Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Hello Kerry, Thank you for having a forum such as this. It allows great insight into the world of the pro hockey official. My question concerns the cross check that Blackhawks forward Dan Carcillo laid on Jets forward Mathieu Perreault this weekend. If both of the referees on the ice missed the call on the ice or severity of the hit, could the linesmen not come in and offer up what they witnessed? To this couch official, it looked like Carcillo was deliberate with his intent and it was not just a hockey play as he has explained. Thanks again for the insight Kerry! Bart from Winnipeg Bart: Rule 32.4 provides Linesmen the authority to give their interpretation of any incident that may have taken place during the game and must report (upon completion of the play) any circumstances pertaining to major penalties, match penalties, misconduct penalties, game misconduct penalties, abuse of officials, physical abuse of officials and unsportsmanlike conduct. NHL linesmen do a very good job in the specific duties which they are typically called upon to perform. I submit however, with no intended disrespect for their professional capabilities, linesmen are not used to making judgments on penalty infractions. To step up and make a call on what they perceive as a major infraction when two referees dont, takes a giant leap of faith and conviction that they saw the play 100 per cent accurately. Once a linesman lays it all on the line he owns the call including any subsequent fallout from his superiors if dont support his judgment. On this play both linesmen were pretty much looking through the back of Daniel Carcillo when he delivered a short but forceful cross-check from behind Mathieu Perreault to a minimally protected area of the players arm and back. As such, they likely would not have recognized the severity of the blow. The best sightline would have been gained by the referee in that end zone and on the opposite side of the ice if he was dialed in on the play. A major penalty, at the discretion of the Referee based on the severity of the contact, shall be imposed on a player who cross-checks an opponent (59.3). Additionally, when a major penalty is assessed for cross-checking, an automatic game misconduct penalty shall be imposed on the offending player (59.5). Based on the late time frame, the severity and location of contact delivered from behind to an unsuspecting player which resulted in an injury, Carcillo should have been assessed a major and game misconduct. As much as I like Daniel Carcillo, this was not a typical hockey play but an illegal stick infraction for the purpose to inflict punishment on an opponent. Bart, the final assessment of penalties on this play once again highlights flaws in the positioning philosophy employed by many referees. Less than optimum positioning creates poor sightlines and when combined with puck watching a lack of awareness to potential hot-button issues on and away from the puck can often result. The box score and the arena P.A. announcement cited Mark Scheifele of the Jets for slashing the stick out of Duncan Keiths hands on the initial infraction as opposed to Perreault. The box score also lists Carcillo as cross-checking Scheifele versus Perreault. Even though Perreault was injured on the play and would be unable to serve the penalty, it would be recorded against him and designated as served by another player if Perreault had in fact been assessed the penalty. It appears that was not the case and certainly created some reasonable speculation on the TSN broadcast that the play was not witnessed correctly by the referees. As the still camera shot demonstrates in the setup of this play Duncan Keith and Perreault (circled in red) are in pursuit of the puck that has been thrown around the end boards toward the corner. The linesmen are in perfect position where they should be near the blue line. The referees are not! The ref down low is too deep in the corner below the goal line with his legs stiff as opposed to flexed and ready to drive at least half toward the net to gain a better perspective as the puck moved to the opposite corner. From this location the low ref is primarily responsible for action around the puck and did not react to the stick being slashed out of the Keiths hands by Perreault as a result of an obstructed view created by the goal. The back referee is also poorly positioned at the far Jets blue line when the puck is deep in the Hawks zone and below the goal line. He should have been located near the neutral zone face-off dot just outside the Hawks blue line. Instead, from this lengthy distance the back referee eventually raised his arm to call a slashing penalty to a Jet player for knocking Keiths stick out of his hands. Perreault was subsequently shoved by Keith at the side wall but managed to one-touch the puck toward the corner prior to being cross-checked from behind by Carcillo. I have to believe that the low referee visually followed the path of the puck into the corner and did not catch the cross-check. Putting positioning flaws aside for a moment, Dan Carcillo is a high energy player and as such deserves some special awareness from the referees whenever he (and any player prone to his aggressive style of play) is on the ice. A heightened focus of attention should be directed toward the finish of checks (late) and especially when previous incidents in the game caused player hostilities to escalate and resulted in aggressive play. This game had an edge to it from early in the first period when Bryan Bickell laid out a couple of Jets with hard legal body checks. Bickell was attacked and a fight instigated by Anthony Peluso immediately following the second hit delivered by the big Hawks forward just 5:29 into the game. From that moment on it should be apparent to the refs (and every couch official watching), that the soup had the potential to boil over. Perfect positioning and heightened awareness are required to bring the temperature down whenever necessary. Air Jordan 4 For Sale .Y. - Major League Soccers independent review panel has taken back the fine and one-game suspension it placed on Toronto FC forward Luke Moore earlier this week. Air Jordan 4 Uk . The Montreal Alouettes announced Tuesday that they have acquired the return specialist from Calgary, as well as the Stampeders fifth-round draft pick in the 2014 CFL Canadian Draft. http://www.airjordan4uk.com/ . -- So much for concern that running back Marshawn Lynch would be absent from the Seattle Seahawks minicamp. Air Jordan 4 Wholesale . - Mark Sanchez found out the New York Jets had acquired Tim Tebow on a conference call with team management. Air Jordan 4 Uk Online . Stiverne stopped Chris Arreola in the sixth round Saturday night, claiming the WBC heavyweight title belt vacated by Vitali Klitschko. PITTSBURGH -- Kris Letang darted down the Consol Energy Center ice, the defencemans black hair flicking out from underneath his helmet. Everything looked in place. The speed. The agility. The slick stickwork. Yet for as polished as Letang appeared during his first workout alongside his teammates in nearly two months on Monday, the 26-year-old remains uncertain when hell be able to pull his No. 58 sweater over his head and suit up in an actual game. Consider it part of the fallout from the scariest moment of Letangs life. Seven weeks after a stroke blindsided him, Letang remains optimistic he will play again this season but too cautious to throw out a date. "I was on the ice today because I want to return," Letang said. "Ill be able to play again. I dont know when." Neither does his coach. Dan Bylsma pointed out that unlike defenceman Paul Martin -- who remains sidelined with a right hand problem -- concrete signs of progress for Letang are tougher to glean. Throwing an arbitrary timeline out there wouldnt do any good because things can change in an instant. "Theres no date to be determined for Kris," Bylsma said. "Right now hes back in a full practice. Thats a good thing." One the Penguins hope will send a bit of a jolt through a constantly churning lineup that has stagnated in Letangs absence. The Penguins are just 7-5-2 since Letang fell ill on Jan. 28 and while their spot atop the Metropolitan Division remains secure, they have ceded the top spot in the Eastern Conference to the Boston Bruins. The slide includes a home-and-home sweep by Philadelphia over the weekend in which Pittsburgh was dominated for the first four periods before salvaging some dignity in the final 40 minutes of a 4-3 loss on Sunday. Not exactly the best way to build momentum heading into the last month of an interminable regular season. Though the Penguins have lost an NHL-high 413 man games to injury this season, they are trying to avoid excuses. They steamrolled through the first four months of the season before falling since Letangs third trip to the injured list. They can play well even as Bylsma plays mix-and-match with his lines. "I think now with the amount of time left in the season its about rounding our game into form for the post-season," defenceman Rob Scuderi said. "Its something you cant flip a switch overnight. You always want wins, but Id be OK if wed play the right way.dddddddddddd" Having some familiar faces around would help. Letang wasnt the only player back on the ice Monday. Forward James Neal (concussion) practiced, as did wingers Chris Kunitz (lower body) and Beau Bennett (wrist). Thats plenty of additional firepower for a team that already has Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, though the duo has played with limited effectiveness recently while skating without familiar faces by their side. Neal and Bennett likely wont be available until later in the week, though Kunitz has a chance to play on Tuesday night when the Penguins host Dallas. The 34-year-old is tied with Crosby with a team-high 31 goals, and his ability to make something happen in front of the net was missed as Pittsburgh found itself dominated by the Flyers over the weekend. Still, Pittsburghs Stanley Cup playoff chances could rest on Letangs health. One of the fittest players in a league of fit players admits hes still stunned by his stroke diagnosis. Doctors said there was a "0.01 chance" of Letang suffering a stroke, odds so slim Letang refuses to say hes in the clear from it happening again. Letang would rather not talk about it. Hed rather just focus on skating and getting himself ready for whenever doctors give him the go-ahead to play. He confessed to being tired, but not overwhelmed during a spirited 60 minutes on the ice. At one point he could sense his teammates taking it easy on him. He ordered them to get back to work. "Guys were being really careful when wed go into the corner," Letang said. "I told them they can go as hard as they can. Thats the main reason why Im out there. I want to get to the same place I was before." A place that makes Letang one of the best at his position when healthy. A Norris Trophy finalist a year ago, Letang has 10 goals and eight assists in 34 games this season, though his general presence is missed as much as his production. The feeling is mutual. Letang understands the fixation on his return. Trust him, hes just as concerned as everybody else. "Even the day I had the stroke I asked the doctor when I would be able to play again," Letang said. "It never crossed my mind that I could have a stroke at 26. It could (happen again) because it happened once. Who knows? Im not going to worry about that." China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '