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 appreciate your earlier comments on Torontos handling of the Vanek goal, and Im sure youve seen the Howie Rose-Kris King interview by now. Im still left with some basic questions about what the actual NHL rules are at this point, and was hoping you could provide some insight. 1. Does the situation room still need clear, incontrovertible evidence to overturn calls made on the ice? Every NHL announcer seems to think so, but Kris King clearly indicates that while that logic held in many cases there was a specific subset of calls (including kicking motion) where the situation room could take the on-ice call as purely advisory and didnt have to find incontrovertible video evidence in order to overturn. Is Kings view backed up by formal statements/rule changes? Do NHL refs uniformly understand that Toronto needs clear evidence to overturn in some cases but not in others? 2. Kings comments seemed contradictory in that he said the rules regarding kicking were defined so that neither refs or the situation room needed to make any judgment as to the players intent (i.e goals scored by kicking should be disallowed even if they could be considered unintentional or inadvertent), but also raised the point that "foot dragging" could be defined as "kicking" in this context. First of all, Rule 38.4 which you quoted in your initial comment does not mention foot dragging, and the "pendulum" motion it prohibits would seem to explicitly exclude the possibility of disallowing goals based on foot dragging. Has there been an internal memo or formal rule change that all NHL refs would be aware of that expands Rule 38.4 to include foot dragging? Secondly, outside of extraordinarily blatant cases, how could anyone disallow a goal on foot dragging grounds without judging the players intentions? Hundreds of goals go off skates where there has been no "pendulum" type kicking motion. How could anyone distinguish good from bad goals without determining whether they thought the player was trying to intentionally redirect a puck, as opposed to simply position themselves near the goal mouth where lucky bounces sometimes occur? We all understand that no set of rules can ever be perfect. The issue here is that you and most fans that saw the Vanek video believed the rule to be applied in that situation was one thing, and King may have implied (but never clearly said), no - the rule to be applied in that situation is different. If the rules are 100 per cent clear to refs and everyone in the league, it would still be useful to communicate changes more clearly so that announcers and journalists arent confusing the fans. Of course, if situation room personnel think they can establish rule interpretations that the on-ice staff isnt in sync with, that would raise a different set of issues. Hoping you can clarify what the real situation is. Hubert Horan Hubert: I truly believe that each person who staffs the Situation Room on a nightly basis in Toronto is a man of integrity and cares deeply about the game. They do not take the huge responsibility handed to them lightly and they do strive to get every call right through video review to the best of their ability. When a play, subject to review, is taken over by the Situation Room their judgment is independent of the referees and any decision rendered through video review is final. The only exception is when video review returns an "inconclusive verdict" at which time the call reverts back to the referee on the ice. In almost every case the referees initial call will then stand. The referees make the call from their vantage point in real time based on the rules as written and with the direction and expected standard of enforcement they are handed from their superiors. The refs recognize that their decision on the ice can be overturned for any reason, whether they agree or even like it! It would appear, at least from the perception of the personnel conducting the video review, that clear and incontrovertible evidence is present for them to overturn a referees call on the ice. That perception and ultimate decision is always subject to debate and scrutiny from the hockey community. While I cant ever recall Kris King agreeing with a penalty I assessed against him during his 14 season NHL career I know him to be a very good, honest and charitable person. As a former player that was most often cheered by adoring fans, Kris and his colleagues in the Situation Room can sometimes find their decisions challenged rather vehemently by various members of the hockey community. No differently than a referee experiences throughout his career, it goes with the territory! This might explain some of Kris apparent defensiveness during the interview with Howie Rose. What Kris didnt explain, but only alluded to, were instructions provided them by the general managers how to ascertain a "distinct kicking motion" beyond the definition provided in rule 38.4 (iv). If such instructions include a skate drag or worse yet, unintended contact with a players skate resulting from physical contact by an opponent, these new criteria should be clearly communicated to the rest of the hockey world. That I believe is the question that Howie Rose and the rest of us would like a clear answer to. I would be most curious to know if Isles GM Garth Snow and Habs GM Marc Bergevin (following Brendan Gallaghers disallowed goal) among others have signed off on the instructions Kris King alluded to. A referee often factors in "player intent" when imposing his judgment on infractions and calls. To suggest otherwise is illogical. At the present time a vast majority of the hockey community, including current and former officials, current and former players, broadcasters and fans cant logically understand decisions to disallow goals like the one that went into the net off the skate of Thomas Vanek. The answer to that question has to come clearly and definitively from Colin Campbell, current Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations who holds the keys to the Kingdom. 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Defensive Depth TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun is reporting the Toronto Maple Leafs have considerable interest in unrestricted free-agent defenceman Dan Boyle.TORONTO - Doneil Henry is about to join the select list of Canadians to play in Englands Premier League.The 21-year-old former Toronto FC defender from Brampton, Ont., had his work permit approved Monday, paving the way for a move to West Ham United in January.The east London side currently stands fourth with a 9-4-4 record.Absolutely fantastic news for Doneil, said former Toronto FC manager Ryan Nelsen, who recommended the Canadian international to West Ham boss Sam Allardyce. I know how hard hes worked and the effort he put in.Nelsen, a big Henry backer, captained Blackburn Rovers under Allardyce.English reports pegged the West Ham transfer fee at 1.5 million pounds (C$2.7 million).West Ham had to make its case for a permit before an appeals hearing. Canadas lowly world ranking — currently No. 112 — makes it difficult to secure the proper paperwork in England.Henry will join fellow Canadian Junior Hoilett (Queens Park Rangers) in Englands top flight. The Brampton-born Hoilett has yet to declare his international allegiance, however.Other Canadians to play in the top tier include Jim Brennan, Terry Dunfield, David Edgar, Craig Forrest, Simeon Jackson, Jimmy Nicholl, Tomasz Radzinski, Paul Stalteri and Frank Yallop.Calgary-born Owen Hargreaves also played in the Premier League but opted to suit up internationally for England.The move caps an eventful year for Henry, whose sale to a Cypriot club was shrouded in secrrecy for months.ddddddddddddToronto confirmed in August that Henry had been sold to the Cyprus club in March/April, only to be immediately loaned back to the MLS team. Neither Toronto nor Henry would initially name the team, later identified as Apollon Limassol.Nelsen said the Cyprus deal was a good one for Toronto, which received both a transfer fee and allocation money. The MLS team also got to hold onto the player for the season, although his rights went to his new club in Cyprus.At the end of the MLS season, Toronto said Henrys loan period was up but could be extended.Henry, who has made no secret of his desire to play in Europe, spent 2 1/2 weeks training with West Ham prior to the 2014 MLS season.They liked him and a lot of other clubs really liked him as well, Nelsen said Monday from his native New Zealand.A source told The Canadian Press that top Portuguese side Porto was also interested in Henry.Hell go to the top, theres no question about that. Hes got all the tools, Nelsen said of Henry in May.West Ham was clearly more interested in Henry that Toronto, which favoured rookie Nick Hagglund as captain Steven Caldwells partner in central defence as the MLS season wore on.Henry was the first player from Toronto FCs academy to graduate to the first team when he signed a pro contract in August 2010.He went on to play 70 league games, making 19 starts this season.Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter Jerseys NFL ChinaCheap Adidas NHL JerseysWholesale Jerseys From ChinaCheap MLB Jerseys WholesaleChina JerseysNFL Jerseys ChinaDiscount Soccer JerseysWholesale Jerseys ChinaChina NCAA Jerseys CheapCheap Nike Dolphins JerseysCheap Nike Patriots JerseysCheap Nike Jets JerseysCheap Nike Bengals JerseysCheap Nike Browns JerseysCheap Nike Steelers JerseysCheap Nike Texans JerseysCheap Nike Colts JerseysCheap Nike Jaguars JerseysCheap Nike Titans JerseysCheap Nike Broncos Jerseys ' ' '