is season because of the superb play of the defenses in the league and

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, I have a question regarding the "in-person hearings." The public is only ever told that a player has been "offered an in-person hearing", and rarely is the actual process discussed. I was wondering, what actually happens during one of these hearings? How much dialogue is there between the player and the NHL officials? From an outsiders perspective, it seems like the league has its mind made up, but has to invite the player simply because they want to issue a suspension longer than 5 games. Any insight into these closed-door meetings would be interesting to hear! Thanks! Ryan SteevesOttawa, ON ----- Hi Kerry, Max Lapierre on Dan Boyle - Obviously, that garbage has no place in the NHL. The ensuing fights, hits (Brent Burns for instance) and the injury - clearly someone needs to put their foot down. My question is - did the officials on the ice handle that properly? How many games does he sit? Sadly, Im not sure if Brendan Shanahan will give a stiff enough penalty to Lapierre and it could allow dirty players to continue doing this with a fair trade-off in their minds. That being said - my last question: Has the NHL ever asked you to head up the Department of Player Safety and would you (though I would be sad to see it since this column would have to go away)? Always hated it when you were the ref since you actually called the rules by the book and actually did a good job! I would love to see you in that position - I feel a former referee plus players advising is more appropriate way to structure that department. Cheers (and thanks for always doing a great job as a Ref), Zach Karabat Ryan and Zach: Thank you for your questions. Zach, you can bet the farm that I wont be included as a member of the Player Safety Committee let alone heading the department so have no fear, youll be able to keep reading Cmon Ref! Likewise, Ryan it would be totally inappropriate for me to speculate on what takes place through the discipline process that Brandan Shanahans office is responsible for; either through a telephone interview with the player or by invitation of an in-person hearing. What I can share with you however is a firsthand account of player hearings that I was required to attend. The format of player hearings changed a number of years ago when Brian Burke became the Vice President of Hockey Operations. Burkie was not only a lawyer but as a former General Manager and good hockey man determined that hearings could often be conducted by telephone for convenience/cost without the physical presence of the player or the Referee who called the penalty. When I began my NHL officiating career Clarence Campbell was the league president. Mr. Campbell was a Rhodes Scholar and a lawyer similarly to all his successors that have held the position, including current Commissioner Gary Bettman. Mr. Campbell was also part of the Canadian Army prosecution team at the Nuremburg trial of Nazi war criminals. The reason I mention this is because Mr. Campbell was a stickler for detailed report writing. He and his designee, Vice President Brian ONeill (responsible for supplementary discipline) insisted on the Officials writing independent detailed reports when game misconducts and match penalties were assessed in the event a player hearing was required. The Referee was always compelled to attend the hearing to provide evidence and be questioned on his report. The hearing was the players "day in court" and he and often appeared with his team General Manager. They were able to plead their case and speak on the charges levied against him. Unlike today, some games might not have been televised and no footage was available of the incident so the Referees report became a very important component in the proceedings. In most hearings the player attempted to diminish what had taken place and lay blame to his opponent or even the Referee. I have also seen situations where the player showed true remorse and appealed to the goodness and mercy of the court. I want to share the bizarre details of one hearing I attended just to give you a glimpse of how creative a players line defence can be. On March 23, 1983, I assessed a match penalty to Dave "Tiger" Williams of the Vancouver Canucks for breaking his stick on the back of Washington Cap defenceman Randy Holts head. Tiger used the fact that the game was not televised to his advantage in the emergency hearing that was called by Brian ONeill. It was the best defense I ever heard in a hearing. Going into the game in the Cap Center Randy Holt, trailed Tiger by a couple of penalty minutes for the league lead in that department. Patrik Sundstrom, a skilled rookie, bumped into Holt in the corner by accident. The Caps tough guy threw down his gloves and started pummeling the Swede. I was close by and witnessed Tiger charging from the blue line with his stick held in a cross-check position straight for Holt who was facing the end boards and doing a number of Sunny. I stepped in front of Williams and like a crossing guard held my hand out signaling - Stop! There was stopping Tiger and I stepped aside as Williams shattered his stick shaft on the back of Randy Holts helmetless head! The next day at the hearing in the Toronto office, Brian ONeill read my report (no video remember) and asked Tiger if he had anything if he had anything to say in his defence. For the next 15 minutes, Tiger talked about hunting grizzly bears with a bow and arrow and turning them into rugs. The essence of his defence was that he only got one shot at a charging grizz and had to make it a kill shot; thats why he only uses "aluminum arrows" - kills em dead! For that very reason its why Tiger said he used a "wooden" hockey stick because they break real easy unlike aluminum. If he had hit Holt with even the slightest force using an aluminum stick he wouldnt have gotten up! Tiger then used me as his defence witness by referring to my report which said Holt did not fall down after being struck my Williams stick. We walked out of that hearing and I said, "Tiger, thats the biggest load of horse---- I have ever seen shoveled at one time." With a big grin on his face he replied, "You know, I think he went for it. I couldnt believe Holt didnt go down, because I really hammered him." The only punishment Tiger Williams drew was an automatic two-game suspension that came with accumulating game misconducts. Tiger was a character as well as a big-game hunter. The Referees assessed the correct penalty to Maxim Lapierre (major for check from behind and game misconduct) and the players fate is now in the hands of the Player Safety Committee. I know one thing for sure - Maxim Lapierre, Brent Burns and all the other players leveling dangerous hits on their opponents arent hunting grizzlies! This recklessness has to stop... Grant Dayton Jersey . The 29-year-old Mills started three games for Oakland this season, posting a 1-1 record with a 4.41 earned-run average. He opened the season appearing in 14 games and making 12 starts for the Milwaukee Brewers triple-A affiliate in Nashville, posting a 4-2 record with a 1. Ronald Acuna Jr. Braves Jersey . FIFA said the suspension was requested by ethics prosecutor Michael Garcia, making Beckenbauer the first person to be punished as a result of the case. Beckenbauer refused "repeated requests for his assistance, including requests that he provide information during an in-person interview or in response to written questions provided in both English and German," FIFA said in a statement. https://www.cheapbraves.com/ . Watching them over the past year - and in some cases, two years - has given us a starting point for this seasons Craigs List. Stitched Braves Jerseys . Nat Borchers headed in the sole goal in the 54th minute, getting on the end of a Kyle Beckerman free kick. The defeat cost Sporting top spot in the Eastern Conference. Even a draw would have moved the Kansas City club above Columbus. Wholesale Braves Jerseys . And thats about it. After the Salukis 73-65 loss at Murray State on Tuesday night, Hinson called his players "uncoachable," "a bunch of mamas boys" and compared the disciplining of his young team to housebreaking a puppy.Since 2001, I have been charting the turnover margin of teams in the CFL. It was an exercise to track how a turnover affected a teams win-loss percentage. I wanted to have the facts for the players and it is something I have done every season since. Back in those days we didnt have the luxury of having a league CFL stats guru like Steve Daniel to provide us with a lot of the weekly stats, so it was up to me and an excel spreadsheet. Not my strength. Lets see how the turnover margin this season has stacked up for the League. Each week I chart the number of turnovers, the turnover margin and whether a team wins or loses the game. So I can say how many times a team had three turnovers, or how many times they finished with a plus turnover margin. I also have how many wins or loses tied into those stats. Lets start with the premise that each team has a 50% chance of winning each game played. Now add the turnover margin percentages and you have an indication of your ability to win or lose based on turnover margin. Lets review what Turnover Margin is defined as, it is the combination of takeaways (fumbles, turnovers on downs, interceptions) and giveaways (fumbles, turnovers on downs, interceptions) a team has in a game. There have been eight games where a team finished with a +1 turnover margin, conversely the other team finished with a -1 turnover margin. Teams with +1 TO margin won five games and lost three for a 63% winning percentage. That is an increase of 13% from the 50% we started with. Conversely the team that lost the turnover margin has a decrease of 13% or a 37% chance of winning when finishing -1 in turnover margin. Lets look at the stats for the season so far. Turnover Margin Times in 2014 Record Winning % +6 1 1-0 100 +4 4 4-0 100 +3 6 6-0 100 +2 11 10-1 91 +1 8 5-3 63 Even 6 3-3 50 -1 8 3-5 37 -2 11 1-10 9 -3 6 0-6 0 -4 4 0-4 0 -6 1 0-1 0 Some observations: - Teams winning the turnover margin have a 88% winning percentage this season.dddddddddddd (+38%) - +3 or greater gives you a 100% winning percentage this year. (+50%) - You will have a very hard time winning a football game with -2 or more turnover margin. You will have a 13% chance of winning. - Teams that are losing the turnover margin are having a harder chance of winning this season because of the superb play of the defenses in the league and the lack of offensive output. You must make your opportunities with the football count with points scored. - Hamilton is the only team to lose a game while winning the turnover margin by 2 or more. They lost 29-36 at BC and only scored one TD in the game with a +2 margin. - Only two teams have won games when they lost the Turnover Margin. - The Lions have done it once and the Bombers have done it 3 times. The Bombers have done a great job of finding ways to win football games and find other ways to score when their offense falters. They were -1 vs. Ottawa this season but had a kickoff return for a TD to help them win the game. They were -1 vs. Montreal and scored two defensive touchdowns to win the game. They were -1 vs. Hamilton this year and were able to win the game by 1 point 27-26. As we continue to watch the season unfold, teams that continue to win the turnover margin will continue to win the football games at a high level. ' ' '