now in a city that embraces football the way Winnipeg does.

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. Hi Kerry, I was watching the Montreal-Buffalo game last night and there was a nasty hit by Canadiens winger Jiri Sekac on Sabres defenceman Nikita Zadorov. The broadcasters say Zadorov got caught right between the numbers and were expecting about five and a game. But the officials called two minutes for boarding. Was this the right call? Alex Jones, Toronto Alex: The right call was made based on the actions of Nikita Zadorov, who was the recipient of a boarding infraction committed by Jiri Sekac of Montreal. The call made by young referee T.J. Luxmore is clearly spelled out in rule 41.1 - Boarding: There is an enormous amount of judgment involved in the application of this rule by the Referees. The onus is on the player applying the check to ensure his opponent is not in a defenceless position and if so, he must avoid or minimize contact. However, in determining whether such contact could have been avoided, the circumstances of the check, including whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneously with the check or whether the check was unavoidable can be considered. This balance must be considered by the Referees when applying this rule. It boggles my mind and defies traditional hockey logic when players turn and face the boards squarely; especially knowing that they are going to be hit. Nikita Zadorov was in the process of doing everything correct when he was first man on the puck. Zadorov attacked the puck from an angle (versus straight on) and took a good look over his shoulder some twenty feet from the end boards to observe Jiri Sekac fighting through minimal detainment offered by Zemgus Girgensons. As such, he had to expect an impending hit to be delivered by Sekac. At the goal line Zadorov rotated his body square to the boards and initiated a side-slide stopping motion as he focused on the puck that was rolling around from the corner toward the end boards. This setup placed Zadorov in perfect position to play the puck and then safely take body contact from Sekac; also with the knowledge that he had 2nd man puck support from Sabres teammate Girgensons. This relatively safe play immediately turned bad for Zadorov when he took a second peek at Sekac as the Montreal attacker approached the goal line with speed. Zadorovs momentary shift in focus resulted in an inability to play the puck in front of his body that was still positioned squarely to the end boards. Once the puck slid past his center line Zadorov placed himself in a vulnerable position by reaching back for the puck; thereby turning his body and face square to the boards just prior to receiving body contact by Sekac. Referee T.J. Luxmore was in absolutely perfect position in the corner to observe Zadorovs turn toward the boards immediately prior to the check. Luxmore then correctly applied a shared onus of responsibility between Zadorov and Sekac to only assess a minor penalty on the play. A Lesson Shared From Old School Wisdom On Tuesday, the Edmonton Oilers were in town to play the Philadelphia Flyers. The night before the game my wife and I took our good friend, Oilers assistant coach Craig Ramsay out for dinner. Andrew Ference had been suspended for three games just that morning; preceded by suspensions imposed by the Player Safety Committee to Anton Vochenkov (four games) and Alex Burrows (three games). I asked Rammer his take on players that not only deliver dangerous hits but those that put themselves in vulnerable positions to be hit? Based on Nikita Zadorovs turn toward the boards, I want to focus our attention on Craigs response to the later part of my query as to why players put themselves in vulnerable positions and dont protect themselves the way players of his era did. He contends that many of todays players just dont expect to be hit and as such are quite often oblivious to their surroundings. This lack of apparent environmental awareness that Ramsay contends, was definitely present when Alex Emelin was caught off guard with a very late, angled head pick by Burrows well after the Montreal defenceman had delivered a pass up ice. It could be easily argued that both Zack Kassian and Michael Ferland demonstrated a lack of awareness and need for self-protection when they were recipients of an illegal check to the head; an awareness that players from other eras understood the need for at an early age and stage in their hockey careers. At a recent Oilers practice, Rammer attempted to impart some old school wisdom on a young Oiler player; wisdom the coach had acquired in the area of self preservation during a lengthy and distinguished NHL playing career. With the baby Oiler standing squarely in front of him, Rammer raised his stick and thumped the player on his helmet. The player instinctively recoiled and backed away, prompting the coach to reinforce his intended lesson that the player really didnt like being struck with a stick! Next, Ramsay called over assistant coach Rocky Thompson who Rammer says in a very intelligent and thoughtful assistant that is a real pleasure to work with. Rocky played most of his career in the AHL. In 25 NHL games he registered no points but 117 penalty minutes! As Rocky got within striking distance, Rammer raised his stick and feigned a swat at Thompsons head. Rocky immediately pulled away and assumed a defensive posture covering his head. Rammer then turned back toward the young Oiler and said, See that, Rockys a tough guy and he pulled back at the thought of confronting my stick! The lesson ended with Rammer not promoting his player thump opponents over the head but instead to be ever aware of the potential to be checked; to be dialed in to his environment at all times; and when necessary to protect himself through reasonable defensive posture and tactics. Hopefully the dramatic lesson attempt from Rammer just might prevent the young Oiler player from being caught off-guard and suffering an injury. The dinner and company was great but we missed seeing Rammers better half, wife Susan who remained in Edmonton. I willingly picked up the tab. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. Cheap Adidas Red Wings Jerseys . - Wesley Matthews got a chance to practice his bow-and-arrow 3-point celebration on Sunday night. http://www.cheapredwingsjerseys.com/ . For the Bombers it has been a combination of things coming together at the most inappropriate moments in time. Quarterback, injuries, Canadian talent or depth and leadership are all issues. Trust me when I say being a Bomber is no fun right now in a city that embraces football the way Winnipeg does. While Buck Pierce will be getting another shot, I think Max Hall does deserve another opportunity. Wholesale Red Wings Jerseys . The unrestricted free agent agreed to terms with the club on Thursday on a one-year, two-way deal worth $700,000. Cheap Detroit Red Wings Jerseys . Hes just beginning to get similar results. The right-hander struggled after winning the honour in 2008 and 2009, but a retooling of his game has begun to pay off and has the San Francisco Giants thinking about the Lincecum of old.DOVER, Del. - Time for some cuts, Chase style.NASCARs revamped Chase for the Sprint Cup championship format is set for its first elimination race, when four of 16 drivers will be out of the title picture by Sunday night.Win and advance — and theyll all have to zip by Kevin Harvick to have a chance at Victory Lane.Harvick turned a lap at 162.933 mph to win the pole Friday at Dover International Speedway, leading the field for the third Chase race. Led by Harvick, Chase drivers took the top four spots and six of 10.Harvicks seventh pole of the season gives him one more than he had combined in his career entering this season. And it makes him one of the drivers to beat in a race where championship hopes are on the line.The bottom four are dumped from the hunt: Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch and Aric Almirola are at risk of getting cut Sunday.Hamlin, though, bolstered his bid to stay alive with a third-place qualifying run.Its the most important race of my career because its the most significant of my career, Hamlin said. Weve got to get past this weekend with a shot to win the title. If not, you become somewhat irrelevant.Team Penske drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano are locked into the next round with wins in the first two Chase races.Kyle Busch starts second and Keselowski is fourth. Jeff Gordon is sixth and Hendrick Motorsports teammate and nine-time Dover wiinner Jimmie Johnson is eighth.ddddddddddddThe rest of the Chase field has Kasey Kahne 12th, Matt Kenseth 14th, Logano 16th, Carl Edwards 18th, Ryan Newman 20th, Almirola 21st, Kurt Busch 22nd, Dale Earnhardt Jr. 25th, Biffle 27th, and AJ Allmendinger 28th.Only six points separate Hamlin and Kurt Busch from Newman in the 12th and final spot.I believe if I run top five, Ill put myself in, Hamlin said. A lot of things can happen. A lot of people that had bad luck last week are going to have a rebound week. We just hope to be on the better side of all those guys when it unfolds.Kurt Busch is eight points outside the 12th-place cutoff and Almirola is 10. The top seven drivers in the field would need a ton of bad luck to fall out of a Chase spot, while Kenseth, Edwards, Allmendinger, Kahne and Newman are all on the bubble.I do understand the consequences of this race are higher than any of the other ones weve run this year, but thats kind of fun, Edwards said.Jamie McMurray was the highest non-Chase qualifier in fifth. Tony Stewart starts 15th in his first race since a grand jury decided he would not be charged in Kevin Ward Jr.s death.Harvick, who drives for Stewart-Haas Racing, is winless in 27 career starts at Dover.We feel like were in good shape, and we just want to keep building on the momentum we have to try to further that to lead into Kansas, he said. 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