Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enfo

[blueberryjerry]

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 the second period of the Ottawa-Columbus game, Blue Jackets forward Artem Anisimov had the puck and had his head down and Senators defenceman Eric Gryba threw a big body check on him. Anisimov was down and stayed that way for a few minutes. Gryba got a match penalty and a game misconduct for the hit, though most hockey fans Ive seen on social media (and commentators and analysts) deemed it a clean hit. I thought it was clearly a full body check with no intent and the one official was looking right at the play with a good view and didnt call anything until afterwards. I dont get it. I know its hard for the officials to make that call since hockey plays happen so fast. But since this official saw the play happen from a good angle, I have no idea how he didnt see what actually happened. Couldnt the official who saw it just say it was a clean hit to the other official and linesmen? If you were the ref that was looking at the play as it happened, what would you have done? Thoughts on the play? Thank you for your time, Haleigh J. -- Haleigh: While I am certainly concerned for the health and well-being of Artem Anisimov I, like you, see this as a legal body check in both the setup and execution of the hit delivered by Eric Gryba. Let me attempt to clarify your question as to why the referee called a match penalty from what you describe as, from a good angle. Referee Justin St. Pierre, backing up through the bottom of the end zone face-off circle, processed the visual information he received on the play and did react to the hit by raising his arm to call a penalty before the scrum developed. From this position, given the speed of the play, St. Pierre must have determined in the momentary aftermath of the hit that an illegal check to the head had been delivered. This is reasonable for the ref to determine given his angle (looking through the back of Gryba) and more so by the physical posture and reaction of both players following the contact. Grybas body naturally elevated as a result of impact and Anisimovs out of control fall and loss of his helmet provided the ref with incriminating imagery burnt into his mind in that moment. The time delay that resulted from the altercation that took place following the check, coupled with the fact that Anisimov required medical attention to remove him from the ice elevated the refs perception of the play to a match penalty. My take is considerably different. As you suggested, Anisimov had his head down and was looking back toward the puck with his body in a lowered posture. In setting up to make a legal check, Gryba mirrored his opponent by lowering his body posture as well with the intent to make a shoulder check through Anisimovs body. The body posture of both players is a key component in the set up of the intended check. Just prior to impact Gryba stiffened his legs slightly and delivered a shoulder check off the centre mass of Anisimov. While some secondary contact to the head resulted the main contact was delivered through Anisimovs chest and shoulder. Once the referee determined that an illegal check to the head had been delivered, rule 48 provides for only two penalty options to assess; a minor or a match penalty. There are no provisions for a major penalty or game misconduct within this rule. A match penalty is to be assessed at the Referees discretion if, in his judgment, the player attempted to or deliberately injured his opponent with an illegal check to the head. In my judgment, for the reasons stated above, I do not believe that was the case. The closest official to the play made the call. In response to your last portion of the question, his partner, veteran referee Paul Devorski, would have been trailing the play a considerable distance away and on the opposite side of the ice. It would be highly unlikely that he would attempt to override the decision made by his partner whom he would assume was in better position to observe the play more clearly. . -- James Harden scored 31 points, including 25 in the second half, and the Houston Rockets dug out of a double-digit, first-half hole to beat the Orlando Magic 101-89 on Wednesday night. .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. . -- Two out of three aint bad.Willie Desjardins will be meeting with the Canucks in Vancouver this weekend and according to TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie, the team will introduce him as their new head coach next week assuming all goes as expected in the hiring process. Desjardins, 58, led the AHLs Texas Stars to Calder Cup victory win over the St. Johns IceCaps this past season. He has served as the Stars head coach for the past two seasons, following aa three-year stint as an assistant coach with Dallas. . The native of Climax, Sask. also won a WHL championship in 2004 as coach of the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Canucks fired both general manager Mike Gillis and head coach John Tortorella at the end of last season. Canucks alumnus Trevor Linden was named President of Hockey Operations in April and hired Jim Benning as general manager last month. ' ' '

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