olden State would be another leap forward. Toront

Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at [email protected]. Its an "Ace" of a day here in South New Jersey and Im in a very happy mood. I recorded my first ever hole-in–one this morning on the par 3, 135 yard fourth hole at the Atlantic City Country Club with an eight iron into a stiff wind and drizzle off the Bay. As they say, even a blind squirrel (or ref) can find a nut once in a while! Enjoy the games tonight. - Kerry Hi Kerry, In seemingly all of his games since the playoffs have started, Brad Marchand has had a talking to by the referee for stick work after the whistle. The commentators keep referring to Marchand getting "a warning." But if this is happening every game, shouldnt these warnings turn into penalties at some point? Does the league allow or encourage officials to pass this type of information on from one game to the next? Thanks,JonathanToronto, ON Jonathan: NHL officials do share information with one another. The fastest lines of communication are the telephone, telegraph and tell a ref! The series supervisor updates each new crew at a game-day noon meeting as to what has taken place in previous games. There are no surprises; especially when it comes to certain hotspots the officials need to be aware of involving players from both teams. The referees want to do their very best to allow the players to play on the edge while maintaining an element of control; especially in a game seven. With regard to game control, the intelligent official will communicate with players and coaches when he deems it necessary to bring their negative emotions down a notch. I often noticed that player aggression could escalate during a shift or subsequent shifts. It was almost like a snowball rolling down a hill that gathered momentum. It was almost predictable as a player became less disciplined and likely to commit an infraction resulting in a penalty call. Im not referring to some spontaneous retaliation or foul but a tendency that players demonstrated to lose their discipline through a series of ragged play. Scrums and confrontations after the whistle are the most opportune time for player hostilities and paybacks to escalate. Scrums take the focus away from playing the game to instead administering punishment or getting even. When that occurs the refs have to take measures to get players refocused; usually with the fear that a penalty will be called to re-establish acceptable guidelines. The most successful refs are the one that get the players to play on their terms without having to continually lay the hammer down! The entertainment value of the game is maximized whenever that takes place. There comes a point though when the communication efforts have no effect and the refs arm must go up to call a penalty. I just dont want to single out Brad Marchand of the Bruins. Brendan Gallagher of the Habs is another pesky little guy that can really stir things up. Both are emotional players that bring plenty of energy to their game and can draw a crowd. Whether it is going hard to the net and making contact with the goalkeeper or initiating contact after the whistle in an effort to draw a foul, both players have earned the right to be on the refs radar screen. Officials develop a working relationship with all players. Throughout that relationship building process a player has to clearly know when a referee means business; when he has had enough and the hammer is about to fall! Speaking from personal experience, players didnt often mistake my piercing look and terse body language or tone for knowing when it was time to back off and take their foot off the gas pedal. When I issued a "warning" to a player I often told him I could be his best advocate or his worst friggin nightmare - the choice was his? A referee can also solicit the assistance of a respected team leader or captain that he has a good relationship with to get his teammate under control before the ref is forced to take action. I often used the coach in this capacity to instill some discipline in one of his players. When I had enough of the scrums (which was very quickly) I went to each coach and told them I had enough and was going to penalize one player only in a scrum. Since it might just be their player I asked them to take control before I was forced to put his team down a man! They usually cooperated; if not it only took one such penalty for them to understand I meant business. What the referees are attempting to do with a player like Brad Marchand is to establish some self-discipline through an element of reason. Reminding the player that taking a penalty will put his team in the hole can be one way to do that as I have described above. It is important for the ref to choose his words wisely and not "threaten" the player with, "If you do that one more time" routine. Game 7 is not the time for any player to test the referees resolve; nor is it the time for the referees to lay the hammer down without some fair warning. I think the message has been delivered and the pests will play their typical game but just on the edge. Talk is often cheap but everything is on the line for both teams tonight! Duke Riley Youth Jersey . Certainly not Monday night. George Hill took care of the early work, scoring a season-high 26 points, and Paul George closed it out by scoring 11 of his 26 points during a decisive second-half stretch that finally allowed Indiana to pull away from Minnesota 98-84 for yet another win. Duke Riley Womens Jersey . Rasmussen didnt have a decision during his four appearances in May, when he gave up two hits and no runs in two innings. Toronto used five relievers while pulling off the second-biggest comeback in franchise history on Friday night, rallying from an 8-0 deficit to a 14-9 win. http://www.falcontoreauthentic.com/Yout ... te-Jersey/. They are back to a game above .500 on the year and back to .500 on the road. It was their 10th extra time game of the year, and only the second one that did not got to a shootout. Takkarist McKinley Womens Jersey . Heavily-criticized after allowing a dozen goals on 58 shots in two games in Boston, Luongo continued his dominance at home. Hes now allowed two goals in three home games in this series. Duke Riley Falcons Jersey . Espanyol midfielder Sanchez intercepted Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizozs clearance and, having spotted a gap, risked using his less-favoured left foot to fire a beautifully precise long-range shot that bounced in from high up the near post in the 24th minute.Toronto coach Dwane Casey has been impressed with how the Raptors have handled a tough road trip against Western Conference foes, knowing that it will only make his team stronger as it moves ahead. Winning at NBA-best Golden State would be another leap forward. Toronto looks to avoid a 10th consecutive road loss to the Warriors while preventing Golden State from recording its longest home winning streak in nearly 25 years tonight. The East-leading Raptors (24-8) lost at Chicago on Dec. 22, then had four days off before opening a five-game trip with wins over the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver on back-to-back nights. They fell 102-97 to Portland in overtime Tuesday as Kyle Lowry scored a team-high 25 points. Despite his club blowing a 13-point lead, Casey came away proud of the Raptors effort against a Blazers team which has the leagues second-best record. I love the way we competed in a hostile environment, Casey said. If you can compete in that environment, the way we did (Tuesday), you can compete in a lot of places. Toronto hasnt fared well in Oakland since winning there Feb. 8, 2004, losing its last nine visits while giving up an average of 119.0 points. The Warriors (25-5) routed Philadelphia 126-86 on Tuesday for their 10th straight win at home, where they havent won 11 in a row since a team-record 15-game run Dec. 13, 1989-Feb. 15, 1990. With Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli still out with injuries, center Marreese Speights made his third straight start and matched his season high of 23 points against his former team. I didnt play him (much) a couple games and he just stayed ready, coach Steve Kerr said. Thenn he got himself in the rotation and hes been in ever since.dddddddddddd Mos had a fantastic season scoring and doing his thing. Speights should continue seeing quality time due to the injuries. Bogut has missed 10 games due to chonodromalacia/bone edema in his right knee, and Ezeli has been out three straight with a left ankle sprain. Kerr isnt sure when either will be back. They are doing better and they are on the court moving around, but I dont really spend a lot of time asking them, Kerr said. Casey knows Toronto needs to be aware of Speights abilities, as well as Golden States tough defense. The Warriors rank fifth in turnovers forced at 16.3 per game and ninth in points allowed at 98.2. Speights is having an unbelievable year shooting the ball, Casey said. Theyre a well-rounded team offensively and they (havent compromised) their defense. People see all the offense, but they forget how good of a defensive team they really are. The Raptors have won eight of 10, an even more impressive run considering DeMar DeRozan has missed the last 16 games with a torn tendon in his groin. DeRozan went through his first full practice Thursday since getting hurt. He doesnt expect to play against Golden State and also could sit out when Toronto completes its trip Sunday in Phoenix, though his return is coming soon. DeRozan had 32 points to help overcome 34 from Stephen Curry as the Raptors ended a three-game overall skid to the Warriors with a 104-98 home victory in the most recent meeting March 2. Curry has averaged 28.1 points in eight career games against Toronto, his best average against any opponent. Wholesale Falcons Jerseys Wholesale Buccaneers Jerseys Wholesale Cardinals Jerseys Wholesale Bills Jerseys Wholesale Jets Jerseys Wholesale Panthers Jerseys Wholesale Ravens Jerseys Wholesale Texans Jerseys Wholesale Patriots Jerseys Wholesale Steelers Jerseys Wholesale Cowboys Jerseys Wholesale Packers Jerseys Wholesale Browns Jerseys Wholesale Chiefs Jerseys Wholesale Colts Jerseys Wholesale Rams Jerseys ' ' '