Allgemeine Regeln / Nutzungsbestimmungen » ave happen is for the goalke

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 Ref! Been a long time Sens fan and stuck with them through the ups and downs. Ive always liked the fact that theyve made no excuses for their wins and their losses but their game with the Habs has me a tad irate with the what appears to be inconsistent calls. For example, there were a couple goalie interference calls against the Sens, like it or not, they were called, yet there were at least two non-calls for Robin Lehner being bumped including the game-tying goal at the end of regulation. Im not even going to go on about the non-call on the dive that caused that power play. My question is this: In the replay of the game-winning OT goal, the play moved into Ottawas end, a shot was taken that was stopped by Lehner and the puck was in/on/around his pads. The overhead camera angle showed the puck on the ice, not covered for a few seconds and then it was jammed in. Unless the referee is 35 feet tall and looking straight down at that angle, there is no way he could have even seen the puck free as the goalie had his back to him and there was a scrum of players there. Yet there was no stoppage even with the puck out of his sight for over five seconds (according to the game clock) and he later told Spezza that he didnt blow the whistle because of the noise level in the building. I would like to know if theres any disciplinary action for a referee who blows a call like that and then makes a "its too noisy to hear the whistle" comment as an excuse? Roger Smallman,St. Catharines, ON --- Hello, I just wanted some clarification - I thought when the goalie has the puck covered, the ref has to blow the whistle. Its my understanding that if the goalie has the puck covered, then an opposing player cannot jam at the goalie to knock the puck loose! Is that true or not? Josh Knowles Roger and Josh, Thank you for your questions following a very emotionally charged come-from-behind overtime victory by the Montreal Canadiens over the visiting Ottawa Senators. I want to share a general philosophy and understanding as to when the referee should blow the whistle. There is a misconception by some fans that a puck must be frozen for three seconds before the referee should deem it unplayable and then blow his whistle. This stems from language in Rule 85.2 when a puck falls onto the back of the goal netting and the referee is specifically directed to allow three seconds for it to be played unless the goalkeeper uses his stick or glove to freeze the puck on the back of the net, in which case the whistle is immediate. This three second application is also generally applied to determine a "frozen" puck between opposing players along the boards; although we often see the refs encourage play to continue with a non-whistle and audible command to "play it". The philosophy employed to kill play in and around the goal crease is somewhat consistent with Rule 69 (Interference on the Goalkeeper.) This rule was formerly called "Protection of the Goalkeeper" for good reason by recognizing, in part, the vulnerability of a goalkeeper given his unique position and the obvious impairment to defend his goal that would result through player contact. As such, the referee must first determine that the goalkeeper has control and coverage of the puck prior to his intent to blow the play dead in order to avoid a quick whistle. Of equal importance, is for a ref to be aware that an attacking player(s) does not dislodge or expose a covered puck by contacting the goalkeeper with a stick or any part of the body! Rule 85.3 (puck out of sight) states that should a scramble take place or a player accidentally fall on the puck and the puck be out of sight of the Referee, he shall immediately blow his whistle to stop the play. Truth is, there are many times during a scramble that the referee loses sight of the puck but does not blow his whistle immediately while he moves in an attempt to visually locate the puck. Every referee has had the embarrassment of blowing his whistle too quickly, only to have the puck slip through the goalies equipment and into the net causing a legitimate goal to be disallowed. Previous embarrassments such as this are always in the back of the refs mind. To avoid the quick whistle, but also to be aware of the potential for players to dislodge a covered puck, the referee must attack the net quickly from the best angle and react quickly to potential contact of the goalkeeper. Lets apply the above philosophies to the reality of the eventual winning goal scored by Francis Bouillon. Max Pacioretty, who was being checked by Jared Cowen, threw the puck at the Ottawa net from the bottom middle point of the end zone face-off circle to the left of goalie Robin Lehner. The shot was gobbled up in the right pad of Lehner, protected and appeared to be covered by Lehners blocker. The referee began to drive toward the net from his initial position some 30 feet from the right post. The closest Montreal player to the net, David Desharnais, was at the bottom of the end zone face-off T some 20 feet away and positioned on the outside of Sens player Bobby Ryan. Cody Ceci approached the centre of the goal crease from 15 feet out. This distance of other players from the net creates time and space for the goalkeeper to control and cover the puck. With all these parts of the puzzle moving quickly toward Lehner, who remained in a stationary position tight to the post with his blocker and stick down in front of the right goal pad throughout, my radar as a ref would go on high alert! The very last thing I would want to have happen is for the goalkeeper to be contacted and the puck dislodged. From the sight line the referee had at the time (and the multiple camera angles shown), I find it hard to imagine the puck was visible to him or anyone else at this point. Desharnais stepped to the inside of Ryan and jammed at Lehner with his stick and body as his momentum took the Hab forward behind the net. Ceci then made contact with the right side of his goalkeeper causing Lehners blocker to elevate off the ice and rotate. The contact by both players altered the position of Lehner sufficiently to expose the puck in front of Lehners pad. At this point, the puck would be clearly visible to the referee from his position closer to the net and as detected on the overhead camera shot. Pacioretty then came in hard from the side and jammed the puck outside the crease for an easy layup for Bouillon. When players crash the crease and jam at the goalkeeper, bad things usually happen. Typically, the refs will exercise the philosophy I described above and blow the whistle in advance of any deliberate contact exerted by an attacking player. This play was allowed to continue too long without visible evidence of the puck being uncovered prior to the contact exerted by Desharnais and then Ceci. In my judgment Josh, the whistle should have blown prior to that contact. Roger, if Stephen Walkom, Sr. V.P. of Officiating assessed this play as I did, he will review and discuss the play with the referee and make suggestions as to how a similar situation should be ruled upon in the future. There is no disciplinary action in place for officials beyond the ongoing rating and ranking system that every official is subjected to for playoff assignments and ongoing employment. One call or one game does not greatly impact the overall season performance rating of any official. Great calls are made and some are unfortunately missed. Thats the human element of the job. John Smoltz Braves Jersey . The former central defender calmly nodded it down and quietly went about celebrating a win with his staff. For a man who has had a lot on his shoulders this season, it was an appropriate moment. Phil Niekro Braves Jersey . The club says Fridays surgery was successful. Holiday, a former Eastern Conference All-Star acquired from Philadelphia last summer, has not played because of the shin injury since Jan. http://www.baseballbravesproshop.com/dav...raves-jersey/.J. -- Having Ondrej Pavelec earn his 100th NHL win and seeing Mark Scheifele and Evander Kane break goal droughts were nice highlights for the Winnipeg Jets. Julio Teheran Braves Jersey . (AP) -- The head of the committee that developed Major League Baseballs plan to expand instant replay says he is optimistic the system will be in place this season, even though owners and unions for players and umpires have yet to approve. David Justice Braves Jersey . Russia has spent about $51 billion to deliver the Sochi Olympics, which run Feb. 7-23, making them the most expensive games ever, even though as a winter event it hosts many fewer athletes than summer games do. CLEVELAND -- C.J. Wilson might not have been at his best, though he was good enough for the Los Angeles Angels to gain another victory. Wilson pitched 5 1-3 innings and won his fourth consecutive decision as the Angels beat Cleveland 7-2 on Saturday night, sending the Indians to their sixth straight loss. Asked to describe his outing, in which he allowed two runs despite giving up seven hits, walking four and hitting a batter, Wilson used the word "arduous." Angels manager Mike Scioscia agreed with his pitcher. "It was a tough night for C.J.," he said. "Grind is the right word, but he got some key outs with guys in scoring position. They had baserunners the whole night, it seemed. He had to work really hard." Wilson (12-6) recorded his eighth win in his last 11 decisions. The left-hander hasnt lost since July 5. Ubaldo Jimenez (8-7) allowed three runs in 6 1-3 innings for the reeling Indians, who committed a season-high four errors and trail Detroit by eight games in the American League Central. Cleveland began its seven-game homestand three games out of first, but was swept in four games by the Tigers and has dropped the first two to the Angels, who came into town with a four-game losing streak. "This is a game where how you handle frustration goes so far in how your season is defined, and were going to find out," Indians manager Terry Francona said. Mike Trout drew an eighth-inning walk and has reached base in 40 consecutive games. The Angels didnt exactly knock the cover off the ball. Three of their runs scored on sacrifice flies, two others came on an RBI fielders choice and another scored on a throwing error. "In a game where we didnt really drive the ball, we did a really good job of situational hitting," Scioscia said. "Every chance we had to either get a runner over or score him, we pretty much did so." The Angels, who scored five times in the first inning in Fridays win, saw that momentum carry over. Sacrifice flies by J.B. Shuck and Kole Calhoun broke a 1-all tie in a rally that was aided by Jimenezs throwing error. After Chris Iannetta drew a leadoff walk, Grant Green bunted to the left of the mound. Instead of letting third baseman Mike Aviles make the play, Jimenez fielded the ball and uncorked a wild heave that was several feet over the head of first baseman Nick Swisher. The ball landed on the track well beyond the bag and bounced into the stands, allowing the runners to take second and third. Schucks fly ball scored Iannetta and moved Green tto third before Calhouns fly made it 3-1.dddddddddddd Michael Bourns RBI single in the sixth cut the lead to one, but the Indians defence imploded in the eighth. Errors by shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and second baseman Jason Kipnis, and a wild pitch by Bryan Shaw helped the Angels score four times. Shuck hit a sacrifice fly for his second RBI of the game, while Chris Nelson drove in a run with a single. Erik Aybar added an RBI fielders choice and another run scored on Kipnis wild throw home. Trout was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts and had an RBI fielders choice in the third. Wilson dodged trouble often enough before finally being chased in the sixth. Singles by Yan Gomes and Drew Stubbs put runners at first and second with one out. Bourns single scored Gomes, moved Stubbs to third and ended the night for Wilson, who threw 117 pitches. "I felt I pitched pretty well," Wilson said. "It was a battle to get ahead of guys. Theres no other way to characterize it." Michael Kohn retired Swisher on a popup and Buddy Boshers, making his major league debut, struck out Kipnis. Wilson is 3-1 with a 1.95 ERA in five outings against Cleveland since 2010. Hes also held opponents to two homers over his last 12 outings. Stubbs infield hit scored a run for the Indians in the second. Trout hit into a fielders choice with the bases loaded in the third, tying the game. Iannetta reached base four times on a single and three walks. Ernesto Frieri, who has been removed from the closers role, pitched the ninth. He came into the game having allowed 12 earned runs over 4 2-3 innings in his last seven appearances. NOTES: Former Indians OF Rocky Colavito, one of the most popular players in franchise history, threw out the first pitch. "This is my town," said Colavito, who played for the Indians from 1955-59 and again in 1965-67. "I love Cleveland. Its my favourite town in the world." Colavito, who hit 374 career home runs, including four in one game in 1959, has a strong opinion of players who take performance-enhancing drugs. "Theyre cheaters. They cheat. Its an unfair advantage," he said. ... Boshers was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake after 2B Howie Kend