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. Dear Kerry, Love the articles, big fan since the beginning. Miss you on the ice. I am emailing in regards to the video of referee Paul Devorskis last game with Vancouver. What is your take on the video of Paul clearly making derogatory comments about Tortorella during the Anaheim game last night (as Don Cherry would say "Dont read lips") and what would be the consequences of something like this happening during a game for a ref? ThanksJeff Yates --- Hi Kerry, Recently, Paul Devorski has drawn the ire of Canuck fans of calling games slanted in the oppositions favour (including the most recent example of giving the Ducks a seven-minute 5-on-3 advantage). I wouldnt say the game against L.A. was refereed poorly, but I would suggest that it wasnt Devorskis best game and Im guessing Tortorella had some comments about the refereeing after the game ended yet Devorski ended up refereeing the next game against the Ducks. I know there have been examples of referees coming in on short notice (most notably the referees drafted in during the Stanley Cup Playoffs after Jim Schoenfeld overturned his suspension and the referees held a wildcat strike). After Stephane Augers battle with Vancouvers Alex Burrows, I dont think Auger reffed games with Vancouver for a long time. How often are referee assignments changed if something controversial happens in the previous game? Thanks,GarethRichmond, BC Jeff and Gareth: I thought Wyatt Arndts blog article published in The Province was well written and provided a very fair and balanced account from all sides (If you havent done so please open it up in Jeffs question and read it now).Let me be perfectly clear, there is no justification for an Official (ref or linesman) to lose his composure and curse back at a player, coach or even a fan. Regardless of just how difficult it might be to "bite your tongue" in the heat of the moment, any profane outburst from a ref becomes indefensible. A refs credibility and respect can be damaged (at least temporarily) when negative emotions are inappropriately vented in public as we witnessed in this situation. Im positive that referee Paul Devorski regrets the poor conduct he demonstrated by sharing his feelings with colleague Dan ORourke in what he thought to be a private exchange. He should know that nothing is private anymore; if he didnt he does now. It matters little that referee Devorski was the recipient of Vancouver Coach John Tortorellas profanity-laced attack; lip reading aside! What matters most is that the referee is entrusted with the authority to act as an impartial arbitrator and conduct himself in a professional manner at all times. You can rest assured that Paul Devorski has already been spoken to about this incident by someone from within Hockey Operations and/or the Officiating Department. There are also times when an Officials assignments will be altered to keep from throwing gasoline on smoldering ashes that remain from a previous game or incident. Moving personnel is not always easy with back-to-back games and especially on the West Coast. While the referees conduct was inappropriate it demonstrates something none of us should lose sight of. These guys are only human! There isnt a referee that hasnt slipped up and cursed at one time or another. I know for sure I have. I learned early in my career however that if I was expected to control the game and the negative emotions that often surfaced in disputes, it was imperative that I maintain control my own emotions. Believe me when I tell you there were many times that this good intention was much easier said than done! I adopted the adage, "Treat disrespect, with respect" to gain leverage and exert control in heated exchanges with players and coaches. In an effort to quickly bring the temperature down, I incorporated non aggressive body language (open palms vs finger point) and a monotone voice inflection (vs elevated volume and shouting match). I attempted to quickly set the tone and establish an element of control during the dispute through my actions by demonstrating a calm but firm demeanor. I encouraged the other party to engage in a civil conversation as opposed to a giving or receiving a profanity laced lecture. Through the "conversation" that generally followed I listened as the player or coach expressed their opinion. I then explained the reasoning behind my decision. In the end we might just agree to disagree. Regardless of the eventual outcome an effort was always made to solicit some form of civil decorum. To maintain self-control as a referee it is important to feel your internal emotional pitch rise and fall like the mercury of a thermometer (Think of any bouts of road rage you have been a party to?). You better think before you speak and when you do listen to yourself; the tone, the volume and how it is being perceived. I was in a heated debate with a player one time when I stopped abruptly in midsentence. I apologized for what I had just heard myself say to the player that I deemed inappropriate; I knew he must have as well. I withdrew my inappropriate comment by stating, "Im sorry, that came out the wrong way; what I meant to say was this". It is especially important for the referee to be part of the solution as opposed to part of the problem. Sometimes it takes super-human strength to keep your emotions in check. In the 1974-75 season, I was assigned to an IHL game in Flint, MI. Late in the third period I assessed multiple penalties to Muskegon Mohawks defenceman Lynn Margarit following a fight. Margarit amassed 301 penalty minutes that season and 2,100 during his 10-year IHL career. The player and I engaged in a heated, nose to nose debate over the game misconduct he had received. In his rage, and as I opened my mouth to speak, Margarit spat directly into my mouth! It immediately sickened me. Every muscle in my body immediately shook with rage in readiness to drill this guy. Somehow I was able to dig deep and maintained the self-control required of a referee. In 1975, in an AHL game in Halifax, I was physically attacked by Richard Lemieux - who played 274 games in the NHL for Vancouver Canucks, Kansas City Scouts and Atlanta Flames. After receiving his third penalty of the game Lemieux threw down his gloves at centre ice and charged at me. I squared to meet him with open palms as a "sign of peace!" Lemieux refused my peace offering and threw a left punch that I slipped and grabbed the sleeve of his jersey as his fist went past my ear. His right hand punch, I caught in the air and was then able to pull the jersey over his head. Thank goodness there were no "tie-downs" in those days! Big Ken Houston jumped off his bench, placed me in a bear hug and lifted my skates off the ice thinking that I was going to punch his now vulnerable teammate just as the two linemen arrived on the scene. Following the game Lemieux, Houston and coach Al MacNeil came to the Officials dressing room and issued a sincere apology. NHL President Clarence Campbell suspended Lemieux for 10 games in addition to imposing a hefty fine. The point in both of these hostile and very aggressive confrontations with players is that if I, as a referee, had not maintained control of my emotions and acted in a "professional" manner, my officiating career would have ended before I even made it to the NHL. On occasion, there are situations in a game that require superhuman strength for a referee to fight the natural tendency to be, "only human." Kieran Trippier Hotspur Jersey .K. Subban and Matt Duchene will be the two skaters sitting out the teams opening game. Custom Hotspur Jerseys . Adam Lind provided the power and rookie starter Marcus Stroman had the best start of his young career as the Blue Jays dumped the Yankees 8-3 at Rogers Centre. Stroman, making his fifth start for Toronto, allowed one earned run and three hits over a career-high eight innings. http://www.footballhotspurstore.com/Women-Jan-Vertonghen-Tottenham-Hotspur-Jersey/ . Like a magic trick, the puck popped out behind Stalock in the San Jose net. While Sharks coach Todd McLellan decried the legality of the tiebreaking goal, the Los Angeles Kings celebrated their latest, greatest escape yet. Serge Aurier Hotspur Jersey . The 17-time Grand Slam champion, who lose three straight finals in Monte Carlo to Rafael Nadal from 2006-08, has not played in the tournament since 2011, when he lost to Jurgen Melzer in the quarterfinals. Hugo Lloris Hotspur Jersey . Vettel only needs to finish fifth or better Sunday to wrap up the championship with three races remaining, and bettered his own lap record to claim his third straight pole at Buddh International Circuit.The Minnesota Wild surprised the heavily-favored Chicago Blackhawks with a shutout victory in Game 3. The Wild hope to repeat that success and tie the Western Conference semifinals at two games apiece when they host the defending Stanley Cup champions in Fridays Game 4 from Xcel Energy Center. Watch the game on TSN and TSN GO at 9pm et/6pm pt. After losing the first two games of this best-of-seven set in Chicago by a combined 9-3 margin, Minnesota answered with Tuesdays 4-0 victory on home ice. Game 3 was scoreless after 40 minutes, but the Wild rode a strong third period to their first win of the series. Minnesota was able to get in the win column thanks to third-period goals from Mikael Granlund -- who scored twice -- Zach Parise and Erik Haula. Ilya Bryzgalov also made 19 saves for his first playoff shutout in eight years. "Happy to get the win and happy for a lot of our guys," said Minnesota head coach Mike Yeo. "Whether its Bryz, whether its our big guys, they all did well tonight and its good to see. Now we need to build on this and even the series." Minnesota is in the second round of the playoffs for only the second time in franchise history. The club made it to the Western Conference finals in 2003, then lost its next three postseason series before downing Colorado in seven games in this springs opening round. The Wild have won three straight home games and are 4-1 as the host this postseason. The Blackhawks, meanwhile, hope to bounce back in Game 4 and take a commanding 3-1 lead in this series. A victory tonight for Chicago would give the club a chance to close the set out Sunday on home ice. Corey Crawford gave up three goals on 17 shots for the Blackhawks, who had won six straight games before Tuesdays setback. Chicago had been perfect since falling behind 2-0 to St. Louis in the opening round. "I didnt mind our first 40 minutes, but when they got that goal to start the third it got the crowd electrified," said Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville.dddddddddddd "We played the right way but theyre as tight a defensive team as were going to play here. Chances are going to be low and we have to work with that." The game was scoreless going into the third, but the Wild struck quickly to take a 1-0 lead. Haula scored off a nice saucer pass from Justin Fontaine at 1:41 of the third. Granlund scored his first goal less than three minutes later. The score stayed 2-0 until Parise tallied on the power play with 2:35 left. Granlund followed with an empty-netter with 1:17 remaining to seal the victory. "It was a tough game because were playing a really good team," said Granlund. "After the first goal things seemed to open up a bit. Its a new series again. Well enjoy this and come back ready for Friday." Bryzgalov only had to make four saves in the third for his fourth playoff shutout and first since May 7, 2006 with Anaheim. Minnesota expects to get Matt Cooke back for Game 4 as the controversial forward has completed a seven-game suspension for delivering a knee-on-knee hit against Colorado defenseman Tyson Barrie in Game 3 of the opening-round series. Cooke had one assists in three games before getting punished for the hit, which knocked Barrie out for the remainder of the playoffs. In injury news for Chicago, center Andrew Shaw has missed two straight contests after exiting Game 1 with a lower-body injury and will sit out Friday as well. Jeremy Morin replaced Shaw in the lineup for Game 2, but was a healthy scratch on Tuesday when Brandon Bollig skated in his place. Defenseman Nick Leddy was a healthy scratch in Game 3 when veteran Sheldon Brookbank took his place in the lineup, but Leddy will be back on the ice Friday. 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