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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. Hello Mr. Fraser, With all the changes being made to increase scoring and offensive play in the NHL, why do the linesmen continue to stand on the outside of the blue line? This appears to create too many unnecessary stoppages in play due to offsides during offensive zone entry, where the puck is sent into the linesmens skates/legs and he has not enough time to react to allow the entry to proceed according to plan. I just checked online and what I found says they should be inside the blue line, but they seem to always be just outside (or at least I notice more when that happens, rather that when the chip in hits them and their arm doesnt go up because they are inside the line). Is it because in some rinks the glass starts at the blue line and they have to prop themselves up onto the ledge of the players bench to avoid being hit by the puck? Maybe these incidents tend to occur mostly in those rinks and not the ones where the bench extends further into the zone past the blue line. Thanks for reading!Rich Mandez Hi Rich: There are a few potential obstacles in the current NHL that the linesmen have to be aware of and overcome as they set up to make the correct call at the attacking blue line. - The removal of the center red line for the purpose of a two-line offside pass stretches the attacking zone all the way to the far blue line. - The enhanced standard by the referees to eliminate restraining fouls has created considerable speed through the neutral zone as teams transition more quickly on the attack. - Players are much bigger on average than any other era of the game, creating additional congestion on the ice. (Have you noticed the towering size of many of the current crop of linesmen as well?) - The "four-man officiating system" has added another body on the ice; one of which always leads the play by skating backwards into the attacking zone. Often his entry into the zone can be on the same side of the ice that the linesman making the off-side call at the blue line is positioned. - They are required to support their fellow linesman close to the foreword blue line in the event that he is bumped off the line and then must reverse direction quickly as the play transitions in the other direction toward the blue line that is his primary responsibility. Fast breaks can make this quite challenging. The bottom line Rich is that the linesman must do whatever is necessary to assume the very best position in order to see the puck cross the inside edge of their respective blue line ahead of any attacking player. This requires skating skill, speed, agility and athleticism which the NHL linesmen demonstrate on a consistent basis during every game! The "best position" is often obtained by sliding into the zone just ahead of the play and to gain an "unobstructed view" of the inside edge of the blue line. This inside position also allows the puck to cross the line cleanly without restriction by accidentally striking a linesman in the neutral zone as you suggest Rich. Once the puck enters the zone legally, the linesman is then required to immediately reposition himself outside the blue line in the neutral zone to prevent his body and skates from interfering with the pucks exit from the zone. In theory this sounds like a pretty simple process doesnt it Rich. In practice however, given the bullet point obstacles I mentioned and others I didnt, its not at all easy to accomplish. I am amazed at the close plays on the blue line that are almost always ruled correctly by the linesmen. These are the times we never even notice them. Often the only time we do notice the linesmen is on the rare occasion when the puck does hit them on dump or chip when they havent yet assumed that best position inside the zone through some unavoidable circumstance. When players gain the red line and pound the puck in their direction the linesmen are most vulnerable to being struck and even injured. They should avoid sitting up on the boards because from this position they are most vulnerable to being hit without any means of escape other than by being knocked into the players bench! I can assure you the linesmen do their very best to stay out of the way of the puck and flow of play but at times it just isnt possible. Perhaps your question here Rich will inspire the linesmen to work a little harder at gaining the most desired location inside the line whenever possible. The most creative linesman I ever worked with and certainly one of the very best of all-time is Hockey Hall of Fame linesman Ray Scapinello (inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008). Ray was no giant at 57" tall but was lightning fast on his skates and earned the respect of every player and coach in the League. When Scotty Morrison hired 611" linesman Mike Cvik he paired him with the diminutive Scapinello in his first assignment in Toronto. Aside from the opportunity to learn from one of the best in Scapinello, Scotty demonstrated his sense of humor by putting Mutt and Jeff together in that game. When I was added to that tandem as the referee Scamp and I told big Honda not to stand near us for the National Anthem! Ray Scapinello read the play just as quickly as he skated and demonstrated a unique flair in making his calls on the blue line. Im sure he might have missed a call or two over his career because no one is perfect but I must confess I cant ever remember seeing him miss one in the many, many big games we worked together! Scamp would not only get inside the zone ahead of the play but on the close ones he would be down on one knee with his eyes set like a laser on the inside edge of the blue line. He did whatever was necessary to make the call. One time as players approached him with speed down the wall, rather than bump into the attacking zone I witnessed Ray jump into the players bench at the blue line to make the call;. The players seated on the bench had a stunned look on their face as Scampy made a washout signal from their side of the boards and then jumped back onto the ice once the attacking players passed by. Scampy always found a way to make the call from the best and most desired position. I am sure his advice to the current group of linesmen is to read and react to the play quickly and then move your feet to get in the best and most desired position to make the call. Ray Scapinello is without a doubt one of the very best linesman in the history of the NHL. Cheap Air Jordan 11 Retro Blue . Helwani said that Weidman has been dealing with recurring swelling and pain in his knees related to torn meniscus he suffered as a teenager and the problems came to a head last week when he suffered prolonged swelling and pain in his left knee, resulting in the decision to undergo an arthroscopic scope procedure to clean up the tear in both knees. Cheap Air Jordan 11 Retro Black . -- Canada played to expectation up until halftime. http://www.cheapjordans11online.com/cheap-air-jordan-11-retro-all-red/ .C. -- The shot that would have beaten No. Cheap Jordan 11s Online . Scrivens stopped 48 shots and captain Andrew Ference scored in overtime as the Oilers pulled off a 4-3 upset of the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. Cheap Air Jordan 11 Retro All Gold . - The Raiders have released guard Mike Brisiel after two disappointing seasons in Oakland. SAN MARTIN, Calif. -- Jimmy Walkers first PGA Tour trophy came with a special gift tucked inside. A yellow "Masters 2014" flag. It was a not-so-subtle reminder that the Frys.com Open is no longer a Fall Series event for players to chase their tour cards at the end of the year, but the start of the PGA Tours new 2013-14 season that comes with all the perks. And it was a reminder to Walker that he gets to go places where he always felt he belonged. In his eighth season and his 188th tournament -- and with a little help from 23-year-old Brooks Koepka -- Walker won a back-nine duel Sunday by making a 6-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole and closing with three pars for a 5-under 66. That was more than enough for the 34-year-old Texan to win by two shots. "This was the final stepping stone," said Walker, who has played on more tours than he can remember to get to the big leagues. It turned out to be a learning experience for Koepka, who had a four-shot lead with 11 holes remaining until he began missing short putts, all of them to the left. It started with a 3-foot par putt that he missed on the ninth hole. The most significant was a 6-foot birdie attempt on the 15th hole that would have matched birdies with Walker in the group ahead and regained a share of the lead. Koepka bogeyed the next two holes and closed with a 72 to tie for third. "Things just werent going my way," Koepka said. "I just didnt make the shots I needed to win. Congrats to Jimmy on that. He played very well. But just try to learn from the whole experience. Any time you can put yourself in that kind of pressure, its always good. It you take something from it, thats even better." Walker finished at 17-under 267 and cracked the top 50 in the world ranking for the first time. Vijay Singh closed with a 68 and wound up with the 27th runner-up finish of his Hall of Fame career, and his best result since he sued the PGA Tour in May over its procedure in investigating Singhs admission that he used deer antler spray. Koepka tied for third with Kevin Na (64), Puerto Rico winner Scott Brown (64) and Hideki Matsuyama, the 21-year-old Japanese star who has joined the PGA Tour. Matsuyama, who played in the Presidents Cup last week, birdied his last three holes for a 66. Along with the Masters, Walker also gets to go to Maui in January for the Tournament of Champions, another place he has never been, and he is assured a spot in the PGA Championship for only the fourth time in his career. "I felt like I was good enough to be in them, play in them," Walker said. "Theres always this big pressure to get into Augusta, and I would press here, press there.dddddddddddd You want to be playing in the big stuff. Thats what Im aspiring to do -- play against the worlds best." It wont be his first trip to Augusta National. Club member Paul Sarvadi invited Walker and his father about five years ago, one of Walkers favourite memories even in the chill of winter and a light rain. His father, a scratch golfer who once shot 60, birdied three of the par 5s. Walker shot 72 one day, and played the back nine in 35. "A cool experience," he called it. Koepka was playing on a sponsors exemption that he received without asking. Tournament officials identified him as a potential star when he started the year with no status on any tour, and then won three times on the Challenge Tour to earn his European Tour card. He qualified for the British Open the day after his third Challenge Tour win. He was between stops in Scotland and Shanghai, and now his plans are slightly altered. Koepkas finish gets him into Las Vegas next week before he goes back to the European Tour for the BMW Masters in China. Billy Hurley III closed with a 68 and NCAA champion Max Homa from Cal birdied two of the last three holes to tie for ninth. That gets them in Las Vegas. Koepka won all of his Challenge Tour events in Europe with the 54-hole lead, experience he figured could only help. For eight holes, he was on the verge of running away from the field. He rammed in a 45-foot birdie putt on the sixth hole to reach 17 under, and when Singh in group ahead three-putted the seventh for bogey from about the same range, Koepka had a four-shot lead. It was gone in four holes. Koepka had about a 15-foot birdie putt from the collar of the par-5 ninth green that went about 3 feet by the hole. But the stroke on his par putt looked a little quick, and it caught the left lip and spun out for a bogey. On the par-3 11th, he pulled a 6-foot par putt. That dropped him into a tie for the lead with Walker, who was in the group ahead and had made a 15-foot birdie on the eighth and a two-putt birdie from long range on the ninth. Asked if there was a putt that unsettled him, Koepka said, "Maybe the putt on 9. That wasnt very good." They traded birdies -- Koepka with a 3-footer on the par-5 12th, Walker with a 30-foot putt from the fringe on the 13th, setting the stage for the decisive stretch at CordeValle -- the par-5 15th that could be reached in two, the par-4 17th that played 297 yards over the water. And thats where it was decided. "I cant get too down on this week," Koepka said. "I know Ill be criticized. But this year has been amazing. This week I played well. It happens to the best of them." 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