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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. Wholesale Nets Jerseys .ca. Its an "Ace" of a day here in South New Jersey and Im in a very happy mood. I recorded my first ever hole-in–one this morning on the par 3, 135 yard fourth hole at the Atlantic City Country Club with an eight iron into a stiff wind and drizzle off the Bay. As they say, even a blind squirrel (or ref) can find a nut once in a while! Enjoy the games tonight. - Kerry Hi Kerry, In seemingly all of his games since the playoffs have started, Brad Marchand has had a talking to by the referee for stick work after the whistle. The commentators keep referring to Marchand getting "a warning." But if this is happening every game, shouldnt these warnings turn into penalties at some point? Does the league allow or encourage officials to pass this type of information on from one game to the next? Thanks,JonathanToronto, ON Jonathan: NHL officials do share information with one another. The fastest lines of communication are the telephone, telegraph and tell a ref! The series supervisor updates each new crew at a game-day noon meeting as to what has taken place in previous games. There are no surprises; especially when it comes to certain hotspots the officials need to be aware of involving players from both teams. The referees want to do their very best to allow the players to play on the edge while maintaining an element of control; especially in a game seven. With regard to game control, the intelligent official will communicate with players and coaches when he deems it necessary to bring their negative emotions down a notch. I often noticed that player aggression could escalate during a shift or subsequent shifts. It was almost like a snowball rolling down a hill that gathered momentum. It was almost predictable as a player became less disciplined and likely to commit an infraction resulting in a penalty call. Im not referring to some spontaneous retaliation or foul but a tendency that players demonstrated to lose their discipline through a series of ragged play. Scrums and confrontations after the whistle are the most opportune time for player hostilities and paybacks to escalate. Scrums take the focus away from playing the game to instead administering punishment or getting even. When that occurs the refs have to take measures to get players refocused; usually with the fear that a penalty will be called to re-establish acceptable guidelines. The most successful refs are the one that get the players to play on their terms without having to continually lay the hammer down! The entertainment value of the game is maximized whenever that takes place. There comes a point though when the communication efforts have no effect and the refs arm must go up to call a penalty. I just dont want to single out Brad Marchand of the Bruins. Brendan Gallagher of the Habs is another pesky little guy that can really stir things up. Both are emotional players that bring plenty of energy to their game and can draw a crowd. Whether it is going hard to the net and making contact with the goalkeeper or initiating contact after the whistle in an effort to draw a foul, both players have earned the right to be on the refs radar screen. Officials develop a working relationship with all players. Throughout that relationship building process a player has to clearly know when a referee means business; when he has had enough and the hammer is about to fall! Speaking from personal experience, players didnt often mistake my piercing look and terse body language or tone for knowing when it was time to back off and take their foot off the gas pedal. When I issued a "warning" to a player I often told him I could be his best advocate or his worst friggin nightmare - the choice was his? A referee can also solicit the assistance of a respected team leader or captain that he has a good relationship with to get his teammate under control before the ref is forced to take action. I often used the coach in this capacity to instill some discipline in one of his players. When I had enough of the scrums (which was very quickly) I went to each coach and told them I had enough and was going to penalize one player only in a scrum. Since it might just be their player I asked them to take control before I was forced to put his team down a man! They usually cooperated; if not it only took one such penalty for them to understand I meant business. What the referees are attempting to do with a player like Brad Marchand is to establish some self-discipline through an element of reason. Reminding the player that taking a penalty will put his team in the hole can be one way to do that as I have described above. It is important for the ref to choose his words wisely and not "threaten" the player with, "If you do that one more time" routine. Game 7 is not the time for any player to test the referees resolve; nor is it the time for the referees to lay the hammer down without some fair warning. I think the message has been delivered and the pests will play their typical game but just on the edge. Talk is often cheap but everything is on the line for both teams tonight! Stitched Nets Jerseys . Yup, he definitely needed this one. Craig homered twice and had three RBIs Wednesday night to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Craig went 4 for 5 and Yadier Molina added three hits for the Cardinals, who salvaged the final game of a three-game set in hopes of staying within shouting distance of front-running Milwaukee in the NL Central. Nets Jerseys 2019 . - Hitting was supposed to be the Pittsburgh Pirates weakness coming into the season yet they lead the major leagues in home runs through the first 16 games of the season. https://www.cheapnetsonline.com/ . -- Fantasy football owners and Denver Broncos fans can rest easy: Peyton Manning is back.Raptors Top Five: Best point guards With the Toronto Raptors celebrating their 20th anniversary season in 2014-15, Josh Lewenberg and TSN.ca take a look back at the franchises first two decades with weekly Top Five lists, counting down the standout and signature players and moments in team history. 5. T.J. Ford (2006-08) Raptor stats (2 seasons): 13.2 points, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 126 games played/97 started One of the first orders of business for incoming general manager Bryan Colangelo, upon taking the helm prior to the 2006-07 campaign, was to shore up the point guard position. Although his initial gamble - the selection of Andrea Bargnani, first overall - will go down as a black mark on the former GMs resume, he would hit a home run just two days later, acquiring the speedy Ford from Milwaukee and selling high on then-rookie sensation Charlie Villanueva. Ford made an immediate impact, averaging 14.0 points and a personal-best 7.9 assists, helping to lead the franchise to its first division title in his debut year with the Raptors. Listed at a generous six-feet, Ford was a fearless player - its what made him great and loads of fun to watch before it ultimately ended his career early. Not unlike his time in the league, Fords Raptor tenure was short lived, derailed by serious neck and spinal injuries. He shares a common thread with others on this list in the way he fought through that adversity - refusing to compromise his style of play - but doesnt get the same recognition for it. Did you know?: Ford assisted on 44.6 per cent of his teammates field goals while on the floor as a member of the Raptors, the highest mark in franchise history. 4. Jose Calderon (2005-13) Raptor stats (8 seasons): 10.0 points, 7.2 assists, 1.7 turnovers, 48 per cent FG, 39 percent 3P, 525 games played/323 started More so than anyone else on this list, Calderon is the type of player that comes to mind when you think of the throw-back point guard, a dying breed in basketball. A truly selfless leader, the Spaniard remains a consummate professional and teammate, now with his third team in two years since being traded in the deal that netted the Raptors Rudy Gay. His NBA home will always be in Toronto, where he spent nearly a decade and grew into one of the more dependable floor generals in the league. When Calderon debuted in 2005 he could barely speak the language or knock down an open jumper (16 per cent from three-point range). Thanks in large part to the work he put in over the years that followed, he would go on to lead the NBA, shooting a ridiculous 46 per cent from long distance in 2012-13, his final season in Toronto. Routinely at the top of the association in assist-to-turnover ratio, Calderons near-flawless instincts on the offensive end helped him overtake a number of flashier point guards in the rotation, including Ford, leading to the latters departure. Underestimate him at your own peril. Defensive shortcomings aside, Calderon had a lasting impact on the franchise and wont soon by forgotten. Did you know?: Calderon ranks third in Raptors history in win shares (an estimate of the number of wins contributed by a player) at 41.5, behind only Chris Bosh and Vince Carter. Hes the Raptors all-time leader in assists (3770) 3. Alvin Williams (1998-2006) Raptor stats (8 seasons): 9.3 points, 4.3 assists, 1.4 turnovers, 417 games played/324 started To clarify, while Williams remains one of, if not the most beloved Raptor of all time, hes here because of his on-court contributions and overall importance to the franchise. No, his numbers dont stand out, theyre modest at best. That said, Boogie peaked at the right time and came into his own just as the Raptors reached their pinnacle - not a coincidence. An excellent defender and clutch shooter, Williams was the perfect sidekick to Carter in the backcourt. He broke out as a reserve in 2000-01, prompting his promotion and the midseason trade of Mark Jackson before hitting the biggest shot of his career - and posssibly Raptors history - in the playoffs, a series-winning dagger at Madison Square Garden. Brooklyn Nets Pro Shop. The following season he played in all 82 games, averaging 11.8 points and 5.7 assists, helping lead Toronto to an unexpected playoff berth without the injured Carter to lean on. More than anything else, Williams is known for his toughness. That and his crucial role in the franchises biggest moments make him deserving of this spot. Did you know?: Williams has appeared in 18 playoff games for the Raptors, tied with Morris Peterson for most in team history. 2. Damon Stoudamire (1995-98) Raptor stats (3 seasons): 19.6 points, 8.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 200 games played/200 started An original Raptor, Stoudamire was also the franchises first ever star, and a marketable one at that. He burst onto the scene as a rookie in 1995-96, the teams inaugural season, averaging 19.0 points and 9.3 assists. The lone bright spot during the organizations early years, Mighty Mouse intrigued a young fan base with his crafty, fast-paced style of play and was at the forefront of some signature moments, namely Torontos unlikely victory over Michael Jordan and the 72-win Chicago Bulls. At 5-foot-10, Stoudamire could do the unimaginable. He was durable, lightning quick and like Williams - a player he was ultimately traded for - tough as nails. Alas, the relationship between player and franchise turned sour and Stoudamires production proved to be unsustainable once he engineered his own exit and moved on from the Raptors. You could certainly argue he was nothing more than a good player putting up great numbers on a bad team, but that shouldnt tarnish his Raptors legacy. For the first two and a half years of their existence, the Raptors featured one of the most exciting young talents in the NBA, an ideal set-up for any infant franchise. Did you know?: Stoudamire logged an average of 40.9 minutes per game in his rookie season, the seventh-highest among first-year players in NBA history. The six players ahead of him (Wilt Chamberlain, Elvin Hayes, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, Walt Bellamy and Jerry Lucas) are all Hall of Famers. Hes also the Raptors all-time leader in assists per game (8.8) 1. Kyle Lowry (2012-present) Raptor stats (2 seasons): 15.0 points, 6.9 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 147 games played/131 started Lowrys all-star caliber 2013-14 campaign will go down as one of the most impressive single-season performances by any player, at any position in the franchises first 20 years. After a disappointing debut season in Toronto and a series of lost years in Houston and Memphis, the 28-year-old finally realized his immense potential, finding himself at the most crucial time for both player and team. With free agency looming, Lowrys maturation as a leader - on and off the court - lifted his team to new heights at a time in which many expected them to head in the opposite direction. By channeling his toughness and stubborn nature in the right direction, he established himself as the face of the franchise - now and for the foreseeable future - and one of the NBAs elite point guards. Perhaps his most meaningful contribution to the organization occurred this summer when he bucked the trend of runaway stars and committed to Toronto long-term. Lowry - a two-way terror at the position - has spearheaded a Raptors renaissance, rejuvenating a long-suffering fan base entering the teams 20th season. Did you know?: Lowry set a franchise-record with 190 three-point field goals last season. His 11.7 win shares represented the third highest single-season mark in team history, behind only Carter. Honourable mention: Mike James (2005-06), Rafer Alston (2002-03, 2004-05), Muggsy Bogues (1999-2001), Mark Jackson (2000-01) Expert picks: Jack Armstrong 1. Alvin Williams 2. Jose Calderon 3. Damon Stoudamire 4. Kyle Lowry 5. T.J. Ford Leo Rautins 1. Kyle Lowry 2. Damon Stoudamire 3. Jose Calderon 4. Alvin Williams 5. Mark Jackson ' ' '