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on the intent, spirit and language of Rule 5
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Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn. Air Force 1 Retro Outlet .ca. Hey Kerry, Im a huge fan of your responses and perspective in the game. Im also a huge Rangers fan. I was watching the Kings/Rangers game on Thursday. With around eight minutes left in the third period, the Rangers were in the Kings zone attacking. Dan Boyle took a shot from the point and broke his stick. Subsequently, the kings ended up with a break (3-on-2) going the other way. Boyle was looking for help and teammate Dominic Moore lofted his stick in Boyles direction. Boyle initially looked for the stick, but then had second thoughts and batted it away. The thought is that there would have been a penalty if Boyle had received the stick. Is this correct? And if so, should there not have been a penalty on Moore for throwing his stick in the first place? Thanks, Rob Ollerton, Fort McMurray --- Rob: Thank you very much for your loyal following of CMon Ref. I trust all is well in Ft. McMurray and hope that you are staying warm this time of year skating on the outdoor rinks? Dan Boyle could have caught the stick that was thrown to him and participated in the play without personally incurring a minor penalty under the rules even though he technically received the stick illegally. Had Boyle done so however, it would have drawn significantly more attention to teammate T. J. Miller (not Dominic Moore) for the illegal action of throwing a stick to a teammate punishable by a minor penalty. In fairness to the NHL referee community there is some vagueness in the understanding and interpretation of the rules as they affect this specific play? The situation handbook only makes reference to incidents where a player receives the stick illegally and plays with it, which Boyle refused to do. Rule 10.3 tells us that, A player who has lost or broken his stick may only receive a stick at his own players bench or be handed one from a teammate on the ice. A player will be penalized if he throws, tosses, slides or shoots a stick to a teammate on the ice. The same application is enforced when a player throws or slides a replacement stick to a goalkeeper. The goalie does not receive a penalty but the player is assessed a minor penalty for throwing the stick. A consistency is further created within the rule for determining the guilty party should a stick be thrown from off the playing surface by stating, A player tendered a stick thrown on the ice from the players or penalty bench will not receive a penalty. However, the person responsible for throwing the stick will receive a bench minor penalty. While the above references provide the assumption that the player picks up the illegally acquired stick, it is important to note that a bench minor penalty would be warranted and should be assessed as per Rule 53.3 (Throwing Equipment) regardless as to whether the stick is picked and played with up or not. On the surface it might appear that the primary intent of rule 10 is so that a player who has broken his stick does not gain an advantage to defend (territorially) when a stick is airmailed to him on the ice by a teammate. While that is in part correct, the larger issue concerns safety of players when sticks are being thrown about, in addition to potential interference violations that can restrict the flow of play. Rule 53 clearly states that a player shall not throw a stick or any other object in any zone and a minor penalty shall be imposed on any player on the ice who throws his stick or any part thereof or any other object in the direction of the puck or an opponent in any zone, except when such act has been penalized by the assessment of a penalty shot or the awarding of a goal. Even though the stick was thrown to a teammate (Boyle) it shortly thereafter interfered to some degree with Marian Gaboriks skates as the Kings player attacked the net in search of a cross-ice pass. An immediate and clear decision has to be made by the Officiating and Hockey Operations Departments as to how they want their referees to interpret the current rules when a player throws, tosses, slides or shoots a stick to a teammate on the ice when the stick is not picked up. The jury is split on this at the present time. Dan Boyle had the option to catch and play with stick which he would have acquired in an illegal manner without ever receiving a penalty under the rules. The onus and penalty is therefore placed upon a teammate that distributes the stick in an illegal fashion. It was a pretty heads up play by Boyle to forgo Millers offering. The decision worked to the NY Rangers advantage this time around. Personally, I can handle a non-call on a player that slides or shoots a stick in the direction of a player who has lost or broken his stick so long as it is not picked up and played with and the resulting action does not interfere with the movements of the puck or attacking players. Broken sticks and loose equipment are discarded and moved out of the way of play without recourse on a consistent basis. However, based on the intent, spirit and language of Rule 53 designed to deter players from throwing sticks and other objects through the air I would suggest that in the future, players should receive a minor penalty for throwing a stick regardless of the intended recipient or whether the stick is caught or played with. Will keep you posted when a final determination has been made. Air Force 1 China .C. -- The RBC Cups semifinal participants were decided by a pair of overtime games. Air Force 1 Replica . The light-heavyweight champion and number one ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world is on an 11-fight UFC winning streak, the longest in the history of the weight class.Former Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Weston Dressler was released by the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday as the club trimmed its roster down to 78 players. Dressler was among 11 players to be cut. The former CFL standout, 29, signed with the Chiefs in the offseason andd saw action in three preseason games. Air Force 1 For Sale. Dressler collected 6,531 receiving yards in his first six CFL seasons, including five 1,000-yard campaigns. Last season with Saskatchewan, Dressler caught 70 passes for 1,011 yards and nine touchdowns. ' ' '