|
Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn. Ronald Powell Saints Jersey .ca. Hi Kerry, Appreciate all your insight into what goes on in games. Im just looking for an explanation - in Wednesdays Flyers-Capitals game, why didnt Wayne Simmonds receive a third-man in during the line brawl last night? He clearly grabbed Erskine, who was engaged with Lecavalier, allowing Vinnie a free cheap-shot right to the mush!Thanks,Chris --- Hey Kerry, Seeing the Flyers-Caps line brawl last night, whats the most interesting story from your officiating days when it came to breaking them up? Paul McLane Chris: You are correct in your assessment that Wayne Simmonds deserved a game misconduct when he grabbed John Erskine around the neck allowing Vincent Lecavalier a free shot as the players fell to the ice. Let me break the play down for you and explain how both refs were focused on other wrestling matches taking place in the moment and missed the grab by Simmonds. This quickly developed into the proverbial cluster-bang after Luke Schenn delivered a hard but legal check on Ryan Stoa against the boards just inside the Flyers blue line. Caps tough guy Tom Wilson skated directly toward Schenn for the sole purpose of instigating a fight. As the two players dropped their gloves Wilsons intention was placed on hold as Schenns leg became caught up with Stoa and the Flyer fell to his knees and promptly placed in a vulnerable position. Wilson did the honorable thing and refrained from throwing a punch at Schenn. Brayden Schenn, who Wilson leveled with a devastating illegal hit in a previous meeting, demonstrated his brotherly love in the City of Philadelphia by attempting to engage Tom Wilson on Lucs behalf. Both linesmen quickly intervened and prevented an altercation from developing. As brother Luc was untangling his leg from Ryan Stoa, things really got rolling when Wayne Simmonds fronted Stoa and cuffed the Capitals forward on the visor. This prompted big John Erskine to lead the charge at Simmonds. Linesman Scott Cherrey, a second round selection in the 1994 entry draft by the Washington Capitals, alertly intervened between Erskine and Simmonds. A war on two fronts began once Luc Schenn was able to return to his feet and he and Tom Wilson mutually agreed to engage in a toe-toe slugfest at the Flyers blue line. This fight forced linesman Cherrey to return to the original altercation to assist his partner and leave a pack of angry players that included John Erskine, Wayne Simmonds and Vincent Lecavalier to sort things out. Without any policing in effect John Erskine moved to engage Vinnie Lecavalier which prompted Simmonds to jump on Erskines back. As they fell to the ice in a heap the remaining players piled on. The secondary fight erupted when Erskine quickly broke from Simmonds grasp, jumped to his skates and began trading bombs with Lecavalier below the goal line as the remaining players wrestled one another from a position close beside them. This action caused Steve Mason to move out of his goal crease and in close proximity to jump into the fight and assist Vinnie if necessary. This a whole lot of action taking place at one time for the referees to observe! Both refs shifted their focus away from the fight and wrestling matches in the corner as they moved Mason back to his goal crease to prevent any possible recurrence of the Ray Emery-Braden Holtby incident. In the exact moment that Wayne Simmonds, in his intense wrestling match with Connor Carrick, threw a bear paw swing around Erskines neck, referee Paul Devorski had turned his head to the left to focus on Brayden Schenn and Jay Beagle. In the next frame the ref refocused to catch Erskine, Lecavalier, Simmonds and Carrick falling to the ice in a heap. The ref may or not have witnessed the free punch that Vinnie got in on the way down to the ice from his position. In any event Wayne Simmonds escaped a game misconduct as third man into the altercation. Paul: I was physically involved in many dust-ups when line brawls and bench clearings were common place from the 1970s through the 1980s. One of the most bizarre situations I encountered in breaking up an altercation was when John MacLean of the Devils smoked me right between the eyes with a left that was intended for Moe Lemay of the Boston Bruins in game two of the Eastern Conference Final on May 4, 1988. The Bruins, coached by Terry OReilly, had beaten Jim Schoenfelds Devils by a score of 5-3 in Game 1. Game 2 was a rough-and-tumble affair that the Devils eventually won 3-2 in overtime, but before we reached that point a line brawl broke out when Bruins player Moe Lemay went hard to the Devils goal, bumping Sean Burke. The cavalry came to the defence of their goalkeeper, and linesman Gerry Gauthier was tied up with Willi Plett of the Bruins and Perry Anderson of the Devils against the boards in the end zone. Linesman Ron "Huck" Finn was trying to separate Lemay and MacLean, but they had dropped their gloves and were ready to rumble. Poor Huck Finn was on his own, so I came in from behind to grab Lemay and pull him out of the altercation just as the punches started. I moved around Lemay to tie up his right hand and skate him out of the exchange when, unfortunately for me, Finn didnt realize that MacLeans left hand was free. Johnny Mac unloaded with his best shot from over the top. The closest head to punch was mine - he drove me right in the freakin head. It staggered me momentarily, but thank heavens John MacLean was a better scorer than a puncher. I was still on my skates. I aggressively tied up Lemay and moved him out of the there so that I wouldnt have to take any more shots. I assessed John MacLean 14 minutes in penalties and Lemay with 17. In Game 3 back in the Meadowlands, the dust-up didnt occur on the ice but in the hallway leading to the officials room following a 6-1 Bruins victory when coach Jim Schoenfeld confronted referee Don Koharski. The cameras were rolling and preserved for posterity, the infamous line shouted by the coach at the referee, "Good, because you fell, you fat pig. Have another doughnut!" Dust-ups were common place back then but seldom like the ones that occurred in the 1988 Eastern Conference Final between the Bruins and the Devils. Saints #33 Jersey . The Roughriders signed Chaz Schilens, a veteran of six NFL seasons with the Oakland Raiders, New York Jets, and Detroit Lions. Saints #50 Jersey .com) - The Memphis Grizzlies signed guard Seth Curry on Tuesday.WINNIPEG -- The coach and general manager of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers say wins are the only thing that will show whether theyve assembled a better team this season. "I want to say our fans are going to see a team that theyre proud of, that regardless of the outcome on each particular game, that the fans are going to leave the stadium knowing that we gave it all," GM Kyle Walters said Friday on one of the conference calls CFL teams are having with the media as they prepare for the new season. But there were no bold predictions as to whether the Bombers are a better team yet than they were last season. "Its all words until we hit four wins," said Mike OShea, the former Toronto special teams co-ordinator preparing for his rookie season as a CFL head coach. Last season, the Bombers tied their worst record ever in the 18-game schedule as they finished in the CFL cellar at 3-15. "What does better mean?" asked Walters. "Thats the beauty I guess of our line of work that better is quantifiable with wins and losses." The teams on-field balance sheet shows additions and subtractions since that last troubled season ended. General manager Joe Mack got his pink slip well before the final game and coach Tim Burke was sacked after it was all over. Since then, the biggest loss was defensive star Henoc Muamba. The Canadian linebacker who was Winnipegs top defensive player, top Canadian player and top player overall in 2013 signed with the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL. And one possible import replacement, former Tennessee Titan Gerald McRath, didnt pan out. He went to the teams mini-camp in Florida and the defensive staff didnt see what they were looking for in the veteran. "Its not something were worried about," said OShea, pointing to players still on the roster who can fill the hole. The Bombers also lost Canadian speciial teams linebacker James Green and import receiver Wallace Miles to the Ottawa Redblacks in the CFL expansion draft. Ben Grubbs Saints Jersey. They lost receiver and 2012 CFL rookie of the year Chris Matthews to the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL but picked up free agent Nick Moore from the B.C. Lions, the third leading receiver in the CFL in 2013. They traded Canadian receiver Kito Poblah to the Lions for defensive back and four-time CFL all-star Korey Banks. The Bombers lost free agent offensive lineman Justin Sorensen, last seasons starter at centre, to the Edmonton Eskimos and are looking to use their second overall pick next week to select someone in the CFL draft they hope can be a starting centre. Overall though, Walters says this years draft offers a diminished pool because of rule changes regarding the NFL draft and red-shirted freshmen. "Youre going to see some real good players drafted next week," he said. "Theres just not the depth." The Bombers also struck out in every bid to land a bona fide starting CFL quarterback, although they insist theyre thrilled with former Saskatchewan backup Drew Willy, who has been guaranteed the job even before training camp starts. Both Walters and OShea were emphatic Friday that nothing will change that. "He demonstrated down in Florida to be very accurate," said OShea. "Hes not afraid to go down field . . . He took risks in practice. He didnt try to play it safe. . . He absorbed the playbook very quick. He showed some leadership, I dont forsee that changing from the start of training camp to the end." OShea said theyre not going into camp with a wait-and-see attitude. "What weve done in the off-season I believe is showing that were not waiting to see whats going to happen next, were taking a real active step in creating what we want to happen next," he said. ' ' ' |
