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, In the Boston-Buffalo game on Wednesday night in the second period, Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers slashes Bruins forward Brad Marchand and then punches him in the head! How and why does Marchand get the penalty, with no call on Myers? He then scores a go-ahead goal! My question would be - does a supervising official between periods give the refs the talking down a player would get from his coach? This call could cost a team two points on very questionable officiating! Thanks,Ken MacAskill Ken: Both you and broadcast analyst Joe Micheletti made the correct call on this play. At the very least the Bruins and Sabres should have been playing four men aside as a result of the altercation between Tyler Myers and Brad Marchand. In a perfect world, Myers deserved an extra minor penalty as the aggressor in this incident following his slash and punch at Marchand. You asked how and why, only Brad Marchand received the penalty on this play. The trailing referee is responsible for all players behind the Sabres blue line. As the Sabres went on the attack from their end zone, Marchand cut across the ice toward his bench for a line change and in doing so skated directly in front of Myers. The altercation began when Marchand dropped his hip toward Myers who responded with a cross-check shove, a slash by each player and then the Myers punch. At this point play was stopped to assess a penalty. The camera picked up the trailing referee with his arm raised and approaching the two players on an angle back from the neutral zone toward Tyler Myers and Brad Marchand. From the referees angle of return it is apparent to me that he had vacated the Sabres end zone prior to players clearing that zone and failed to recognize and observe the hot spot between Marchand and Myers. I dont believe the ref saw the start of the altercation but picked it up when Brad Marchand jammed his stick into Myers midsection. He therefore deemed Marchand to be the instigator of the scrum. The easy call should have been to penalize both players for their actions. Unfortunately that didnt take place and resulted in a Tyler Myers power-play goal. Officiating managers (supervisors) very seldom enter the officials room between periods unless something extremely serious has gone afoul. Instead, the manager will review his observations and game report with the officials at the conclusion of the game. In certain cases, depending upon travel schedules or a perceived need, a follow-up telephone call or even breakfast meeting might take place with an official. Typically though any instruction/coaching will take place in the officials dressing room after the game. There was a time when supervisors entered the room between periods but team management objected to this practice when they felt the officials approach to the game changed to drastically following between period instructions. I dont agree with this practice in principle, but whenever the conversation does take place the supervisors proper approach and coaching techniques are vital in advancing the officials learning curve. When I observe a Division I College game for my former colleague and referee-in-chief of the ECAC Paul Stewart, I always visit the officials room between periods; if for no other reason but to be supportive and available should they have any questions. My approach is always to be positive and point out the good things they did but also to make them aware of any potential hot spots that might develop in addition to any positioning issues I feel the need to address. The game can certainly look different from the press box or the television monitor than it does at ice level. In a flash from the past, when I first signed a contract with the NHL there was a different and much more aggressive approach taken by the supervisors of that day which could be very intimidating for an official; especially a young one. Team general managers were not fined for approaching the officials room and shouting matches often took place in the hall outside the refs room. Supervisors were subjected to angry rants from team personnel in the press box which could result in a between period visit to the officials room by a supervisor. I can tell you there were trash cans kicked around the officials room and rolled up programs thrown at the wall in some of these "coaching" sessions. As you can imagine they werent very productive from a teaching perspective but could have a profound effect on how the next period was officiated! In todays fast paced game the two referee two linesman system is mandatory. An influx of younger officials has been hired to the staff when the veterans retire. Enhanced coaching and mentoring techniques are required to quicken the learning curve that takes place in addition to holding all the officials accountable to the expected standard. This is a work in progress. Jose Alvarado Jersey . For the Bombers it has been a combination of things coming together at the most inappropriate moments in time. Quarterback, injuries, Canadian talent or depth and leadership are all issues. Trust me when I say being a Bomber is no fun right now in a city that embraces football the way Winnipeg does. While Buck Pierce will be getting another shot, I think Max Hall does deserve another opportunity. Blake Snell Rays Jersey . The Toronto Blue Jays star won his second consecutive Hank Aaron Award as the most outstanding offensive performer in the AL on Monday after votes by fans and a panel of Hall of Famers were tallied. https://www.cheapraysonline.com/486i-yonny-chirinos-jersey-rays.html . The 20-year-old Inoue landed a series of combinations and the bout was stopped 2 minutes, 54 seconds into the sixth round. Inoue, the first Japanese boxer to claim a world title in just his sixth professional fight, improved to 6-0 with five knockouts. Tampa Bay Rays Store . Forward Iker Muniain scored the winner in the 70th minute after Bilbaos incessant pressure recovered the ball and sparked a counterattack inside Barcelonas half. Neymar was once again tagged to pick up Messis goal-scoring duties, but when he wasnt frustrated by slippery footing Bilbaos defence got the better of him. Kevin Kiermaier Rays Jersey . According to a report from ESPN, sources said Manuels college coach Jimbo Fisher told teams he didnt think Manuel had the tools to be an NFL starter.HOUSTON -- Derek Jeter began the first game of his final season by getting plunked with a pitch. The Astros then beat up on CC Sabathia even worse, ensuring the captains farewell tour would start with a Yankees loss. Jesus Guzman and L.J. Hoes homered off Sabathia to help the Houston Astros roll to a 6-2 win against New York on Tuesday night. "Trying to get your first win, your first hit, your first run, anything is kind of difficult to do," Jeter said. "The first, sometimes, is tough to come by." Jeter was hit on the left arm by Scott Feldman in his first at-bat and ended 1 for 3 with a single. The 13-time All-Star who helped New York to five World Series titles announced in February we would retire after his 20th season. "I was a little extra anxious because I hadnt played in a while, but when I got hit, I think that actually helped," said Jeter, who missed most of last season with injuries. The Astros added Dexter Fowler and Feldman to improve a team coming off three straight 100-loss seasons. On the first day, it worked. Fowler had two doubles as Houston jumped on Sabathia for six runs in the first two innings. Feldman allowed two hits in 6 2-3 innings in his Houston debut after signing a three-year, $30 million contract "This entire spring leading up to opening day we built that vibe up where these guys are confident, theyre playing with a lot of energy, focus," manager Bo Porter said. "The attention to detail is outstanding. Everybody wants to get out to a good start." Sabathia led the majors last season with 122 runs allowed and finished with a career-worst 4.78 ERA. Things went bad for him from the start on Monday night in a matchup of the leagues youngest vs. oldest rosters. "It got out of hand early," Sabathia said. "Ive got 34 -- hopefully more -- starts left. Im definitely not going to pitch like I did tonight in the first two innings. I know I can pitch. I love to get guys out. I feel great, so no Im not going to beat myself up over this." Yankees manager Joe Girardi tried not to make too much of the loss. "Well, its not what you want, but I had a feeling we were going to lose a game at some point this year," he said. &quuot;So, we got it out of the way early.dddddddddddd" Fowler, traded from Colorado this off-season, hit a leadoff double and scored on a one-out single by Jose Altuve that rolled just out of reach of a diving Jeter and into the outfield. Altuve made it 2-0 when he scored on a fielders choice by Jason Castro later in the inning. Things got worse for Sabathia when Guzman launched the first pitch he saw with the Astros into left-centre field for a two-run homer to push the lead to 4-0. Hoes -- making his opening day debut -- opened the second inning with a home run to left field. Altuve made it 6-0 with an RBI single. Sabathia allowed eight hits and six runs in six innings. The Yankees couldnt do much offensively until the eighth inning when Brian McCann and Mark Teixeira hit consecutive RBI singles off Chad Qualls to make it 6-2. Qualls got out of the inning when Alfonso Soriano grounded into a double play For the first time since 1947 and just the second time in team history, every position except pitcher had a different player on opening day than it did in New Yorks previous opener. The Yankees began 2013 with a loss to Boston and among those who have either moved on or to the bench are star second baseman Robinson Cano (who signed with Seattle) and aging outfielder Ichiro Suzuki (now a reserve for New York). Brett Gardner was the only player in both lineups, though he moved from centre to left to make room Jacoby Ellsbury, one of several newly acquired star for the Yankees. Feldman sailed through the first three innings against the new Bronx Bombers and New Yorks first hit didnt come until Carlos Beltran singled with one out in the fourth. He didnt allow another baserunner until Teixeira singled with one out in the seventh. NOTES: Former President George H.W. Bush and wife Barbara watched the game from front row seats behind the dugout. ... Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, who returned to the Astros as an executive advisor in February, threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Craig Biggio. The pitch was terrible, flying far out of Biggios reach. "I tell you, my catcher didnt try," Ryan joked. "That ball wasnt that far outside and he just didnt get over." ' ' '