany in the opener — Ziemer’s first since being named the team’s captain following their pre-Christmas training camp in Duluth.

Looking a bit relieved and winded after Game 1, Ziemer confirmed — sorry dad — that Oshie was the inspiration for his unique digits, and talked about the honor and pressure that comes from wearing the C on his sweater.

“I’m so honored. Like, I’m feeling super blessed,” he said. “Such a good group of dudes to be able to be captain for, getting to do it on such a big stage in my home state. Just super blessed, super lucky.”

If there was grumbling among the Gopher haters out there when one of the top players in maroon and gold was named captain on an American team led by U head man Bob Motzko, the coach made it clear that the players, not the staff, always pick the captains on his teams.

“Obviously these guys are tight. We had nine returning players … and we spoke with all of those guys individually,” Motzko said following the Germany game. “You’ve got to know, this wasn’t a Bob Motzko thing with one of his players.”

Ziemer, 19, was named the Gophers’ top rookie last season, which would be the highlight of any player’s winter. But the gold medal he won with Team USA in Ottawa at the 2025 World Juniors was clearly the high point in a career, so far.

Motzko noted that in talking with those returnees from the 2025 gold medal team, almost to a man they chose number 74 to be the 2026 team captain.

“The leadership group is great, but if there’s one guy they leaned on, it’s Brodie,” Motzko said.

As his parents took a breather after the first period on Friday, they reflected on the youngest of their three children and how Brodie was the classic little brother, determined to outwork his siblings in everything.

“He was always trying to keep up, absolutely. His older brother never gave him an inch of leeway, and his sister was just as tough,” Eric Ziemer said. Their oldest, Brady, played college hockey at St. Cloud State and Augustana. Their daughter Brier was a college volleyball player.

“His sister took care of him really well, but it was competitive,” Eric said.

One of the earliest indicators that a young Brodie was into hockey would become obvious whenever it snowed.

“I gave him a hard time, because we had a rink in our backyard, and it would snow,” Nicole Ziemer said. “He would shovel the rink, but he wouldn’t shovel the driveway. The rink is clear, but I can’t get out of my driveway.”

The Ziemers made the tough decision to have Brodie move away when he was 14, first to Faribault where he won a 14U national title at Shattuck-St. Mary’s, then to Michigan where he skated for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program for two years.

It was there that the Ziemer parents made friends with the families of other players who today are college rivals, but teammates on Team USA once again.

“We have a group of the Hagens, the Eisermans, the Stigas and the Plantes, and it’s a great group,” Nicole said.

That friendship and growing team chemistry was on display early on Friday, as Ziemer’s set-up pass to Will Horcoff produced a 3-0 U.S. lead.

“He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met, just seeing his habits on and off the ice,” Horcoff said, praising the decision to bestow the C on Ziemer. “It makes you want to do the same.”

As the old friends from the parent group gather in Minnesota this year to pursue another gold medal, the local families are playing host and hoping to treat their friends from Illinois, Massachusetts and New York to a taste of winter fun around these parts.

Eric has an ice fishing outing planned, but the weather is causing problems.

“It’s getting warm, but hopefully at the end of the week we’ll go back out,” he said. “But they aren’t dressed for that when they come to watch hockey, and I don’t have enough gear for everyone. We’ll see.”

At least, if the forecast is correct, there will be no need to shovel the Ziemer family driveway.

Will Zellers scored twice and added an assist as the United States beat Germany 6-3 in both team’s opening game of the World Junior Championships on Friday at Grand Casino Arena.

Zellers scored twice in the second period, picking up assists from Anthony Spellacy on both goals.

Max Plante opened the scoring for the back-to-back defending champions, finishing a rebound from a Teddy Stiga shot 5:34 into the first period.

Zellers and Brandon McMorrow assisted Chase Reid on a second goal midway through the first period before Will Horcoff netted a third with 4:05 remaining in the period.

Germany cut a three-goal deficit to two when Timo Kose scored with 2:21 left in the first period.

They cut that two-goal deficit to one on two occasions in the second period. Simon Seidl and Lenny Boos both scored in the second period, with Dustin Willhoft assisting on both efforts. Zellers’ goals created a two-goal cushion for the US each time.

Cole Eiserman’s goal with 1:53 left in the second period re-established the three-goal lead.

The US has now outscored Germany 44-12 in the last six meetings. They are seeking to become first team to win three consecutive world junior titles since Canada won five straight from 2005 to 2009.

Both teams will continue Group A play on Saturday. Germany faces Slovakia and the US faces Switzerland.

United States forward Max Plante celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period of an IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship game against Germany, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Germany forward Dustin Willhoft, right, shoots the puck as United States forward Ryker Lee (17) defends during the first period of an IIHF World Junior Championship game, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

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PHOENIX — Gophers star defensive end Anthony Smith made his big announcement in front of a national TV audience on Friday night.

Minnesota Gophers defensive lineman Anthony Smith (0) photographed during the teams media day held at the Gibson/Nagurski complex in Minneapolis on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

After winning defensive Most Valuable Player in Minnesota’s 20-17 win over New Mexico in the Rate Bowl, the redshirt junior told ESPN he will return to Minnesota for the 2026 season.

On Wednesday, Smith told reporters in Arizona he wasn’t sure what his future would hold: either return to Minnesota, enter the transfer portal or head to the NFL. That decision came to the surface 48 hours later.

In the Rate Bowl, Smith had six tackles, two sacks, two tackles for lost yards and two pass break-ups. One of those stops included a tackle for loss on a Lobos fake punt on fourth and 2 in the second half.

“Great player,” New Mexico coach Jason Eck said postgame.

The return of Smith is a huge boost for Minnesota; he finished the season with 12 1/2 sacks.

The U’s defensive line is losing a handful of seniors in Deven Eastern, Jalen Logan-Redding and Rushawn Lawrence, among others.

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