Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your em

Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn. Ahkello Witherspoon Jersey .ca. Kerry, In the closing minutes of the second period of Game 4 between Pittsburgh and Columbus there were the remnants of two broken sticks behind the Pittsburgh net. The official in that zone didnt pick up any of the pieces even when the play went deep in the Columbus end. I know he has other responsibilities, but it would only take a couple seconds to gather the sticks up and remove them from play. Ive seen other times where a ref does pick up a broken stick while the game is still in play and dumps it to the nearest players bench. So why do broken sticks sometimes get picked up but not other times? Personal choice or something else going on? Louis Frlan III Louis:You are correct in your assertion that the ref has other (more important) responsibilities with play in progress; particularly to watch for the presence of a penalty infraction; which by the way I would like to see called more consistently! If any debris (broken stick) or lost equipment (glove, helmet) can be easily accessed, most refs will pick up the obstacle(s) and discard them or return them to the players bench or penalty box as they pass by in the normal flow of action. I did this whenever I was able to do it "safely". An objective of every referee is to sustain game flow. In picking up debris I applied referee rule No. 1 - common sense and foresight! From a safety issue there is potential (no matter how slight) for a player to step on a broken stick and crash into the boards or fall awkwardly thereby sustaining a needless injury. With an eye toward the potential for bad things to happen, I was always concerned that a player would shoot a broken stick in the direction of the puck or puck carrier which could result in an interference infraction or the assessment of a penalty shot. I could prevent any opportunity for these things to occur by picking up the debris with a quick swoop whenever the play dictated. The refs are cautioned about being distracted through picking up broken sticks that could result in missing something elsewhere. For this reason some refs just arent comfortable veering their focus away from the play. I can appreciate that fact and it is their personal choice, Louis. The debris behind and around the Penguins net on this play however was an accident waiting to happen. Play continued for one minute and 30 seconds after Brooks Orpiks stick was slashed hard by RJ Umberger and broken in half below the goal line at the side of the net which allowed Columbus to gain puck possession (no penalty call but deserved). On the other side of the net the remnants of Sidney Crosbys broken stick eventually provided additional obstacles for players to maneuver around. The Blue Jackets applied puck pressure for 10 seconds before the Pens safely dumped the puck into the Columbus end zone. This would have been a prime opportunity for the referee on the Pittsburgh goal line to safely swoop in and collect the trash. Until the play was finally stopped when the same referee called a tripping penalty to Matt Niskanen, the Penguins had sustained puck possession throughout the neutral zone and into the Blue Jackets end for extended periods. Another primary missed opportunity for the ref to play pick up the sticks took place when a Blue Jackets dump-in was retrieved by Niskanen. Matt set up behind the Pens goal and led an uncontested breakout after contacting one broken shaft with his skate and avoiding the others as he carried the puck out of Jackets end zone. The ref could have easily followed behind Niskanen, bent down while looking at the play with his head up and quickly gathered the sticks but obviously wasnt comfortable in doing so. Twenty seconds later the Blue Jackets attacked and play forced the referee to skate backwards behind the Penguins net. The ref maneuvered through the obstacle field bumping into and stepping over portions of broken sticks, as did the players, until Niskanen tripped Brandon Dubinsky to stop play. While it makes good sense for a referee not to forsake his primary duties by going out of his way to become a trash collector, I believe that "common sense" should be applied to remove obstacles when the opportunity is safely presented. Brian Hoyer Jersey . The defending champions sent their preliminary list to FIFA on Tuesday, with coach Vicente del Bosque to announce the final 23-man squad on May 25. Costa is set to lead the attack in his native Brazil, with Atletico Madrid teammate David Villa and Chelseas Fernando Torres also included, while David de Gea replaces injured goalkeeper Victor Valdes. Aaron Burbridge Jersey . Maricopa County spokeswoman Cari Gerchick says thats the finding from an autopsy conducted Thursday by the county Medical Examiners Office. http://www.thesf49ersshoponline.com/Youth-Terrell-Owens-49ers-Jersey/ . Doug Fister allowed two runs over seven innings and Washington hit three solo homers in a 6-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night.Wimbledon, England (Sports Network) - Former champion Novak Djokovic, 2010 runner-up Tomas Berdych and former U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro were among those restoring order in the mens draw Thursday at Wimbledon. The world No. 1 Djokovic was tested in the first set before posting a 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 6-1 victory over American journeyman Bobby Reynolds under the roof on Centre Court. Rain fell for the first time at this 2013 fortnight, prompting the first roof closure of Week 1. The qualifier Reynolds was the last American man standing at the fortnight, making this the worst Wimbledon for American men in 101 years, or way back in 1912. Djokovic moved on in 1 hour, 54 minutes, swatting 12 aces and holding his serve throughout. The super Serb was the Wimbledon champion two years ago, is the reigning Australian Open titlist, and is seeking career Grand Slam title No. 7. Djokovic will meet the Jeremy Chardy-Jan-Lennard Struff winner on Saturday. Struff was leading the 28th-seeded Chardy 2-6, 7-5, 2-1 when play was called because of rain. Just one day after both the mens and womens draws were ravaged by upsets and injuries, the seventh-seeded Berdych and eighth-seeded del Potro also managed to post second-round wins at the worlds most prestigious tennis event. The Czech Berdych handled German Daniel Brands 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 6-2, while the 6-foot-6 Argentine del Potro dismissed former American and now Canadian Jesse Levine 6-2, 7-6 (9-7), 6-3 on the famed grass at the All England Club. Berdych has failed to get past the fourth round here since reaching the final three years ago, including an opening-round loss last year. The 2009 U.S. Open winner del Potro has never reached a Wimbledon quarterfinal, but was an Olympic bronze medal winner on the grass here at the All England Club last summer. Up next for Berdych will be South African Kevin Anderson, while del Potro awaits the Grigor Dimitrov-Grega Zemlja winner. Wednesdays mens carnage included losses by seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer and two-time semifinalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and an injury withdrawal by 10th seed Marin Cilic. Ninth-seeded nifty Frenchman Richaard Gasquet got past Japans Go Soeda 6-0, 6-3, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3, while 12th-seeded rising Japanese Kei Nishikori erased Argentine Leonardo Mayer 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-2 on Day 4. Aaron Lynch Jersey. Another seed was ousted on the mens side when Dutchman Igor Sijsling took out No. 17 Milos Raonic of Canada 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). The big-serving match featured 17 aces by the winner and 22 more from the loser. Raonic was unable to break Sijsling, while the Dutchman notched two keys breaks in advancing. Meanwhile, 23rd-seeded Italian Andreas Seppi was leading Michael Llodra 7-5 after one set when the quality left-handed Frenchman retired on Thursday and a 27th-seeded Anderson took care of Polands Michal Przysiezny 6-4, 7-6, 6-4. Capable Aussie Bernard Tomic advanced by getting past former top-10 American James Blake 6-3, 6-4, 7-5, while Croat Ivan Dodig doused American Denis Kudla 6-1, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 and Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez moved past oft-injured Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-3, 5-1, retired. Tomic reached the Wimbledon quarters as an 18-year-old two years ago. Lopez was a grass-court champion in Eastbourne here in England last week. Five mens matches were either suspended or postponed because of rain, including one for fourth-seeded French Open runner-up David Ferrer, who will have to wait until Friday to face fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut. A dramatic match between the 29th-seeded Dimitrov and Slovenian Zemlja was suspended, with the Slovenian leading 9-8 in the fifth set. The third round will get underway Friday, including a match for second-seeded Andy Murray, who will meet 32nd-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo. Murray was last years Wimbledon runner-up to Federer and then beat the Swiss great in last years Olympic gold-medal match here at the AEC. The British star is the reigning U.S. Open champ and was this years Australian Open runner-up to Djokovic. The 26-year-old Murray is trying to give Britain its first mens Wimbledon singles champion in 77 years. Another Day-5 third-round match will feature a pair of seeds, as No. 15 Nicolas Almagro will battle No. 24 Jerzy Janowicz, a 6-foot-8 slugger from Poland. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '