tournament and average of fewer than 19 shots against. If t

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 Saturdays Bruins at Canucks game, Reilly Smith scores, and then continues on and runs into Luongo. Clearly Smiths elbow contacts Luongos head. Horrible non-call "hit to the head" after the goal was scored.Why are the referees so afraid to make the call after a goal is scored? Thanks,Murray ----Murray: There is no question that Reilly Smith was guilty of charging when he crashed into Roberto Luongo after the puck entered the net. The goal would stand since the puck crossed the line prior to the infraction but a minor penalty should have been assessed to Smith. Let me attempt to explain why the referee might not have reacted to the contact on Luongo and therefore did not call a penalty. From the refs position (behind the goal line, on the same side of the net that Smith approached Lou) the referee was focused on multiple elements of this bang-bang play. First, there was potential for a penalty shot to be called if a foul from behind had resulted once Christopher Tanev gave chase from his opposite-side defensive position. Tanev attacked from a back-side angle and made stick-to-stick contact with Smith just as the shot was being taken from outside the goal crease. Tanev then slid behind Smith making very light physical contact with the back of the Bruin player. At this point the referee would have determined that a legal stick check had been attempted by Tanev and would then focus on the puck entering the net to determine a legal goal. Given the close proximity and contact between Smith in the lead lane and Tanev from the back door the referee would most likely also conclude that Smith was bumped into the crease as he attempted to stop. Contact by the defending player would negate goalie interference or charging on the play. Reilly Smiths primary focus was to score a goal and elude the check of Tanev. Following this, Smith found that he was very tight to Luongos crease and rapidly running out of real estate after his shot was taken. None of this gives a player the green light to crash into the goalkeeper. He must stop, avoid or minimize any contact with the goalkeeper as defined in rule 69. There was insufficient effort made by Smith to stop, avoid or even minimize contact with Luongo. While Smith didnt deliver his elbow to make contact with Luongos head it certainly was the end result with the goalies posture low and in a butterfly position. As I stated from the outset of this analysis a charging penalty should have been assessed to Reilly Smith. I would go so far as to say that a penalty would be called 99 out of 100 times for goalie interference on a play such as this if the puck had not entered the net so your point is well taken Murray. I dont believe however that the majority of referees are reluctant to call a penalty after a goal has been scored. Ive said it before and it bears repeating; too much is missed whenever a referee assumes a position behind the goal line! From this location a referee is unable to draw an angle on players crease crashing as he looks through the back of the net and traffic in an effort to find the puck. From that deficient vantage point there was just too much going on for the referee to catch the finishing hit on Roberto Luongo. Wholesale NBA Jerseys . -- Phil Mickelson came to the St. Cheap NBA Jerseys China .Y. - Terry and Kim Pegula have no immediate plans to tinker with their new NFL team. http://www.cheapnbajerseysfromchina.com/ . 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The 34-year old was magnificent in 2013, throwing for just under 2,900 yards despite missing eight games, tossing an impressive 21 touchdowns against just two interceptions, completing 66 per cent of his passes in the process.SOCHI, Russia – If not quite the underdog, Drew Doughty believes, at the very least, that the Canadians are being overlooked, doubted and probably even overly dissected heading into Fridays semifinal matchup with the Americans. "I think a lot of people are counting us out," said Doughty. "If everyone wants to count us out, were going to use that as motivation." Doughty wouldnt go quite so far as to label Team Canada as the underdog, but its clear that the overwhelming degree of scrutiny has some members of the squad feeling as though theyve been doubted just a little too much. "We dont see ourselves as the underdog," Doughty said, the defender leading the Canadians with four goals. "I think both teams are really evenly matched. I dont know who Id give the upper hand to at this point. Im obviously more confident in my team than I am in theirs..." Like the Americans, Canada has yet to lose in these Olympics, but unlike their rivals to the south, they failed to exactly dominate in victory, scratching out close wins over the Norwegians (3-1), Finns (2-1 overtime) and Latvians (2-1), the last of which saw the two teams tied for most of the first 53 minutes of regulation. Head coach Mike Babcock has stressed that his team simply improves each and every day of the two-week tournament, pointing to Wednesdays struggle with the Latvians as a needed bit of adversity. Its evident, however, that the best of this Canadian team has yet to emerge. Whether it will in time for the 2010 gold medal game rematch remains in question. "Yeah were close," said Jonathan Toews after the quarterfinal win over Latvia, "not quite there yet though. Next game." Scoring concerns up front remain the most pressing issue. The Canadian forward contingent has combined for just six goals - or one more than Phil Kessel has all by himself here in Sochi - despite an overwhelming level of offensive talent. Wednesdays quarterfinal could be construed as a step in the right direction. Though they snuck just two by Kristers Gudlevskis, they managed nearly 60 shots and had numerous opportunities. Sidney Crosby, who had a breakaway in the opening minute, remains the most notable Canadian forward yet to score, but hes joined by Jonathan Toews, Corey Perry, Rick Nash, Patrick Marleau, Chris Kunitz, Martin St. Louis, Matt Duchene, and Patrice Bergeron – essentially everyone but Jeff Carter, Jamie Benn, Ryan Getzlaf and Patrick Sharp. Symmetry appears to finally be forming though. Unlike the previous four games, which saw thhe lines differ just about every night, Babcock will keep his forward combinations intact for the tilt against the Americans – save for the injured John Tavares (leg) – hopeful that theyll translate into actual production with elimination on the line.dddddddddddd "You can talk scoring chances till youre blue in the face, who cares? The score is on the board, and so weve just got to find a way to keep doing what were doing," said Babcock. "I think we like the fact that were getting a lot of chances in and around the net," said Crosby, who remains alongside Kunitz and Bergeron. "We trust theyre going to go in a little bit more if we keep getting those. I think we just try to stay the course and make sure that we focus on burying those." Theyll have to do so against the seemingly unflappable Jonathan Quick. A rock for the L.A. Kings in the postseason – he has a .940 save percentage combined in the past two springs – Quick has stopped 72 of 77 shots in three starts for Team USA, fronted by an offence thats managed 20 goals in four games. "When he gets hot, when he makes some big saves early, he seems to become unbeatable, said Doughty, who captured the Cup with Quick in 2012. "And thats why weve got to get one early on him. The only way were going to score on him is weve got to get pucks up high and weve got to get screens in front and tips." Countering Quick will be Carey Price – who has stopped 48 of 51 shots – and a stiff defensive Canadian unit thats yielded just two even-strength goals all tournament and average of fewer than 19 shots against. If theres been an obvious strength to Canadas game on the bigger Olympic ice, its been the ability to defend and defend by controlling the possession of the puck. Continuing that against an American attack fronted by Kessel, who leads the tournament with eight points, will be a new and far more difficult challenge. Crosby was among the group of Canadian players who took in the Americans classic tilt with Russia in the preliminary round and was struck, above all else, with just how fast they were as a group. He and his teammates believe theyre ready for such a fight though even if others arent quite so sure. "At this point whether we beat three favourites or zero, nobodys going to really think about that or talk about that if we get the result we want [Friday] and win the game," he said. "Our groups real confident," Babcock added. "We like what weve done. We like how our team is. We think were set up good right now. And that, to me, is the most important thing." ' ' '