triple and scored on second baseman Kolten Wongs wild rela

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. Kerry, I appreciate your earlier comments on Torontos handling of the Vanek goal, and Im sure youve seen the Howie Rose-Kris King interview by now. Im still left with some basic questions about what the actual NHL rules are at this point, and was hoping you could provide some insight. 1. Does the situation room still need clear, incontrovertible evidence to overturn calls made on the ice? Every NHL announcer seems to think so, but Kris King clearly indicates that while that logic held in many cases there was a specific subset of calls (including kicking motion) where the situation room could take the on-ice call as purely advisory and didnt have to find incontrovertible video evidence in order to overturn. Is Kings view backed up by formal statements/rule changes? Do NHL refs uniformly understand that Toronto needs clear evidence to overturn in some cases but not in others? 2. Kings comments seemed contradictory in that he said the rules regarding kicking were defined so that neither refs or the situation room needed to make any judgment as to the players intent (i.e goals scored by kicking should be disallowed even if they could be considered unintentional or inadvertent), but also raised the point that "foot dragging" could be defined as "kicking" in this context. First of all, Rule 38.4 which you quoted in your initial comment does not mention foot dragging, and the "pendulum" motion it prohibits would seem to explicitly exclude the possibility of disallowing goals based on foot dragging. Has there been an internal memo or formal rule change that all NHL refs would be aware of that expands Rule 38.4 to include foot dragging? Secondly, outside of extraordinarily blatant cases, how could anyone disallow a goal on foot dragging grounds without judging the players intentions? Hundreds of goals go off skates where there has been no "pendulum" type kicking motion. How could anyone distinguish good from bad goals without determining whether they thought the player was trying to intentionally redirect a puck, as opposed to simply position themselves near the goal mouth where lucky bounces sometimes occur? We all understand that no set of rules can ever be perfect. The issue here is that you and most fans that saw the Vanek video believed the rule to be applied in that situation was one thing, and King may have implied (but never clearly said), no - the rule to be applied in that situation is different. If the rules are 100 per cent clear to refs and everyone in the league, it would still be useful to communicate changes more clearly so that announcers and journalists arent confusing the fans. Of course, if situation room personnel think they can establish rule interpretations that the on-ice staff isnt in sync with, that would raise a different set of issues. Hoping you can clarify what the real situation is. Hubert Horan Hubert: I truly believe that each person who staffs the Situation Room on a nightly basis in Toronto is a man of integrity and cares deeply about the game. They do not take the huge responsibility handed to them lightly and they do strive to get every call right through video review to the best of their ability. When a play, subject to review, is taken over by the Situation Room their judgment is independent of the referees and any decision rendered through video review is final. The only exception is when video review returns an "inconclusive verdict" at which time the call reverts back to the referee on the ice. In almost every case the referees initial call will then stand. The referees make the call from their vantage point in real time based on the rules as written and with the direction and expected standard of enforcement they are handed from their superiors. The refs recognize that their decision on the ice can be overturned for any reason, whether they agree or even like it! It would appear, at least from the perception of the personnel conducting the video review, that clear and incontrovertible evidence is present for them to overturn a referees call on the ice. That perception and ultimate decision is always subject to debate and scrutiny from the hockey community. While I cant ever recall Kris King agreeing with a penalty I assessed against him during his 14 season NHL career I know him to be a very good, honest and charitable person. As a former player that was most often cheered by adoring fans, Kris and his colleagues in the Situation Room can sometimes find their decisions challenged rather vehemently by various members of the hockey community. No differently than a referee experiences throughout his career, it goes with the territory! This might explain some of Kris apparent defensiveness during the interview with Howie Rose. What Kris didnt explain, but only alluded to, were instructions provided them by the general managers how to ascertain a "distinct kicking motion" beyond the definition provided in rule 38.4 (iv). If such instructions include a skate drag or worse yet, unintended contact with a players skate resulting from physical contact by an opponent, these new criteria should be clearly communicated to the rest of the hockey world. That I believe is the question that Howie Rose and the rest of us would like a clear answer to. I would be most curious to know if Isles GM Garth Snow and Habs GM Marc Bergevin (following Brendan Gallaghers disallowed goal) among others have signed off on the instructions Kris King alluded to. A referee often factors in "player intent" when imposing his judgment on infractions and calls. To suggest otherwise is illogical. At the present time a vast majority of the hockey community, including current and former officials, current and former players, broadcasters and fans cant logically understand decisions to disallow goals like the one that went into the net off the skate of Thomas Vanek. The answer to that question has to come clearly and definitively from Colin Campbell, current Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations who holds the keys to the Kingdom. Finally, the integrity and accuracy of the video review process would be greatly enhanced if the NHL were to employ former referees to provide their specialized expertise and INDEPENDENT judgment in these matters no differently than the other major professional sports leagues have recognized is necessary. Air Max 1 Sale Outlet .com) - Maria Sharapova rallied for a three- set win over Ana Ivanovic on Saturday to capture the season-opening Brisbane International tennis tournament. Air Max 1 Wholesale . -- Jane Kish stopped all 25 shots she faced as the Weyburn Gold Wings blanked the Sudbury Lady Wolves 3-0 on Friday to advance to the gold-medal game at the Esso Cup. http://www.discountairmax1.com/ . - Defensive end-linebacker Mike Neal apparently is returning to the Packers. Air Max 1 Sale Cheap . No, really, his head. Late in the game, the St. Louis goalie craned his neck into the air to block a shot, taking a puck square in the mask. Discount Air Max 1 . -- The Denver Broncos locked up a shutdown cornerback, only his name wasnt Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals got just enough hitting to save Trevor Rosenthal. Matt Carpenter homered, doubled and drove in three runs and Adam Wainwright tied for the major league lead with his 15th win in a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres 7-6 on Sunday. "Our offence did a great job, put us all on their back," Wainwright said. The 24-year-old Rosenthal is among the major league leaders with 36 saves in 40 chances in his first season as closer. He walked the bases full with a strikeout in the ninth and Seth Maness gave up a two-run single to Abraham Almonte before earning his second save in two chances. "We needed to get him some help," manager Mike Matheny said. "We didnt feel like we were going to sit around and watch too much without giving him a break." Three walks was a career worst for Rosenthal, who has walked five his last two appearances along with three hits and three runs in 1 1-3 innings. The hard-throwing righty and his manager believe its a timing issue and not about fatigue. "Physically, everything feels pretty good," Rosenthal said. "I think its just going to be narrowing the sights a little bit, or maybe not trying to do too much." Rosenthal is among the league leaders with 57 appearances. "Weve worked him pretty hard and were going to be very careful about how we move forward," Matheny said. "Were not afraid to use the other guys in our bullpen to pick up the games when he cant. "But as far as his role, hes our closer." Jon Jays two-run single highlighted a four-run first inning when the Cardinals batted around against rookie Odrisamer Despaigne (3-4). Peter Bourjos and Tony Cruz each had an RBI single for St. Louis, which took three of four in the series. Despaigne needed 37 pitches to get out of the first. "He just couldnt finish off any hitters," manager Bud Black said. "He couldnt get any of his pitches where he needed to get them." Carpenters twwo-run double off Tim Stauffer in the sixth made it a three-run cushion for Wainwright (15-7), who joined the Reds Johnny Cueto at 15 wins.dddddddddddd Milwaukees Wily Peralta was seeking his 15th later Sunday. Wainwright allowed three earned runs in seven innings with five strikeouts and one walk, overcoming a handful of rough patches. He hasnt felt locked in for a while. "Its been a grind for over a month now," Wainwright said. "Im about ready for it to end." Wainwright is 5-0 at home with a 1.55 ERA against the Padres, so this was one of his stiffer tests. "We did a nice job of laying off the breaking balls as the game went on," Black said. "We put together some better swings." Alexi Amarista and Yangvertis Solarte had an RBI apiece in the San Diego fifth. Jake Goebbert had an RBI triple and scored on second baseman Kolten Wongs wild relay as the Padres pulled within 5-4 in the sixth. First baseman Matt Adams made a nice defensive stop to rob Seth Smith of a game-tying hit for the second out in the ninth. TRAINERS ROOM Padres: 3B Solarte has started the last two games after missing a pair with a mild left oblique strain. Cardinals: OF Matt Holliday got a day off with a minor knee problem, plus has been scuffling at the plate, going 0 for 18 the previous five games. UP NEXT Padres: Ian Kennedy (9-10, 3.54) and San Diego open a three-game set against the Dodgers Kevin Correia (1-0, 1.50). Cardinals: Justin Masterson (6-7, 5.58) faces the Reds and Mike Leake (9-11, 3.59) on Monday. Masterson is coming off seven scoreless innings against the Marlins, the best of three starts since arriving at the trade deadline. STRONG STROKE Jay is 12 for 24 during a nine-game hitting streak and is batting .417 this month. Jay also was hit by a pitch four times in a span of five plate appearances on Friday and Saturday. "Hes doing a nice job of getting on base, whether hes a magnet or not," Matheny said. ' ' '