Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn. Brett Favre Jersey .ca. Hey Kerry, As always, I really enjoy your take on some of the questionable plays/calls/non-calls. I thought I would try and lighten it up a little with a request for you to share a truly funny or odd moment that you may have had while the players were lining up at the dot. There have been a couple of brief interchanges recently that made me think of this, the latest being at about 12:23 of the first in the Hawks/Kings game on Monday. With all the games you have done, there must be a few. Care to share any? Thanks again, Bajuhn Hey Bujuhn, The camera often catches intense debates between players or coaches and the officials but misses the lighter, humorous side that helps to bring the temperature down and build healthy professional working relationships. I learned early in my career that the use of humor, when appropriate (especially self-deprecating), had its place on the ice. Early in my very first season as a referee, I had a game where the home team was getting soundly trounced and their frustration was continuously being directed at me. I responded with multiple misconduct penalties and, toward the end of the game, players were sitting three deep in the penalty box. Following another goal that took the score in double digits, the coach sent his captain over to have a word with me. Very politely the captain asked, "Mr. Referee, my coach wants to know if he can get a penalty for thinking?" I said, "Probably not if he doesnt think out loud." The captain then said, "In that case, my coach thinks you are a F-ing A-hole!" I not only found the coaches comment to be creative but very funny and I began to laugh. The stern look on the face of the coach changed to a grin and then he began to laugh as well. The humor we shared in that moment, albeit at my expense, broke the ice and taught me a valuable lesson that would serve me throughout my career. In the early 1980s, I was the first referee to wear a wireless microphone during a game at MSG between the Minnesota North Stars and the Rangers. The microphone was left open throughout the entire game so it brought the television audience directly to the action on the ice with uncensored comments. We had several dust-ups throughout the game where my mic caught all the pleasantries that were being exchanged between players. Willi Plett tried to club Don Maloney of the Rangers in once such scrum and caught me on the bridge of my nose with his glove. After Plett served his penalty, he approached me at a stoppage of play and asked, "Is this your worst game of the season?" I shot back with a smile, "No, theyre all about this caliber." Plett looked dumbfounded and shook his head while skating away. At times, I tried to council rookie officials not to take themselves so seriously in an effort to solicit player cooperation and earn respect. In 1988, my friend and colleague, linesman Pierre Champoux signed an NHL contract. Pierre quickly developed into an excellent linesman but in the beginning of his career, he did not have a very good command of the English language to put it mildly. We left training camp together that September and headed out West to work exhibition games and to work on Pierres English language skills. One of our early assignments was in Los Angeles and the rookie linesman wanted to establish his full control in the faceoff circle. Bernie Nicholls entered Pierres domain late in the first period to take the draw. In what Nicholls correctly perceived as an aggressive tone and animated gesture, the linesman commanded Nichols with, "You, put your stick down!" Bernie straightened up, cussed at Champoux by questioning who the "F" the rookie thought he was talking to? Nicholls was immediately ejected from the faceoff with a quick jerk of the linesmans thumb followed by, "You, out!" I skated over and told Nicholls to relax as a replacement entered the faceoff circle. Between periods, I conveyed the importance of quickly developing a good working relationship with all the players to gain respect and solicit their cooperation. I acted out a role-play to demonstrate the linesmans command to Nicholls that wasnt well received; followed by a polite approach I always used by requesting the centres to "please put your sticks down." It was obvious to Pierre which method would be better received by a player in the future. I finished by commenting if Pierre still received a hostile comment from a player following his polite request to follow with a lighter approach by saying, "Why are you so grumpy, did someone piss on your cornflakes this morning?" Pierre said I like dat and he couldnt wait to get on the ice to try his new techniques in the faceoff circle; especially the cornflakes line as it turned out. As the centres arrived for the faceoff, Pierre still had a bit of an edge to his tone when he commanded, "You, put your stick down please." Getting some resistance from the player, my rookie student responded immediately with, "Put your stick down or I will piss on your corn-flake!" Something got lost in the translation. Champoux quickly developed a command of the English language and continues to be recognized by the players as a highly respected linesman in the NHL. Pierre also enjoys his bowl of cornflakes in the morning with low-fat milk. Ty Montgomery Jersey . Early in the first period, Stuart pinched in from the blue line, hit Nash and was assessed a minor penalty for elbowing. Nash remained in the game for the rest of the first period, but did not return for the second. Green Bay Packers Jerseys . Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks were proof of that on Wednesday night. http://www.packersshopfootball.com/packers-ray-nitschke-navy-blue-jersey/ . "I only want to go through this one more time," Crosby said Friday. The 24-year-old captain hasnt played since the symptoms resurfaced following a loss to Boston on Dec. 5. Doctors allowed him to return to full practice on Tuesday and while Crosby is pleased with the way his body is responding he refuses to put on his return.ABBOTSFORD, B.C. -- The Grand Rapids Griffins made a statement Saturday that the defending American Hockey League champions intend to make another long playoff run. Andrej Nestrasils three-point night helped Grand Rapids to a 7-2 win over the Abbotsford Heat and a 2-0 lead in its best-of-five first-round series. The third-year pro scored his first two career AHL playoff goals and added an assist in the blowout victory. "Hes been good," said Griffins captain Jeff Hoggan. "He was in Toledo (ECHL) last year but hes a skilled player. When we lose guys like (Tomas Tatar) and (Tomas) Jurco, guys who go up to the Red Wings, we need somebody to fill that role and hes done a fantastic job for us." The Griffins now head back home in hopes of a sweep after taking both games at the Abbotsford Centre. The Griffins won 2-1 on Friday in double overtime. "Yesterday was the first game of the playoffs, so everyone was kind of nervous," said Nestrasil. "I felt that sometimes we were trying to make plays, even if they werent there. Today we started a little more simple and it came out of that. We didnt let them shoot. They scored two first-period goals, five shots on net, so were going to try to play better defensively, because when you play well defensively you get the offensive chances after." Ryan Sproul, the Game 1 overtime hero, and Teemu Pulkkinen each had a goal and two assists for Grand Rapids while Trevor Parkes, Cody Emmerton and Hoggan also scored for the visitors, whose parent club Detroit was eliminated from the NHL playoffs and is expected to send some bodies back for Game 3 on Wednesday. "Weve got some talented young guys back there," said Hoggan of rookie defencemen like Sproul. "This is the time when you want to see what theyre all about. Playoff hockey is the toughest hockey. For them to step up, its going to be huge for us to go on and go far. We know theyre capable and theyre doing it at crunch time." Petr Mrazek had to stop just 15 shots, compared to his 55-save performance the night before. Max Reinhart had a goal and an assist for Abbotsford, which may have played its final home game after it was announced last week that the franchise wwill not be back in the city next season. Corey Linsley Jersey. . Emile Poirier had the other goal, while Joni Ortio stopped 25-of-30 shots before being pulled. Doug Carr mopped up, making 14 saves. Though the Heat were embarrassed on home ice, and cancelled their regular post-game presser, the Griffins know that Game 3 wont be easy. "We have to make sure its hard for them to get opportunities," said Nestrasil. "Every chance, they need to earn it and make sure they have to come through us all the time." Abbotsford opened the scoring at the 7:40 mark of the first. Reinhart stepped into a shot in the high slot. Mrazek kicked it right to Poirier, who quickly brought the puck to his forehand and snapped it blocker side for his first professional playoff goal. The visitors, however, tied the game not long after. Mattias Janmark drove hard to the net and centred for Parkes, who chipped it by Ortio for his first AHL playoff goal at 10:13. The Heat regained the lead with a power-play goal at 15:32. Reinhart tried to centre for Ben Hanowski but it ricocheted off the skate of Brennan Evans. Just 35 seconds later the Griffins again drew even when Sprouls one-timer from the point was deflected by Nestrasil. Grand Rapids scored a short-handed goal late in the first to take their first lead. Emmerton made a move around one defender, then fought off another and chipped the puck past Ortio while falling to his backside, giving Detroits 2006 second-round selection his first AHL playoff goal in five years. Hoggan doubled the lead two minutes into the second period when he took a cross-ice feed from Pulkkinen and fired a wrist shot over the glove of Ortio, giving him 14 career AHL playoff goals. Nestrasil chased Ortio at 11:19 of the second, snapping a shot short side from a bad angle. "I just wanted to dump the puck in, but nobody came to me," said the Prague native. "I was basically walking into the zone. I just threw it at the net and it went through. Im glad I can score a goal like that. Im glad we scored a lot of goals because it gives the guys confidence." Sproul scored a power-play goal at 6:45 of the third and Pulkkinen added another on the power play at 12:09. Wholesale NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Cheap Jerseys Online China Jerseys Wholesale Stitched Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2019 ' ' '