Die Anpflanzler [DA] » in the Cup Finals. However,

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. Hey Kerry, Can you please explain why Phil Kessel was awarded a penalty shot during Leafs/Bruins game on New Years Eve? Clearly he was fouled from behind in the attacking zone but I always thought that a penalty shot was awarded only if the player being fouled was denied a scoring opportunity. Kessel clearly regained his balance after being hooked and was able to get good clean shot away. Shouldnt the offending player have been assessed a minor penalty for hooking? As a minor hockey ref I enjoy your insight and take on rule interpretation. Thanks. Pat Baskette Ingersoll, ON Pat: You are correct by noting that when a player is fouled from behind the intention of the rule is to restore a reasonable scoring opportunity which has been lost. The rule also goes on to say that if, however, the player fouled is able to recover and obtain a reasonable scoring opportunity (or a teammate is able to gain a reasonable scoring opportunity), no penalty shot should be awarded but the appropriate penalty should be signaled and assessed if a goal is not scored on the play. It is purely a judgment call by the referee as to the quality of any subsequent scoring opportunity that the player fouled is able to regain. On this play, the referee applied rule 24.8 (iii) which states, The fact that he (Phil Kessel) got a shot off does not automatically eliminate this play from the penalty shot consideration criteria. If the foul was from behind and he was denied a more reasonable scoring opportunity due to the foul, then the penalty shot should be awarded. I doubt anyone would deny that Kessel was able to get a very good shot away after being hooked by big Zdeno Chara. The shot even forced Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask to make an excellent save. What the referee determined however, was that the strong hook to the right arm of Kessel by Chara twisted the Leafs attacker sufficiently and forced Kessel to cut hard to the right side as he set up and prepared to shoot the puck. From the referees perspective the forced location Kessel was placed in created a much less desirable shooting angle than had he not been hooked. As we review the play, Kessel maintained full possession and control throughout with a left hand push of the puck just off the left side of center. Kessel utilized a right arm swung with a forward to back motion in an effort to maintain full throttle speed and to keep the safest possible distance ahead of Chara. The hard tug on the right arm of Kessel did alter and twist his body posture. Kessel then executed a skate cross-over to maintain control and establish a shooting position. We could speculate as to whether Kessel intended to move to that shooting location but the fact remains that the hook did altered his posture and path to the net. In the referees judgment a less reasonable scoring opportunity resulted. Penalty shots are an exciting part of the game and provide excellent drama. The NHL has relaxed the criteria under which a penalty shot is awarded over the years and as such encourage the refs to call them. I can understand the referees decision to restore a more reasonable scoring opportunity to Kessel as a result of the hook. My take is similar to yours Pat and a minor penalty for hooking would have sufficed given the fact that Kessel did not lose control of the puck and made a great shot. We might even get some agreement from Leafs coach Randy Carlyle after Rask stoned Kessel with a solid poke-check and thwarted the penalty shot. Either way - its a judgment call, Pat. All Blue Air Jordan 12 Retro . Nathan Beaulieu, Tomas Jurco, Danick Gauthier and Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and an assist each as the Sea Dogs extended the longest streak in the Canadian Hockey League this season. Purple Air Jordan 12 Retro . Torres scored the first goal by an English team in the knockout phase of the Champions League this season when he met Cezar Azpilicuetas cutback in the ninth minute of their first leg match in the last 16. But Chelsea failed to make the most of its counterattacks and the Turkish champions equalized in the second half after gaining in confidence and cutting out their defensive mistakes. http://www.cheapjordans12retro.com/all-star-air-jordan-12-retro/ .The 24-year-old quarterback spent four seasons at Northern Illinois and in 2013 was a finalist for the Heisman, which is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in U. All Gold Air Jordan 12 Retro . "Last year didnt go the way we wanted it to, but we need to look at what went well and what didnt go so well. Hopefully this year we will be better," Brendan Gallagher said after practice. This year, the Canadiens have a little more depth to work with by adding players like Daniel Briere, Dale Weise, Mike Weaver, Douglas Murray and arguably, the biggest addition to this playoff roster, Thomas Vanek, who the Canadiens were able to land at the trade deadline. Cheap Jordan 12 Ovo For Sale . Make the extra pass, take care of the ball, play defence and get more out of his bench.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Thankfully, there will be no labor disputes or Winter Olympics disrupting NHL action this season, as the league tries to get back to normal in 2014-15. After suffering through a lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign, the NHL saw last season halted for nearly a month while the league went on hiatus for the Sochi Olympics. However, no such interruptions are expected this season and hockey fans will even get to see the return of the NHL All-Star Game, an event that hasnt been held since January of 2012. Dynasty is a word being thrown around quite a bit these days thanks to the recent success experienced in Chicago and Los Angeles, a pair of franchises with two Cup victories over the past several seasons. Neither team is worthy of the dynasty label yet, but the race is on to see if either club can add to its title haul in 2015. The Blackhawks won their second Cup title in four seasons in the spring of 2013 and the Kings made it two championships in three years back in June. The clubs battled in the Western Conference finals in last seasons playoffs and theres a good chance that both the West crown and the Cup could go through Chicago or L.A. yet again. The realignment plan instituted at the start of the last season has set the West up as the stronger of the two conferences, with the East lagging far behind. In addition to Chicago and L.A., Anaheim, Colorado, Minnesota, St. Louis and San Jose also have legitimate Cup dreams, but theres a solid chance theyll need to upset either the Blackhawks or Kings in order to reach the promised land. The top contender in the East, meanwhile, is the Boston Bruins, who won last seasons Presidents Trophy before getting knocked out in the second round by Montreal. The defending conference champion New York Rangers also figure to be among the Easts top teams, while the Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning also could be in the mix at seasons end. Odds are the 2015 champion will come from the West. If that happens it would mark the conferences fifth title since 2010, with only the 2010-11 Bruins claiming a Cup for the East so far during the stretch. Once again the top three clubs from each of the leagues four divisions will earn automatic bids to the playoffs, while wild card spots account for the remaining two postseason spots in each conference. The second- and third-place teams from each division will meet in the first round of the playoffs. The remaining opening-round series will feature one matchup between the division winner with the most points against the wild card with the lowest point total and another featuring the other division winner and wild card representative. Without further ado, its time to make predictions on which teams are bound for the playoffs. Here it goes: EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC Boston Bruins (champion) Tampa Bay Lightning (automatic bid) Montreal Canadiens (automatic bid) METROPOLITAN Pittsburgh Penguins (champion) New York Rangers (automatic bid) Columbus Blue Jackets (automatic bid) WILD CARDS New Jersey Devils New York Islanders EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Boston Heading into the 2014 playoffs, the Bruins were billed as the only East team with a real chance of beating one of the Wests elite clubs in the Cup Finals. However, Claude Juliens club didnt get the chance to test its mettle against the representatives from the NHLs power conference as Boston fell in seven games to the rival Montreal Canadiens in the East semifinals. The Habs downed Boston with speed in the playoffs before the Rangers beat Montreal at its own game in the conference finals.dddddddddddd Both clubs obviously have the skaters to take down the Bruins again, but Boston shouldnt be counted out due to one shaky postseason performance. The Bruins, after all, have shown the ability to rebound from poor playoff appearances in recent years under Julien and it could be time for them to prove it again. Boston won the Stanley Cup in 2011 just one year removed from a monumental 0-3 collapse against Philadelphia in the 2010 playoffs. Then after getting bounced by Washington in the first round of the 2012 playoffs, the Bs went on to face the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2013 Cup Finals before ultimately falling in six games. Juliens system, which puts an emphasis on responsible team defense, is the major reason Boston is still a threat. Steady on-ice leaders like star defenseman Zdeno Chara and versatile centerman Patrice Bergeron make sure the team sticks to the plan, and having reigning Vezina Trophy winner Tuukka Rask between the pipes doesnt hurt either. The Bruins may not be able to stop the trend of Western Conference dominance in the end, but a return to the Cup Finals is well within Bostons reach. WESTERN CONFERENCE CENTRAL St. Louis Blues (champion) Chicago Blackhawks (automatic bid) Minnesota Wild (automatic bid) PACIFIC Anaheim Ducks (champion) Los Angeles Kings (automatic bid) San Jose Sharks (automatic bid) WILD CARDS Colorado Avalanche Dallas Stars WESTERN CONFERENCE/STANLEY CUP CHAMPION: Chicago Blackhawks No team has been able to claim consecutive Cups since Detroit pulled off the repeat in 1997 and 98, but the Kings are a serious threat to supplant the Red Wings as the most recent back-to-back champions. Of course, the Blackhawks figure to be the biggest obstacle standing in the way of a second straight L.A. title. Chicago not only pushed the Kings to the limit in last springs classic Western Conference finals battle, it also carried a 4-3 edge into the third period of Game 7 before L.A. rallied for a 5-4 OT victory in the Windy City. The Blackhawks and Kings are similar in many ways. They boast two of the NHLs deepest rosters with star players littered throughout and both clubs are used to dominating the opposition when it comes to puck possession. Chicago seems to own a slight edge in overall defensive depth, but Kings blueliner Drew Doughty appeared to be the biggest difference maker during last years playoff battle. L.A. goaltender Jonathan Quick also is a better regarded goaltender than Chicagos Corey Crawford, but both players have proven themselves capable of anchoring a Cup-winning team. When two teams match up this closely with one another, intangible factors can often tip the balance in one clubs favor. What L.A. did in last years playoffs was amazing, but the Kings did receive their share of puck luck along the way and theres a good chance it could run out in 2015. Darryl Sutters resilient club deserves credit for rallying from down 3-0 to beat San Jose in Round 1 last spring and coming back from a 3-2 deficit to eliminate Anaheim in the conference semis before outlasting Chicago, but a few bounces the other way easily could have ended L.A.s title hopes prematurely. After the Kings magical run to the Cup in 2014, it isnt crazy to think the Blackhawks will have luck on their side this time. One thing is clear: as hockey fans, wed all be lucky to see another Western Conference battle between Chicago and L.A. The race to claim a dynasty is on, and in 2014-15 it could be Chicagos turn to take another lap with Lord Stanleys Cup. 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