Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn. Nike Pas Cher Chine Livraison Gratuite .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. Basket Air Max 270 Homme . The visitors missed a host of good chances to win the game, and were left to rue substitute Ivo Ilicevics strike against the crossbar in the 86th minute, when he only had the goalkeeper to beat. Nike Air Force Pas Cher Chine . Stevenson scored the first three goals of the game in the first period for Regina (35-22-6), which has won eight of its last 10 games. Patrick DAmico added two for the Pats, Braden Christoffer had a single and Morgan Klimchuk chipped in a goal and four assists. MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Rarely has tapping in a goal provided such relief for Wayne Rooney. With pressure building after a four-game England goal drought, the striker bundled the ball over the line from close range against Ecuador on Wednesday for a goal that lacked finesse or power but was a timely confidence boost ahead of the World Cup. "Its a great joy to score for England," Rooney said after the 2-2 draw at the Sun Life Stadium. "I was obviously pleased to score to get us back in the game." Rooneys 39th international goal cancelled out Enner Valencias eighth-minute header, nudging the ball over the line after Rickie Lambert hit the post. Lambert found the net himself six minutes into the second half after 20-year-old Ross Barkley weaved his way through the defence with ease. But Michael Arroyo powered in equalizer from distance in the 70th in his teams final game before playing Switzerland at the World Cup on June 15. "We have to improve aspects of our game to be ready for the start of the World Cup," Ecuador coach Reinaldo Rueda said. Both teams ended this feisty encounter with 10 men at the Sun Life Stadium after Raheem Sterling was dismissed in the 79th minute for a sliding challenge on Ecuador winger Antonio Valencia, who saw red for pushing the Englishman and going to grab his throat. The players will not be suspended for World Cup matches. "I am sorry for the fight with Sterling," Valencia said. "I apologized to the team after the match and the coach." England coach Hodgson accepted Sterlings challenge was fierce, but believes it didnt constitute a red card. "He played the ball and accelerated into the ball," Hodgson said." Im disappointed with Antonios reaction, grabbing the player." Hodgsons greater concern was midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain coming off with suspected ligament damage in his right knee -- just 10 days before Englands World Cup opener against Italy. As Hodgson tested the depth of his squad in its penultimate World Cup warm-up match, only Rooney was retained from the side that beat Peru 3-0. He featured on a team sheet that was mistakenly distributed around the stadium featuring the passport numbers oof both teams players. Pas Cher Air Max 95. The private English details were also tweeted out globally by an England team sponsor. After that blunder, Englands defenders responded with mishaps of their own, looking disjointed and giving the Ecuadoreans space to express themselves and unsettle their opponents. Defenders Luke Shaw and Chris Smalling allowed Enner Valencia to rise between them to meet Walter Ayovis cross with a header past Ben Foster, who was deputizing in goal for Joe Hart. There were several uneasy moments for Foster when he was exposed after racing off his line. For all the lapses at the back, England was playing with a confidence and verve at times up front that was lacking against Peru despite the margin of victory. Barkley, the England midfielder earning his fourth cap, was providing flashes of dynamism, typified by a backheel to Rooney, who could only clip the ball across the face of goal. After stand-in captain Frank Lampard tested goalkeeper Maximo Banguera with a long-range powerful strike, Rooney netted in the 29th despite being shunted out to the left wing. Meeting Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains cross, Banguera collided with his own player, and Lambert appeared to use his hand to control the ball before backheeling against the post. Rooney came close again twice before the break, stabbing the ball wide and sending a stinging strike into Bangueras hands. Like England, Ecuador also struggled to contain counterattacks while launching several of its own. Englands second goal followed a superb move. Barkley held off Frickson Erazo and Carlos Gruezo to waltz through opposition territory and set up Lambert for a powerful strike. The 32-year-old Lamberts third England goal came less than a year after making his debut. But Englands defence was breached again with a fine leveler. Just two minutes after coming off the bench, Arroyo picked up possession on the edge of the penalty area and sent it into the top corner. "A large number of the opportunities they created for themselves were when we were really attacking, we were going forward," Hodgson said. "Maybe what weve got to make certain is that we shore up a little bit behind some of these attacking movements." Wholeslae Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL JerseysCheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Cheap College Jerseys Cheap Football Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap Baseball Jerseys ' ' '