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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. Vince Carter Jersey .ca. Good morning Kerry, I love your daily clarifications to help everyone understand better why some calls are made! My question is in regards of spearing. As you know by now, Milan Lucic speared Alexei Emelin in Game 3 - again! I understand that at times some calls be overlooked, but why is he continuously getting away with it? If there is video evidence, why nothing is done afterward to avoid any precedence to be set? My last question: is this not making the officials in a difficult position? Thank you very much for your time. Lyne Laurendeau Lyne: The act of spearing and butt-ending seldom result in a player suspension. Instead, a fine may be imposed (but not always as we have seen) by the Player Safety Committee. It would appear that players are utilizing both ends of their hockey stick on a more consistent basis in violation of rule 58 (butt-ending) and rule 62 (spearing). This season the following fines have been levied for these illegal acts: February 6, 2014: Alexei Emelin - Montreal Canadiens - Butt-ending Pascal Pelletier ($5,000)March 20, 2014: David Legwand - Detroit Red Wings - Butt-ending Evgeni Malkin ($5,000)April 13, 2014: Scott Hartnell - Philadelphia Flyers - Spearing Brett Bellemore ($5,000)April 18, 2014: Milan Lucic - Boston Bruins -Spearing Danny DeKeyser ($5,000)April 25, 2014: Ryan Garbutt - Dallas Stars - Spearing Corey Perry ($1,474.36) You also might recall in the Ducks-Stars series on April 18th that Corey Perry was given a "slashing" minor when he "speared" Jamie Benn at 7:25 of the first period. Perry remained in the game as a result the "slashing" assessment and then scored an unassisted goal at 16:15 of the second in a 3-2 Anaheim win.  Milan Lucic was also guilty of an undetected backdoor spear motion on Alexei Emelin in a game March 24. Neither of these incidents resulted in a fine.  Beyond the non-call in the Bruins-Habs game the other night, no disciplinary action or fine will result from Lucics latest spear on Emelin. It should also be noted that Emelin was guilty of cross-checking on the play and was not penalized for the infraction as well. Fouls can be missed in the fast pace of the game. There is obvious reluctance on the part of the referees to call "spearing" for what it is due to the severity of the penalty that they must impose under the rule. Only when contact is significant, as in the Ryan Garbutt spear on Corry Perry, will we see the accurate call made. Perrys action on Jamie Benn was no less a spearing motion than Garbutts, but due to lesser degree of contact (deemed to be minimal by the ref) the infraction was called slashing. It is not the referees job to interpret the relative value of the rule or base their assessment on the degree of contact (or non contact) when a spearing motion is delivered.  That however is exactly what is being done. Under rule 62, the referee is empowered (and expected) to assess a double minor is imposed when a player spears an opponent and does not make contact. A major and game misconduct is to be assessed on a player who spears an opponent (makes contact).  When I attended my first NHL training camp for officials as a 20-year-old aspiring referee in 1972 we went through every rule in the book during daily classroom sessions. The rule book wasnt all that thick back then and the referee had the option of assessing a minor or major penalty for spearing based on the degree of contact. Wanting to understand the difference between the two applications I approached veteran referee Lloyd Gilmour for advice. I asked Gilmour what constituted the difference between a minor or major penalty for spearing. Without so much as a wink, Lloyd said, "Kid, if you see the spear go in its two minutes; if the stick comes out the players back call it five!" Perhaps the veteran advice was a little tongue-in- cheek but in reality not all that far off from the application we might be seeing now. Lyne, it is my opinion that there should be a fine imposed for every instance of spearing and butt-ending; regardless of the degree of contact or whether a penalty was imposed by the referee. Both are dangerous and cheap acts. Further to this, the referees must be directed to call the action of spearing and butt-ending for what they are and not place their personal value on the degree of contact made with the point or end of a players stick.  It is the referees that are putting themselves in a "difficult position" by either ignoring the infraction or calling it by any other terminology than what it is. Penalty enforcement and fines would result in higher standards of player accountability and act as a stronger deterrent against these unwanted acts from being committed. Gordan Giricek Jersey . Ferrer will play Mikhail Youzhny on Sunday after he defeated Dmitry Tursunov 6-2, 6-4 in an all-Russian semifinal. "Youzhny is a good player," Ferrer said. Drew Gooden Jersey .Y. -- As if the worst start in franchise history isnt bad enough, Buffalo Sabres President Ted Black braced his teams win-starved fans for potentially more tough times.As a kid hed watch from the upper deck of Rogers Centre, back in the days when fans were allowed to sit in that area. Saturday afternoon Jermaine Gabriel will make his first CFL start far, far below those nosebleed seats. Gabriel was born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario, in Torontos east end. Hed become a star on the field at Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute, then hed watch the local CFL squad, particularly drawn to the skills and leadership of Jordan Younger. Now he gets to start at the same safety position where "J.Y." excelled at the end his career, before walking off the field for the final time after a win in the 100th Grey Cup game in 2012. "Its my first start," Gabriel beamed. "I was supposed to start in a game last season, but I got hurt on the first play of the game on special teams." If you think the 24-year old is pumped to play, youre bang on. "Of course youre going to get amped up," Gabriel told TSN.ca. "Im just ready to go." The opportunity to play came about when Matt Black, the Argos starting safety, was injured in the seasons opening game in Winnipeg. By the end of the 2013 campaign, Black was splitting time on the field with Gabriel, who had been the 17th overall pick in that years draft. The veteran has been very helpful in first-time starters preparation for the Roughriders. "Matts like an older brother to all of us in the secondary," continued Gabriel. "Hes been here the longest (six seasons) and you can ask him anything and he wont hesitate to give us the right answer. Hes actually helped me quite a bit in getting readdy mentally for the game. Jason Williams Jersey . " Black and Gabriel are both Toronto raised, but provide different skill sets. The elder player has the speed of a corner, but plays the game very cerebrally. The second-year player is more physical and will make opposing players pay the price if they wander into his area. Getting ready for the Riders means preparing for one of, if not the most talented team in the CFL. When asked what the best part of the Riders offence was Gabriel paused, as if going over a mental checklist of all the problems the opposition could provide. After a long pause he settled on what was likely the person he thought about as soon as the question was posed. "Darian Durant," deadpanned the safety about Saskatchewans quarterback. "Hes a great player and were just going to have to play solid, disciplined defence." As Gabriel wades into his pro career, hes still sometimes at a loss to think about the way his career has progressed, now playing for the team he watched as a kid. "It sunk in a bit last year," Gabriel admitted, the smile on his face widening as he continued. "Ive got guys in the stands that when I walk by they scream Scarborough! and they cheer, so its good that they recognize that Im actually from here and I get to play for my home team." There will be many young football players in the stands at the Rogers Centre Saturday afternoon. No doubt, at least one of them will be a defensive back, and if Gabriel makes a big play or two, the fan may become as inspired by the hometown hero as the current Argo was by Jordan Younger. ' ' '

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