Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn. Niklas Kronwall Jersey .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. Steve Yzerman Jersey .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings take aim at an eighth straight victory on Monday night as they wrap up a road trip versus the Calgary Flames. Anthony Mantha Jersey . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. http://www.cheapredwingsjerseys.com/?tag=adidas-jimmy-howard-jersey . De La Rosa pitched six strong innings to win his sixth consecutive decision, Todd Helton homered and the Colorado Rockies snapped the Los Angeles Dodgers six-game winning streak with a 7-5 victory on Wednesday night.Diego Simeone was sent off after a ball was thrown onto the pitch to stop a Malaga attack in their 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid on Saturday. With the game goalless late in the first half, Malaga were looking to break, only for play to be disrupted by a ball thrown from the direction of the Atletico bench.While it was not clear who the culprit was, Simeone, as the highest-ranking member of the coaching team, was sent to the stands and could now be banned for the rest of the season. Atletico won the match 1-0 thanks to Angel Correas 62nd-minute goal to maintain their La Liga title challenge, but Simeone is unlikely to be on the sidelines to watch their last three league matches.Asked about the incident after the match, he said: It was the boy next to us, but that does not matter. It is clear that the referee made ​​the right decision regarding the rules. Diego Simeone watched the second half from the stands He did what he had to do and took the coach off. Cheap Adidas Red Wings Jerseys. I have little else to say.Speaking on Sky Sports, Spanish football expert Guillem Balague said: The competition committee will ban him for at least three matches so he will miss the rest of the season. In a similar incident the culprit got an eight-match ban.The ball was thrown from the bench, it didnt seem like it was Simeone, but it came from the bench. The physical trainer tried to claim it was him but the referee said no, he saw it wasnt him.He tells Simeone the rules are because the ball has gone onto the pitch from the bench and you are the highest ranked member of the coaching staff I have to send you off. Also See: Get Sky Sports La Liga video Fixtures Table Revista de la Liga Guillem Balague Cheap Steelers Jerseys Cheap Patriots Jerseys Cheap Bills Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Giants Jerseys Cheap Redskins Jerseys Cheap Bears Jerseys Cheap Eagles Jerseys Cheap Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Raiders Jerseys Cheap Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Panthers Jerseys Cheap Lions Jerseys Cheap Browns Jerseys ' ' '