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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.ca. Kerry, I hope you address Ron MacLeans comment during the second intermission of Game 4 in Montreal-Tampa series. Basically, he suggested that the NHL should not have used a referee from Quebec, following the Game 3 disputed non-goal, because the referee could be biased towards Montreal. Thank you,Bobby Dodd ---- Hi Kerry, On Tuesday, the host of the other playoff broadcaster said that a referee from the area should not have been assigned Game 4 of the Tampa-Montreal series after a controversial call Sunday involving another francophone Quebec referee. Do you agree with that sentiment? Coming off a game like Sundays, should that have been done if it was an official from Ontario for a Leafs game? Or a referee from B.C. for a Canucks game? Jamie Walker Bobby, Jamie and to all Canadians: Ron MacLean offered a very contrite apology for his initial inappropriate comments during a follow-up segment in the Hockey Night In Canada broadcast when he said, "First of all, I want to say Im sorry. Its divisive any time you become about French and English in our country. But I didnt intend to go down that path." We all need to accept Ron MacLeans apology. I have always had the utmost respect for Ron and his sincere apology speaks to the quality of the man more than the personality you see on camera. I know what Ron intended, even though it came out all wrong. There have been many times when the NHL felt the need to alter an officials assignment in an effort to manage a regular season or playoff series based on an incident that took place in a previous game. I called Director of Officiating Bryan Lewis one time when there was a overlap in the assignment process that would have resulted in me working six of seven road games for the Montreal Canadiens. It was just an assignment glitch that was quickly adjusted to avoid overexposure of a referee to one team. Another time, VP of Hockey Ops Brian Burke assigned me as a last-minute addition in a Habs-Flyers game after Lyle Odelein threatened to get Eric Lindros following a fight between the two players in the first game of a home and home series. I was also reassigned to work a return grudge match between Ottawa and the Leafs following a major battle they had a couple of nights earlier in Toronto. In the 2004 Stanley Cup Final between Calgary and Tampa, an initial assignment schedule for the refs was doomed to fail from the very beginning. The referee pairings of Bill McCreary/Stephen Walkom and Brad Watson and I were assigned to work all of our games in the same venue. (Watson and I were assigned to Games 3, 4 and 6 in Calgary while the other crew was in Tampa for 1, 2 and 5). Series traditionally heat up as they progress and it was a suicide mission to have the same refs work in the same venue. Following Game 5 in Tampa a meeting was held in the officials room and I was informed by Colin Campbell and then Director of Officiating Andy Van Hellemond that Brad Watson and I were off Game 6 in Calgary. Nobody informed Brad Watson and he learned of the change the next day at the Denver Airport when Wats overhead members of the media talking about the assignment change as they were connecting onto his flight to Calgary! I returned to work Game 7 in Tampa with Bill McCreary. These kinds of adjustments in the assignment process are reasonable and necessary at times. Ron MacLean, as a referee himself, would certainly understand this type of logic. What Ron should have thought of before he embarked down a self-admitted "divisive" path is that whenever he pulls on his striped jersey, hes no longer from his hometown or even a star television host. In that moment, and in the performance of his duties, Ron is an impartial, unbiased referee that is empowered to place his integrity and that of the game on the line. He cares not what teams are playing or if they are from the town that he lives in. It matters not to Ron what colour their team jerseys are or the crest on the front. It is his duty as a "referee" to perform to the very best of his ability without prejudice or bias. I know that Ron MacLean performs those duties without question every time he pulls on that striped jersey. NHL officials are no different in this regard. When they pull on stripes they are professional people with strong character and integrity. They too perform their duties to the best of their ability and are paid to be impartial. We can criticize an official for a poor call or even our perception of their level of competency. What should never be brought into question is any perceived bias based on where an official might make his home or his family heritage. The referee in Ron MacLean understands these facts as well as I do. Ron - a consummate professional and a man of character and integrity - sincerely apologized for his slip up and brief act of misconduct. As such Ron needs to be forgiven. Time to move forward. What is the best place to buy Cheap Jerseys .J. - The New York Jets have signed former Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Graham Harrell, giving them some added depth at the position. What is the best Chinese web site for cheap Jerseys . Blackhawks RW Patrick Kane came up big when it counted, tallying two goals and an assist. He scored the game-winner with 4:45 remaining in the third period, stopping on the right hashmarks, carrying the puck up through the top of the Kings zone, then firing a wrist shot from the top of the circles past Jonathan Quick, who had his view obstructed by Andrew Shaw. https://www.wheretobuycheapjerseys.com/. The 25-year-old native of Milford, Conn., has 18 points in 41 games this season. The five-foot-eight 166-pound centre also has 28 points (10-18) in 15 games with AHL Oklahoma City. Where can one buy good quality but cheap jerseys . The Redblacks are taking on the Edmonton Eskimos in their second regular season game Friday night. Catch the game live on TSN as the back end of a doubleheader starting at 10pm et/7pm pt. What is the best place to buy knockoff jerseys . The No. 5 Aztecs held Burton, the Mountain Wests leading scorer, to 11 points, 10 below his average, in beating the Wolf Pack 73-58 on Saturday night.BRADENTON, Florida - J.A. Happ was pummeled by the Pirates on Tuesday, leaving general manager Alex Anthopoulos with an unappealing conundrum: its become easier for him to sell to the fan base the idea of having $12.7-million (Ricky Romeros and Happs combined 2014 salaries) of dead or differently-allocated money than it is to sell the fan base on including the left-hander in the opening day starting rotation. Happ faced 20 batters in three-plus innings. Twelve of them got hits, including Pittsburgh starter Wandy Rodriguez, who hit a wind-aided, opposite field, two-run home run to cap a four-run second inning. Rodriguez had never homered in 437 career major league at-bats. Happ allowed seven earned runs, bloating his springtime ERA over four starts to 20.57. The Blue Jays lost, wait for it, 22-5. "It wasnt a good day for anybody, really," said manager John Gibbons. "We got pounded pretty good. They werent missing em. We got hit around pretty good." Meanwhile, back in Dunedin, Dustin McGowan, the sudden favourite for the final available rotation job, threw four innings of scoreless baseball in a Triple-A game. His fastball was clocked in the mid-90s; McGowan hit the 62-pitch mark. "I thought he looked great," Anthopoulos told a pool reporter in Dunedin. "Its just trying to get him stretched out here. Every step is a step in the right direction, but well see how he feels tonight, tomorrow, all that kind of stuff. He got up to 62 today off of 48 the (outing) before. Well take it outing by outing at this point." The logical next step, provided McGowans wonky shoulder feels good on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, is to have the right-hander throw another minor league game in Florida on Sunday. "The big thing is that we dont get ahead of ourselves because we re-evaluate it almost daily to see how he feels," said Anthopoulos. "I always remind him as well, I keep reminding him that at any time any concerns, any tweaks, anything at all, he needs to tell us, and he said, Absolutely. Hes obviously a big part of wanting to do this as well. As I told him when were even exploring this, he needs to want to do this because we would never take chances with his career or with his health. Hes the one who knows how he feels. Hes been through this enough times. He has to communicate with us." Happ has had a puzzling spring. He arrived in Dunedin under the impression he had a spot in the starting rotation locked up. After poor starts on February 26 and March 3, he missed game action due to a bad back. His two appearances since his return, on March 19 and on Tuesday, have gone no better. "Yeah, thats not an issue," said Gibbons, when asked if Happs back was still a concern. Happ has an option remaining, meaning he could be sent to the minors without first passing through waivers. However, the fly in the ointment is significant: as a major league veteran with more than five years of service time, Happ has the right to refuse the assignment, at which point the Jays could keep him or release him while paying him full freight. Would Happ be willing to move to the bullpen? "Im not thinking about that," he said. "Ill answer that question if someone elsee, one of the bosses, decides they need to ask that.dddddddddddd Well deal with that then. But thats not something thats on my mind." The Blue Jays still have not officially named Drew Hutchison to their starting rotation although its inconceivable he doesnt make the team. Hutchison has been the clubs best pitcher this spring and Anthopoulos is on the record as saying hes taking the best 25 players north. Assuming Hutchison joins R.A. Dickey, Brandon Morrow and Mark Buehrle in the rotation, Anthopoulos, Gibbons and pitching coach Pete Walker have to decide between McGowan, Happ and Todd Redmond for the final spot. The idea of piggybacking McGowan, that is starting him on a strict pitch count and backfilling with Redmond, Esmil Rogers, maybe even Happ, behind him has been bandied about. It likely will be revisited during internal meetings ahead of Sundays deadline to announce the opening day roster. "When we announce the team, everybody will know who it is," said Gibbons. REYES GOING TO MONTREAL? The Blue Jays are encouraged by the MRI results on Jose Reyes left hamstring, which revealed a minor strain. "Hopefully hes in there the next couple of days, maybe at DH," said manager John Gibbons. "Let him run half-speed, three-quarter-speed. It actually made us feel pretty good after we heard the results." When asked on Monday, before he had his MRI, whether he would play through the strain if the regular season already was underway, Reyes didnt answer. It behooves the Jays to be careful, though, especially considering the club plays 91 games (81 at home, 10 in Tampa Bay) of its 162 on artificial turf. "With baseball, too, there can be a lot of dead time too before you actually get a ball," said Gibbons. "That quick movement will sometimes get you. We feel good about it and you hope it doesnt turn into anything down the road either." Still, Gibbons says the plan is to bring Reyes to Montreal, where two games will be played on turf, if hes healthy enough to go. "Im sure everybody wants to see him play up there," said Gibbons. THE SECOND CATCHER R.A. Dickey is scheduled to start the Blue Jays final Grapefruit League home game on Wednesday. By game time, we should have a better idea of who will back up Dioner Navarro. "I would say the guy who catches him (Wednesday) will be the backup catcher," said Gibbons. "Ill leave it at that." Erik Kratz and Josh Thole are vying for the job. Gibbons has repeatedly said that effectively catching Dickey is the jobs number one priority. Thole, to the extent someone can be, is a master at it. Hes also got the most experience. Dickeys pitched 565 innings to Thole over their time together with the Mets and Blue Jays. Kratz, a 2002 Blue Jays draft pick, returned to the organization in an offseason trade with the Phillies. Hes a threat to hit a home run, having gone deep 18 times in 375 at-bats over the last two seasons. Thole posted a .175/.256/.242 line in limited action last season. If he makes the team it appears the club will have trouble generating offence from the eighth and ninth (Ryan Goins) spots in the lineup on the days he plays. ' ' '