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, Do you think teams should get delay of game penalties when they ice the puck and the winger goes to take the draw and gets waved out (on purpose?) so his centre can take the draw? Ive noticed this through the entire playoffs this year - do you think this is something on the minds of the officials as well? Could this be proven in any way and if so, wouldnt you say that is more of a delay of game call than the one where they shoot the puck over the glass? Thanks,Randy Kataluk,Coral Harbour, NU Randy: There is no doubt that coaches instruct their players to utilize a first face-off ejection by a non-center to grab a few extra seconds of breathing time following an icing infraction. They arent fooling anyone; especially the Linesmen. In an effort to minimize this ploy I have noticed the Linesmen initiate the face process very quickly and then eject the decoy for a first violation almost as soon as he arrives at the face-off dot. Beyond that, there is little at this juncture that can be done to alter the process. You do bring up an interesting point for discussion Randy, even though I wouldnt necessarily endorse an immediate delay of game penalty in this instance. The Officials cannot (or should not) control who the coach selects to take the draw. Their job is to conduct a fair face-off as quickly as humanly possible to uphold the integrity of the no-change icing rule. The rules, however, are already in place to penalize a team that commits a second face-off violation during the same face-off. This infraction is very seldom enforced and we have seen where the standard can be relaxed on the second face-off in an effort to avoid a call that brings undue attention to the Linesmen. If you really want to get the attention of a team that sends a sacrificial offering into the face-off circle conduct that second one to the letter of the law and impose a second face-off violation penalty when deserved. Its hard to blame the Linesmen for a less stringent standard after ejecting the first center since in the overall complexion of any game a second face-off violation doesnt rank up there with other game control, restraining or aggressive situations that the Referees might deem unworthy of a penalty. Very little support is also offered the Linesmen whenever they have enforced a second face-off violation. The first time a penalty was called for this rule everyone went ballistic; including the Hockey Operations Department. A Linesmens judgment was placed into question when he ejected a second centreman near the end of a close game as bedlam was being allowed to take place with a "let em play" standard by the Refs. It didnt take long for the message to be relayed through the chain of command as to what the expected practice was with regard to a second face-off violation. Theres an old saying that there is no faster method of communication than the "telephone, telegraph or just tell a Hockey Official!" So Randy, if this ploy on an icing is something that anyone would really like to address I would send the message that the second face-off would be conducted to the letter and a penalty would quickly result if a violation were to occur. At that point, the Linesmen would deserve our full support. On The Radar Screen From Game 3: - Call it for what it was: Kaspars Daugavins left his feet and elbowed Andrew Shaw to the ear. (Last time I checked the ear is attached to the head?) The official penalty summary lists "roughing" as being assessed by the Referee. The most obvious infraction choice is elbowing; followed by illegal check to the head or charging but certainly not roughing. Additionally, please enforce charging rule next season in an effort to keep players skates on the ice when delivering a check. The height advantage gained is often cerebral! - Dont overreact in scrum and player battle situations: Shawn Thornton was singled out for an early penalty in a scrum with Andrew Shaw. David Bolland was assessed a trip when he and Jonny Boychuk tangled up as Bolland attempted to get into his players bench for a line change at 19:00 minutes of the second period. Neither were strong penalty calls and an overreaction; especially in a Stanley Cup Final game. - Niklas Hjalmarsson tripping call on Daniel Paille: I liked this call as viewed on NBC even though the other Network in Canada apparently had an overhead shot of Hjalmarsson contacting the puck just a split-hair prior to taking down Paille. On this bang-bang, desperation dive made by the Hawk defenceman it certainly appeared to me that Hjalmarssons first point of contact with his glove and stick shaft was to the right skate of Paille followed by the puck on the wrap-around of his stick. This was certainly too close to call with the naked eye in real-time and the benefit goes to Referee Chris Rooney. I have never understood why we allow a defender, from a poor position, make a desperation dive and touch the puck with his stick an instant prior to wiping out the attacker. This is regarded as a good defensive play while in reality the attacker is tripped and eliminated on the play or from regaining puck possession. This play always occurs with an attacker in a scoring position or on a breakaway. Perhaps time to reassess this policy given the tighter restraining standards that are expected to be called? - Assess differential when deserved in illegal battles regardless of game time: Zdeno Chara was fully deserving of an extra minor penalty for his overly aggressive actions with Bryan Bickell at 19:48 of the third period. Im not suggesting penalizing Big Z for being stronger; just more aggressive in his illegal actions. Treating this altercation as coincidental does not equate to the Thornton or Bolland penalties earlier in the game. College Jerseys From China .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. Cheap College Jerseys Outlet . "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. http://www.jerseyscollegecheap.com/ . Booth picked up 65 caps after making her national team debut in 2002 at the age of 17. She most recently played for Sky Blue FC of the National Womens Soccer League. "It just felt like it was my time to move on," she said in a phone interview from her hometown of Burlington, Ont. College Jerseys Stitched . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Cheap NCAA Jerseys . 8 Iowa State on Saturday, sending the Cyclones to their third consecutive loss. The Longhorns (14-4, 3-2) got their biggest win of the season with their third in the row in the Big 12. Tennis has never been healthier, but there is also a restlessness underlying those strong foundations.First and foremost, the overarching question is whether the tradition-heavy game is too resistant to change and innovation. Tennis is in many ways behind the times when it comes to reform and keeping up with modern times. But thats just part of it. Consider these concerns:What happens when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and the Williams sisters -- a quartet of players for the ages -- retire?Will audiences coming to maturity in the social media age be interested in matches lasting four or five hours?Are uber-fit, super-consistent baseliners such as Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray exerting themselves so much that risking injury calls into question the viability of the current tour structure with its Grand Slams plus nine gold-standard ATP Masters 1000 events?Is the constant theme of injury just excuse-making by semi-sore losers or a genuine source of concern?These and other questions are being evaluated by many stakeholders -- none more diligently than the ATP Tour. The current 10-year Brave New World agreement that has governed prize money and the calendar expires at the end of 2018.Most sports make changes when things arent going well, the ATPs executive director, Chris Kermode, recently told ESPN.com. Weve had tremendous success. The challenge for us is looking forward, anticipating the hurdles or pitfalls for tennis in the next 10 or 15 years.The ATP isnt the only organization interested in change. The ITF recently initiated a proposed restructuring of the hallowed Davis Cup competition, the centerpiece of which would be a combined Davis Cup-Fed Cup final played annually at a neutral site.The USTA fired the first shot in the battle of match length, using a visible, 20-second shot clock during its official junior championships at the US Open. Remember, the American Slam event introduced the tiebreaker and Hawk-Eye electronic line-calling.Electronic line-calling was the perfect example of evolutionary change in tennis, Stacey Allaster, who is the USTA chief executive of pro tennis and who served as CEO of the WTA Tour, told ESPN.com. It didnt change rules, but it enforced them, and it made the game more interesting and fun for everyone.One immediate measure the ATP is taking to prepare for a generational transition among the players is a new event for 2017 -- an under-21 World Tour Finals. Its intended to promote rising young stars such as Alexander Zverev of Germany and Taylor Fritz of the U.S. It will be much like the main year-end championships with the young players qualifying via points earned in main tour events. The ATP also will use the event to experiment with different formats or scoring systems.Well ask the fans what we should try, Kermode said, Play the let serve? Fast Four or no-ad scoring? Its all on the table.Thats all well and good for an exhibition event meant to promote young talent (there will be no rankings points at stake). But it would probably take something cataclysmic -- a massive exodus of fans or loss of revenue -- to get the pros to check off on more drastic changes.No-ad scoring eliminates deuce and advantage points; the first player to win four points takes the game. Fast Four is a format that allows for a competitive five-set match to be completed in about 90 minutes. In Fast Four, the scoring is no-ad aand tiebreaks are played at 4-all in each set.ddddddddddddMany of the stakeholders in the game would like to see much shorter mens matches. Television executives love the kind of certainty and brevity Fast Four delivers. Streamlined scoring has found a home in exhibition-style team play, but the minute it comes anywhere near official tournaments, the players cry No way.As a group, the pros have always been extremely conservative. They kicked and fought against the introduction of the tiebreaker. More recently, the radical changes forced upon doubles (no-ad scoring and the super tiebreaker instead of a third set) were originally decried as a death knell, but theyve been accepted and even embraced by many. Doubles might be more visible now than before the changes. Will doubles give scoring changes a foot in the door?The grass roots are already deep into experimental formats, conditioning an entire generation of future players and fans. The NCAA uses the no-ad format, among other departures. Rec leagues run by the USTA have also recognized that, for most adults, especially parents, their tennis commitment has to fit into a specific window of time.Although radical change is a tough and risky sell to the pros, Allaster sees more opportunity for win-win scenarios.Imagine the shot clock on the scoreboard, Allaster said, and the fans wondering how many more times the player can bounce the ball or adjust the headband before she runs out of time. Thats added value.She also believes a fair amount of fat could be carved away from the game without striking a blow at the heart of tradition. In other pro sports, games that start at 4 p.m. start at 4 p.m. The first ball in tennis often isnt hit until 15 or 20 minutes into a broadcast. Were looking at things like the warm-up [the NCAA has already eliminated it, successfully], medical timeouts, between-set breaks, Allaster said. Were having conversations about all those things.Of course, the pros exist on a different plane and play a different game from that of collegiate or weekend warriors. The most powerful argument for the status quo is the old saw: If it aint broke, dont fix it.Kermode said that, since 2009, the television audience for ATP Masters 1000 events has grown 73 percent, to a massive 510 million viewers. That degree of success suggests that the current, clear three-tier tour structure (250, 500, 1000) will be retained for 2019 and beyond.That might come as a surprise to those who feel the demands on todays top players are too onerous and manifest in the injuries that have repeatedly sidelined top players. But the pros know the system has rewarded them handsomely. And, as Kermode said, veterans have some exemptions, and the tendency is for careers to last longer than ever.The Big Four has taken tennis to a new, extraordinary level. Parse it any way you like, but its difficult to imagine applying the word epic to any match lasting just 90 minutes. Of course, theres another half to that equation. You need virtual supermen capable of producing riveting tennis to generate adjectives such as epic, or else four hours can seem like a long, dry time.Nobody in tennis wants to be caught asking Where have all the supermen gone? 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