Gäste-Forum » The 4-1 third choice is Hero Ten All

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, 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. Air Force 1 Just Do It Deutschland . They say things like "stress is when you dont know what youre doing" and "I wasnt hired to motivate players, I was hired to coach motivated players." They ring as true now as they did when Mularkey heard them the first time playing tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame coach 25 years ago. Nike Huarache Deutschland . The team reported the signing on its website Thursday, but said Friday the deal was off in "a mutual parting of the ways that had to do with the language of the contract. http://www.airforce1gunstig.de/. -- Southern Illinois coach Barry Hinson couldnt hear himself amid the roar in Koch Arena, so he kept stomping on the floor in a fruitless attempt to get his teams attention. Nike Sf Air Force 1 Deutschland .ca presents a week long look at some of the teams and stories that will shape the up coming campaign. Air Force 1 Damen Sale . The Extreme Heat Policy was enacted at Melbourne Park just before 2 p.m. Thursday, suspending all matches on outer courts until the early evening and requiring the closure of the retractable roofs at Rod Laver and Hisense arenas before play could continue on the show courts.Arcadia, CA - Santa Anita Parks road to the $1 million Santa Anita Derby on April 4 begins with Saturdays $100,000 Sham Stakes at a mile. Getting the nod in the eight-horse field as the 8-5 morning line favorite is trainer Peter Millers Calculator, owned by Richard Pell. The 3-year-old gray colt will break from post 7 with jockey Elvis Trujillo. Winless in four starts, Calculator is coming off a pair of runner-up performances behind Eclipse Award finalist American Pharoah. He was second in the Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 3 and 24 days later in the FrontRunner Stakes at Santa Anita. The horse ran super. Im really happy with the way he ran. The winner got an easy lead with a slow pace, Miller said after the FrontRunner. Calculator finished third in his career debut at Del Mar on July 19 and fourth three weeks later on Del Mars synthetic main track. The colt has earned $133,500. Leaving from post 3 will be Rockinatten the 7-2 second pick. The gelding, trained by Doug ONeill, will have Rafael Bejarano in the saddle for the first time. Hes doing really well and I really like him, Bejarano said. Rockinatten, partly owned by Bada Beng Racing, broke his maiden in his third start on Oct.dddddddddddd 26 at Gulfstream Park West, formerly Calder. The gelding was second and third, respectively, in his first two career starts at Gulfstream Park. Hopefully, we can put the horse in the major leagues. The timing is right to try and see if we have another Ill Have Another or Goldencents, said Leandro Mora, assistant to Doug O?Neill. The 4-1 third choice is Hero Ten All, trained by Jeff Mullins for Edward K. Gaylord II. The colt will have Tyler Baze riding for the first time with the pair breaking from the far outside post. Hero Ten All had Hall of Fame jockey Calvin Borel in the saddle for both career starts, getting second at Santa Anita on Nov. 2 and winning at Los Alamitos Dec. 7. Here is the complete field for the Sham Stakes in post position order: St. Joe Bay, Martin Pedroza, 8-1; Pioneerof the West, Corey Nakatani, 12-1; Rockinatten, Rafael Bejarano, 7-2; Unblunted, Joe Talamo, 6-1; Rock Shandy, Victor Espinoza, 8-1; Papacoolpapacool, Fernando Perez, 8-1; Calculator, Elvis Trujillo, 8-5; and Hero Ten All, Tyler Baze, 4-1. Post time for the Sham will be approximately 6 p.m. ET. ' ' '