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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, In Wednesday nights game between Toronto and Calgary, referee Paul Devorski got one to the head by an errant clearing attempt. He had to leave the game for repairs and luckily he came back. My question is this - it looked like he was skating up the ice in front of the defencemen, so he did not see the puck coming. In the numerous replays that TSN showed I could not tell if he was the back or front referee, but shouldnt he have been trailing the play or skating behind the Leafs defence? That way things like this cant happen! Whats an officials mindset during the game in terms of how he positions himself? Thanks,Scott Martin Scott: Devo, what were you thinking when you blasted out of the corner with your back turned away from the play and with Cody Fransons best option being to pound the puck up the wall and down the ice on the PK? I wasnt sure if you thought you were back at training camp doing a timed goal line to goal line sprint test or decided to join the Leafs end zone breakout play since they were a man short. Im really sorry about your injury, but I think youll probably agree that for the most part it was avoidable and somewhat self-inflicted. On the up-side you demonstrated excellent foot speed - youve still got it pal! Scott, Kerry Fraser Referee Positioning 101 is based on the premise that you want to gain a position on the ice that provides the best and safest sightline (unobstructed view) to render a decision. "Safest" is out of traffic areas and most often when trailing the play. At the very least a Ref wants to keep players in front of him whenever possible. Players are coached to attack the puck; first player hard on the puck with a secondary teammate providing support. Wherever the puck is located on the ice a battle for possession will quickly result. While players attack the puck, I have always taught the opposite is true for an Official; Refs must retreat from the puck. To facilitate this objective the Official needs to read the play in advance (anticipate) and move or vacate an area that players will soon occupy or battle for the puck in. One other cardinal rule I practiced was to never turn my back on the puck carrier or shooter. If I was forced to retreat or pushed up the wall I always squared to the puck and faced the shooter. When this situation presented itself I retreated as quickly as possible to create space (distance) and time to defend if the puck came at me. Once an Official turns his back to the play he has NO chance of seeing the puck or defending by blocking with an elbow pad or by simply moving aside. As a result of the battle behind the Leafs goal by Paul Ranger and Joe Colborne of the Flames, the puck was forced toward the corner where Referee Devorski stood. The read by the Ref at this point should have been that uncontested puck possession would be gained by defenceman Cody Franson given a lack of potential pursuit by any Flame players in the area. With the puck travelling toward the corner, which ultimately comes to rest near or against the sidewall at the goal line, the Ref would correctly determine the lane along the wall and deep into the corner was not available to him. Had Devorski taken this route he would have converged on the puck about the same time Cody Franson did. Devos decision here was the correct one. The first best angle of retreat from the puck by Referee Devorski would have been by skating parallel to Cody Franson in the opposite direction and reposition himself along the goal line half way between the corner and the net. (I termed this location "half-piston" when I designed the positioning philosophy implemented by the C.H.A. in the mid-1980s) From this safe location acquired by the Ref, Cody Franson could gain puck possession and make his play. Additionally from the half-piston location there was no potential for the Ref to obstruct pursuit by the nearest Flame player. The second worst angle of retreat was ultimately taken by the referee up the wall past the hash marks toward the blue line. By taking this route the Ref clearly placed himself in a shooting or passing lane (anticipation?). Once Devo committed to this exit strategy he should have been skating backwards as fast as possible (distance/time) facing Cody Franson with his hands up near his face to deflect or defend against a potential errant puck. An Official should always face the puck squarely and be ready to defend just like a Ninja! I was once asked to wear a new protective flak vest designed by a manufacturer in Strathroy, Ontario. He assured me I could take a puck right in the chest and the vest would disperse the force of impact leaving nothing more than a small bruise. This was before I was forced to wear a helmet and while I wasnt concerned about protecting my head I was more than willing to strap on the vest for added body armor. I was up for the challenge in Boston one night. With the Bruins on the power-play I was the lead Referee on the play in the two-man system and skating backwards just over the attacking blue line in advance of the rush. Bs defenceman, Sean ODonnell pounded a slapper into the zone on a hard-around from the cross-ice red line. It was probably about a 90 mile-an-hour shot, four feet off the ice and travelling straight at me. I foolishly decided this would be a good test for the flak vest so I squared up to the puck and puffed out my chest ready to take the best ODonnell offered on this one. My laser-like focus on the puck revealed the vulcanized missile starting to rise at an alarming rate and travelling faster than I originally anticipated. I bailed and hit the deck face-first at the very last second and felt the wind from the puck on my Paul Mitchell Freeze & Shine; a narrow miss! Bruins play-by-play man Jack Edwards without taking a breath and in his very best Howard Cosell impersonation commented, "And Down Goes Fraser" to which color analyst Gord Kluzak immediately chimed in, "And Not A Hair Out of Place!" While it was a close call, by squarely facing the shooter and puck I was able to defend myself. For the next week or so, when the War Room buzzes down to Referee Paul Devorski hell be taking the call in his other ear. Happy Halloween everyone. Balenciaga Shoes Discount .com) - The Carolina Hurricanes placed defenseman John-Michael Liles on injured reserve Tuesday. Balenciaga Shoes Wholesale China . PAUL, Minn. http://www.cheapbalenciaga.net/ . The match, billed as a "next-gen" encounter between two of the sports rising stars, lasted two and a half hours. The loss kept Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., from reaching a third fourth-round spot in Melbourne over the past four years. Cheap Authentic Balenciaga Shoes . Andrew Luck couldnt believe his ears. Colts fans couldnt believe the scoreboard, and the Kansas City Chiefs couldnt believe their incredibly bad luck. Cheap Balenciaga Shoes For Sale . Both the top-seeded Djokovic and sixth-seeded Fish took relatively easy paths, with the Serb winning when opponent Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired in the second set with a sore arm and Fish dominating Janko Tipsarevic in two quick sets.Quite surprisingly, this is the first time since 1986 that the Argonauts and Ticats have met in the Eastern Final. The Hamilton Spectators Steve Milton also points out that, even more amazingly, this is the first time the Argos and Ticats have each had at least 10 wins in the same year. Rookie Shane Horton starts at middle linebacker for all-star Robert McCune, who will miss the game with a shoulder injury. Horton was a safety at USC and has played both outside linebacker and rush end for Toronto this year. He took at least 90 per cent of the snaps at MLB during practices this week. Another rookie will start at the boundary halfback position. Neiko Thorpe, a member of the 2010 NCAA champion Auburn Tigers, played well replacing Pat Watkins at cornerback when the two teams played last month in Guelph. Hes a big DB at 62". Hell line up next to the 65" Watkins. Both Romby Bryant and Jason Barnes are listed as backup receivers. Head coach Scott Milanovich said earlier in the week that he didnt plan to dress five import receivers. With Chad Owens, John Chiles and Dontrelle Inman listed as starters, one can assume that either Bryant or Barnes is out. Barnes did take more reps with the first team this week than Bryant did. Kicker Swayze Waters had a very good week at practice. The yard lines were not drawn on the field during Fridays workout, but Waters hit what appeared to be a 60-yard field goal at the end of a special teams session and was mobbed by his teammates. While punting from sideline to sideline with Noel Prefontaine during practice, Waters kicked one from one sideline, across the field, over the head of some media members and over the players bench. It went roughly 75-80 yards in the air. Jerious Norwood gets the start at running back for the injured Chad Kackert. Norwood is coming off a game against Montreal where he carried the ball eight times for 102 yards and caught four passes for 62 more. A kick return specialist in the NFL, Norwood said his fastest time in the 40-yard dash was 4.33 seconds. Aaron Maybin gets the nod at DE. His only start of the season came in the season finale against Montreal. The most obvious thing about Maybin is how quickly he gets off the ball. The Argos have not had a great pass rush this season and Maybins presence may help. Ticket demand was such that an additional block of upper-deck seats was made available Saturday afternoon.ddddddddddddThe latest estimate is that around 40,000 will be in attendance. Glen Johnson will be the referee for the game. TSN.ca asked some of this years East Division All-Stars which players they thought had a chance to be the star on Sunday. Chad Owens: "Ricky Ray. Hes been our most consistent player, hes probably been the most consistent player in the whole league and hes poised for these moments. I think hes going to continue to be Ricky Ray and help us win." Khalif Mitchell: "Neiko Thorpe. Hes been more sound in the stuff that hes been doing as far as film and knowing his assignments. Hes the first one talking whenever a coach is asking about whats going on (in practice) or whats supposed to happen in a situation. Hes the first one to be vocal about it and that shows his confidence and that hes been studying off the field." Pat Watkins: "Mr. Ricky Ray. I mean, thats a sure bet. Born a star, been a star. Continuing to grow, a leader. Hes the man to get this while team going. If he plays well, well rally behind him." Chris Van Zeyl: "Khalif Mitchell. Hes dominant. When you watch him on film, theres not an offensive line, when he puts his mind to it, that can stop him. Ive watched him all year terrorize the guys on our team and whether he wins or loses, he leaves his mark every play. Hes a fiery guy, he brings emotion to the game and the defence feeds off him". Jeff Keeping: "Andre Durie. Hes been great this year and has been one of our best players. He works hard all the time, does everything the coaches ask him to do, and that exemplifies what this team is all about." Ricky Ray was asked three different times in three different ways and still wouldnt talk about one specific player. When teased afterward that he was incredibly boring, he laughed and said "I know". Scott Milanovich acknowledged that he had a gut feeling that one of his stars would step up. When asked which one, he chuckled and said "Ill tell you after the game". Mike Hogan is the play by play voice of the Argos on TSN 1050 radio in Toronto. The pre-game show for Sundays game is Noon et, with a 1pm kickoff. You can listen online at TSN1050.ca. ' ' '