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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. Pablo Zabaleta Manchester City Jersey .ca. Good morning Mr. F, First, thank you for helping to educate us fans about the rules of the game, and for sharing your stories. Second, my questions: What is the NHL policy on media and officials? Can they be on Twitter? Can they be interviewed by TSN? Can they publish a book? We rarely, if ever, see an active official make a comment off the ice. Is this because they dont have much to say, or because of restrictions? I could see referee interviews causing uproars among fans. Thanks!Kent Hi Kent: The policy the NHL has in place for their officials speaking to the media is clear and direct: NO COMMENT! All media access to the officials (interviews) must be cleared and granted through the office of Gary Meagher, Sr. Vice President Public Relations & Media Services. Gary is assisted by Julie Young, Manager of Public Relations. Once the content and nature of an interview is cleared, Julie is typically responsible for contacting the official and facilitating the interview. Both individuals are extremely professional and very good at their job. It was a treat to work with Julie Young because through her efforts things always went smoothly during the many times that I was requested for interviews. Social media is off-limits for all the officials! They are not allowed to have a Facebook or Twitter account as information could easily be misconstrued or deemed to be inappropriate. It is just another undesirable location that the officials could become accessible. After NBA referee Tim Donaghy was convicted on criminal charges and served time in federal prison for betting on games he officiated, NHL officials are "strongly discouraged" from entering casinos while travelling on NHL business. You can forget about reading a book written by any NHL officials until after they retire; unless perhaps it is a childrens coloring book! Other than the number on the back of their sweater (no names since 94) the league is most content when their officials are seen and not heard from. During the playoffs a supervisor (Officiating Manager) is assigned to each series. In the event that an explanation might be required for any reason, it is conveyed to the media through the series supervisor after he consults with the officiating crew. If a major controversy were to occur in game, Gary Meagher will typically craft a press release and/or instruct the supervisor as to the information that should be shared with the media. Personally, I preferred the day when a pool reporter was allowed into the refs room after a game to get the answer directly from the official who made the decision on the ice. I would rather explain the reason behind my decision than to have it communicated through a third party or worse yet not explained at all. On occasion, pertinent aspects of my explanation became lost in the transfer and delivery of information. There are even times when the only answer is that an honest mistake was made but I doubt youll hear about it! Some officials are media savvy while others are not. I know many officials that would get torn to shreds by the media if they became accessible following a game. The only time the press would be interested to hear what an official had to say would be following some sort of controversy. It is at times such as this when damage control is utilized. Most often however, there is a reasonable explanation for a refs decision that should become public. Players and coaches can provide post-game comments from an emotional and often biased perspective. Those are the sound bites and quotes that fans are left with even though the NHL can (and has) impose fines to players and team management when they impugn the officials publicly. To prevent embarrassment or limit the need for damage control by the NHL, it is most obvious that a broad policy has to apply which restricts all referees or linesmen from making public comments. I am under no such gag order so the best place to get a straight answer as we move into the 2013-14 Stanley Cup playoffs is right here at Cmon Ref! Fair, honest and opinionated - the spin truly does stop here Kent! Enjoy the final weekend of the regular season and the race for the playoffs. Sergio Aguero Jersey .A. remained bitter for Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers on the long flight back home to New York. Gael Clichy Jersey . But that changed when he committed a five-minute major penalty and helped pave the way for a comeback by the Philadelphia Flyers. Vincent Lecavalier scored at 2:45 of overtime and the Flyers rallied from a two-goal deficit for a 5-4 victory on Sunday. www.tmancitysoccershop.com/c-10-nolito-manchester-city-fc-jersey.aspx . The redshirt freshman finished the regular season with nearly 3,500 passing yards, and 35 touchdowns with another three on the ground while leading the Seminoles to the top of the BCS Rankings. CLEVELAND -- Sitting in the last chair on Indianas bench, David West stared straight ahead, unable to look at the court. As the final seconds ticked off the clock on another disheartening loss, West seemed dazed. The Pacers promising season is unraveling Dion Waiters scored 19 points, Luol Deng added 15 and the Cleveland Cavaliers kept their playoff push going with a 90-76 win Sunday over the skidding Pacers, who are losing their grip on the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Tristan Thompson had 16 rebounds as the Cavs snapped a nine-game losing streak against Indiana. Cleveland came in three games behind slumping, idle Atlanta for the conferences final playoff spot. With seven games left -- six against teams with losing records -- the Cavs still have a chance. The Pacers, meanwhile, are falling apart. They lost their fifth straight road game and now lead Miami by one game for the Easts top record and home-court advantage throughout the post-season. Since beating the Heat at home last week, Indiana has lost to Washington and Cleveland. "Were losing games at an alarming rate to teams that are inferior to us," said West, who picked up a technical four in the fourth quarter. "We cant figure out a way to perform better. Weve done what you do. Weve had team meetings. Weve had players-only meetings. Weve had players and the coaches (meetings). Were kind of looking for answers right now, and things dont get any easier." Paul George scored 15 and West 14 for Indiana, which fell behind by 21 in the fourth quarter. Once thought to be a lock to make the conference finals, the Pacers are in disarray as they enter the final weeks of the regular season. "Were lost right now," guard Lance Stephenson said. "We just have to play through it." Indianas offence lacks rhythm, and other than their win over the Heat, the Pacers arent showing the same intensity or energy that has made them one of the NBAs top teams. "Were all frustrated," coach Frank Vogel said. "I think were playing against ourselves. Its a level of play that were trying to reach that were not close to where we need to be." The Pacers trailed the Cavs by 13 at halftime, and after pulling within six in the third, Indiana let the Cavs goo on a 14-5 run, capped by Jarrett Jacks 3-pointer that made it 69-54. Samir Nasri Manchester City Jersey. . Indiana never got close enough to threaten the Cavs in the fourth, and Vogel pulled West and his other starters for the final 1:20 -- a surprising sign of surrender. Midway through the quarter, West was assessed the technical and a flagrant-1 after a mix-up with spunky Cavs rookie guard Matthew Dellavedova and Cleveland centre Spencer Hawes. Theres still time to get things fixed, but the Pacers have lost nine of 15 since March 4 and it wont get any easier with San Antonio coming in for a visit on Monday. The Spurs have won 17 straight. "Weve got to get to playing better," West said. "Weve got eight games left. Its going to get real. We dont want to be disappointed in April and May. Weve got to figure something out. Everybody, individually, all of us have to look at ourselves and figure out what we can do to right this ship." The Cavs, on the other hand, are peaking at the right time. They won for the fourth time in five games despite playing without All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who missed his eighth straight with an injured biceps. Irving could be back this week, when the Cavs, who are 14-12 since Feb. 5, are at Orlando before a showdown on Friday against the Hawks, who have lost six in a row. "Our guys just keep fighting," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. Cleveland played the second half without centre Anderson Varejao, who strained his right shoulder. The Cavs said their leading rebounder will be re-evaluated Monday. The Pacers, who shot just 37 per cent, lacked any offensive cohesion and left Cleveland searching for answers. "A lot of our guys are out of rhythm right now," Vogel said. "Weve got to figure it out." NOTES: The Pacers have scored less than 80 points in four of their past five games. ... Irving was scheduled to be re-evaluated Sunday by team physician Dr. Richard Parker. Its not yet known when, or if, Irving will play again. ... Clevelands schedule couldnt be better over the next seven games for its playoff drive. The Cavs will play just one team -- Brooklyn -- with a winning record and thats in the season finale. ... George is shooting just 31 per cent (40 of 130) in his last eight games. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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