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! Hi Kerry, As a fellow ref, and one was always compared to you (because of my hair) I ask you this; prior to the recent change in what constitutes a hooking penalty where just touching a player in the midsection can result in a hooking call, my criteria in calling a hook was: Did it impede the players progress? Did it cause a change of possession? Did it cause an injury? Did it materially affect the game? If not, then I wouldnt call it. There may be an exception that doesnt one to mind, but essentially, thats what I chose to do. In the game last night leading up to the winning goal, Jaromir Jagr reached in and clearly hooked Evgeni Malkin (in my opinion), resulting in a change of possession. You could tell because as Malkin was pushing with his legs to take off with the puck and as Jagr reached in with his stick and pulled, Malkins body position went from leaning forward in a driving forward motion to being erect and his forward progress was obviously altered by that action. He lost the puck to Jagr as a result of that hook. Jagr was closer to his offensive zone. Because of that hook, when he snagged the puck, he was closer to the Penguin goal than Malkin was and it gave him an advantage which he used to start the play for the winning goal. So finally, my question...even in an OT playoff game, should a hook have been called? Bill Totten --- Kerry, Thank you for the insight you give us everyday and the thought process you give us of an NHL referee. Last night on the Boston Bruins overtime goal there was a clear hook on Evgeni Malkin by Jaromir Jagr. Jagrs stick was to the midsection of Malkin and there was also a tug which led to the Bruins coming back and getting the winner. All year long including the playoffs we have seen far less hooks be called for a penalty. Why was this not called? Shouldnt the same rules be applied regardless if its the first period or OT? By calling the game differently in OT then it would be in the first arent they ruining the integrity of the game? Thank you,Angelo Vamvakas Bill and Angelo: The is no way anyone can put a positive spin on the non-call (video link) in double overtime that turned the puck over and resulted in the game winning goal by Patrice Bergeron of Boston. As both of you alluded to, Jaromir Jagr clearly reached and hooked Evgeni Malkin through the hands and then up under the armpit. As Jagr pulled back with his stick, Malkins forward progress was stalled, stutter-stepped and his body twisted from the hook. Jagr then gained possession of the puck and reversed the flow on the attack to set up the game-winning goal. The expectation is (and should be) that obvious infractions will be called at any time of the game. There was give and take in this hard fought game and both sides gained some advantages from a generous standard of enforcement that was extended to them. Once players enter a relative comfort zone that the Refs are allowing them to play and anything short of a scoring opportunity or a puck shot over the glass will be called they often take advantage of everything they can. This turnover of the puck was at the red line; just short of 100 feet from either goal. Jagr gambled that he could get away with the hook in double overtime. His leap of faith paid off for him and the Boston Bruins as they took a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. Since the play took place at the red line and on a puck carrier (which is a visual transition zone for the Refs) it would be next to impossible if at least one Referee was not focused directly on the action. Its even highly probable that four eyes would have had a look at the play from different vantage points. The Referee on the same side of the ice in the Penguins zone (trailing Malkin) might have had an obstructed view looking through Jagrs back as the hook was administered. Theoretically, the best view would be drawn with an angle on the play by the lead Ref on the opposite side of the ice. Perhaps neither Ref had a clear sightline on the play. If that was the case, one or both of them should have! I can appreciate the pressure the Officials feel as the game extends into double OT. Every decision they make is crucial and magnified at this point of the game. No Ref wants to be accused of making a weak call that decides the game. Also keep in mind, penalties were being called in both overtime periods. In the first extra period, coincidental minor penalties were called on Milan Lucic and Matt Cooke followed by power play opportunities when Chris Kelly was whistled for tripping and Brooks Orpik for high-sticking before Evgeni Malkin got the automatic delay of game for shooting the puck over the glass. Boston was assessed a too many men on the ice near the start of the second overtime period. Most likely no one remembers these calls or that the Referees were performing their duties as expected. What will be remembered, at least by the Penguins and their fans, is the old school attitude of letting the players decide the outcome of the game that crept back last night; if only for just one non-call. Following the 2004-05 lockout, the expectation was for a more consistent standard to be implemented; especially on restraining fouls. The new way dictated that a Referee would get in less trouble for what he called as opposed to what he didnt. This held true last night in Boston. Bill and Angelo, the Referees have to make a call such as this at anytime throughout the game. When they do, they need to be supported by the entire hockey community. Lets not ever hear again the old adage to, "let the players decide the outcome of the game."Los Angeles Lakers Shirts .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. Wholesale Lakers Jerseys . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/ . Bradwell was scheduled to become a free agent Tuesday. Born and raised in Toronto, Bradwell is entering his sixth CFL season, with all six played for his hometown Argonauts. Custom Los Angeles Lakers Jerseys . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. Fake Lakers Jerseys . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants.RIO DE JANEIRO -- Taking the Olympics to Rio de Janeiro was always considered a bit of a risk. Now that South Americas first games are drawing to a close, the question is: Did the gamble pay off?The answer, according to experienced Olympic officials and experts, is a mixed bag.Yes, Brazil managed to pull it off under difficult economic and political conditions, with the sports competitions, venues, athletes, friendly hosts, television images and Rios scenic backdrops all rising to the occasion.Yet, behind the scenes, these were also troubled Olympics that fell short in other areas -- empty seats, ticket fiascos, organizational mishaps, spread-out venues, green water, street crime, traffic chaos and lack of a clear Olympic feel in the parks.The Olympics on TV are never the same as the Olympics on site. Thats been the case more than ever this time, reminiscent of the 1996 Games in Atlanta, where great sporting moments contrasted with lost buses, failures in the technology system and other off-the-field problems.This has been probably a little below the expectations of the experts, but will have televised well for the 99.9 percent of the population of the world that experiences the Olympics, senior Canadian IOC member Dick Pound said.International Olympic Committee vice president John Coates of Australia acknowledged the games have not run as smoothly as desired.Its been difficult, he said. To be fair, some of that was because of the economic and political background on which the games are being held.For Olympic historian David Wallechinsky, attending his 17th games, the shortage of volunteers, lack of Olympic signage and other logistical glitches have outweighed the well-run competitions and welcoming Brazilian people.I think these games will be seen in the continuum of Atlanta, Athens, Rio -- the ones that didnt work out, he said. One just hopes the lessons are learned.But the games must also be judged from a local perspective. Many Brazilians and Rio residents -- known as Cariocas -- will feel pride over how theyve put on the worlds biggest sports event and will cherish their moments on the global stage.And, for the host country, the games are ending on a delirious high- with a gold medal in mens soccer. Brazilian fans wanted more than anything to finally win the top Olympic prize that has eluded them in their national sport.Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes said the Olympics have been a catalyst for building new public transport lines and renovating the port area, insisting that no white elephants will be left behind. Comparing Rio to the richer cities that lost out for the 2016 Games would be misguided, he said.We come from a tropical experience, the Latin ways of Brazil, which sometimes made the IOC members a little bit crazy, Paes said. If you want to be fair to Rio, you cannot compare us to Tokyo, to Chicago, to Madrid. These are cities that have much better infrastructure. They come from developed countries. You have to compare Rio to Rio.When Rio was chosen as host city seven years ago, IOC members were convinced the time had come to take the games to South America. Brazil was a rising economic forcce at the time.dddddddddddd But local organizers quickly fell behind in preparations and were forced into an Athens-like mad dash to catch up.Then, over the last two years, the economy plummeted into its worst recession in 80 years, the country was engulfed by a massive corruption scandal centering on the state-run oil company Petrobras, and the president was suspended and sent for impeachment.Its also a games in the middle of reality, not organized in a bubble, IOC President Thomas Bach said Saturday. They were games in a city where there are social problems and social divisions. ... The IOC has shown that it is possible to organize games also in countries which are not at the top of the GDP rankings.The athletes produced the goods -- Bolt with three more gold medals to take his career tally to nine, Michael Phelps with five more golds for a total of 23, and gymnast Simone Biles with four golds. But the games also were marred by the bad behavior -- and concocted stories -- of Ryan Lochte and his U.S. swimming teammates.For all the drumbeat of bad news in the months ahead of the Olympics, two of the biggest issues caused barely a ripple. The Zika virus, which had led some scientists to call for the games to be postponed or moved, was hardly mentioned. Worries over Rios sewage-filled waters did not hamper the competitions, with only a handful of athletes falling ill.Elsewhere, there were embarrassing setbacks, mostly during the first week: the green water that marred the diving and water polo events; the windows of a media bus shattered in an attack; foreign team officials and government ministers mugged in the street; volunteers who never showed up or just quit.Its just not acceptable with seven years in advance not to signs ready, not to have volunteers who know anything, as friendly as they may be, Wallechinsky said.Arguably the most damaging drawback was the lingering issue of empty seats. Some venues, such as tennis, basketball, swimming and gymnastics, drew good crowds and produced a lively atmosphere. But others suffered from lesser turnouts and lack of buzz. The track and field stadium was a quarter- or half-full for some sessions; the stands were not even completely packed for Usain Bolts gold medal races.The long distances and travel times between the three main venue clusters meant there was no single area where large, colorful crowds could congregate and produce a Carnival atmosphere.For the future, Olympic officials believe greater oversight and concrete benchmarks are needed to make sure organizers are on time and delivering as promised. Pound said the IOC and international federations should carry out a forensic analysis after Rio on what worked, what didnt and why.Going forward, the IOC has to learn from the experience in Rio if it wants to take the games to places other than settled, affluent cosmopolitan cities, IOC vice president Craig Reedie said. We should train the city well in advance. We have to work out how better to prepare them and help them. ' ' '