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, I was watching the fourth goal for the Islanders in the game against the Leafs, it seemed the Leafs goalie Bernier had the puck covered and the referee blew the whistle raised his arms in the air to signal the play was dead and then moments later signaled good goal. On the overhead replay, you could see the puck cross the line before the whistle, however it seems to me that the referee thought the puck was covered and intended to blow the play dead as he blew the whistle before ever seeing the puck free. Would this fall under the intent to blow the play dead under Rule 31.2: "As there is a human factor involved in blowing the whistle to stop play, the Referee may deem the play to be stopped slightly prior to the whistle actually being blown. The fact that the puck may come loose or cross the goal line prior to the sound of the whistle has no bearing if the referee has ruled that the play had been stopped prior to this happening." Look forwards to hearing your take on the play. Jordan Anstey --- Hi Kerry, I have a question regarding the Leaf/Islanders game. The Islanders just tied the game 4-4 on a questionable goal, in my opinion. The puck was never frozen by Bernier, as it rolled across the goal line. The referee at the crease blew his whistle, waved it dead and then immediately pointed to the puck in the net. How on earth can you blow the play dead and then reverse it? That shouldnt have counted! Please correct me if I am wrong. Best Regards,Dale Jordan and Dale: Referee Denis LaRue did everything correctly from the moment he attacked the net with speed and eventually located the puck across the goal line the goal line behind Jonathan Bernier. Any evidence or question of the referees "intent to blow the whistle" would have resulted from the fact that he could not see the puck as he approached the net and therefore might have assumed it was frozen under Berniers equipment (puck out of sight). The referee demonstrated patience in not blowing the whistle pre-maturely as he continued on a path toward the goal crease in an effort to find the puck. Once referee LaRue got to the net he did in fact locate the puck across the goal line almost simultaneously with his decision to kill the play. This visual picture was quickly processed and abruptly changed any thought he might have had that the puck was frozen. The puck in the net was now a reality for the referee. As such, Denis LaRues hands immediately went from the field goal position signaling "play is dead" to pointing into the net signaling that a legal goal had been scored! This visual evidence demonstrated and confirmed to the referee that the puck had entered the net prior to his whistle and any "intent" he might have had to blow the play dead. It is somewhat speculative to assume the puck is frozen just because you dont see it. Definitive evidence is presented whenever the referee sees the puck across the goal line. A legal goal must be based on that evidence. Far too many times I have seen referees misjudge plays in and around the goal crease when they remained stationary in the corner or kept an obstructed view without moving their feet. Had it not been for LaRues quick reaction this could have been just another one of those unfortunate times. On the play Travis Hamonics shot from the point was deflected by Carl Gunnarsson and picked up behind the goal line half way to the corner by Ryan Strome. This altered puck position forced the referee to retreat to the corner just ahead of the goal line. Strome then threw the puck to the front of the net and it was redirected by Anders Lee between Berniers pads. Rather than remain in the corner, Referee LaRue read the situation and reacted without hesitation by sprinting to the net on angle that allowed him to avoid Nazim Kadri and Ryan Strome. En route to the net the refs inability to immediately locate the puck, along with his instinct and experience might have caused him to think the puck was underneath Jonathan Bernier. LaRues patience with the whistle and his quick footed attack toward the net to locate the puck behind Bernier resulted in the correct call to allow the goal scored by Anders Lee to stand. In this situation the referee demonstrated a text book attack of the net in order to render the correct call. Pierre Turgeon Sabres Jersey .com) - Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points with eight rebounds to lead the New York Knicks to a 92-80 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Evan Rodrigues Jersey . Tristan Jackson returned a missed field goal 129 yards early in the fourth quarter as the Roughriders beat the B.C. http://www.sabresteamstoreonline.com/authentic-danny-gare-sabres-jersey/ . Venus Williams advanced to the ASB Classic final in Auckland on a walkover when fellow American Jamie Hampton withdrew from their semifinal Friday with a right hip injury. Rasmus Dahlin Jersey .com) - Nathan MacKinnon scored the winning goal in the shootout as the Colorado Avalanche rallied for a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday. Rasmus Ristolainen Jersey .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes hope they now have the leadership tandem in place to turn the franchise around.TORONTO - With No. 1 contender Alexander (The Mauler) Gustafsson sidelined by a knee injury, UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon (Bones) Jones and new challenger Daniel (DC) Cormier have wasted little time talking trash ahead of their UFC 178 main event. The two will face off Sept. 27 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Cormier wasnt asked to replace Gustafsson until Wednesday morning, meaning the gamesmanship has gone into top gear quickly. Jones young daughter has even got into the act, via an Instagram video. "DC. My dads going to beat you up. Guaranteed," said the six-year-old. "I think its cute," Cormier told The Canadian Press in an interview Thursday. "Kudos to Jon Jones. Lets sell this fight, lets make people want to watch this fight." Dont mistakes Cormiers comments for friendship with Jones, however. The two have not got on since Cormier thought Jones disrespected him in 2010 when they met at UFC 121 in Anaheim where Cain Velasquez, Cormiers training partner, defeated heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. "It never stops," Cormier said. "Every time were around each other, theres something .. It could be a little dig here or a little dig there but theres always something." In the wake of their fight announcement, Jones sent Cormier a "I hope youre ready to come to daddy" message on social media. Cormier tweeted his response to his followers, saying "I am. Im going to (mess) you up" with an F-bomb thrown in for good measure. Cormier also was quick to talk up his "Break Bones" T-shirts. Tweeted Jones: "This is the fight I wanted in the first place. Nothing like fresh meat #Champion2014" Cormier, ranked No. 2 among 205-pound contenders, stepped up when offered the fight by UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta, who sent him a 6:30 a.m. text Wednesday. Cormier, who had put off knee surgery to clear up a lateral medial ligament issue, said yes after consulting his coaches. Cormier (15-0) injured his knee in the leadup to his third-round submission of Dan Henderson in May at UFC 173. It was his second win as a light-heavyweight since moving down from heavyweight. Cormier called out Jones in his post-fight interview in the cage. "Jon Jones, you cant run away from me for ever, Im the kid at the wrestling tournament that is always in your bracket. No matter where you go boy, Im coming, You better hurry because I getting better." "If I decide to take Jon Jones down 100 times, Ill take him down 100 times. This is my Octagon, Im the man," he added. Now he has a little more than nine weeks to prepare for the title fight. "Hectic schedule but Im a very very happy man," said Cormier, while admitting he has work to do to get into fight shape. The withdrawal of Gustafsson is just the latest bump for UFC 178. The card was originally announced for Toronto but was shifted to Las Vegas in what UFC president Dana White called a business decision. Jones, who made seven successful title defences since winning the championship belt from Mauricio (Shogun) Rua aat UFC 128 in March 2011, won a narrow five-round decision over Gustafsson when they met last September in an epic encounter in Toronto.dddddddddddd Jones (20-1) went on to win a convincing decision over Brazils Glover Teixeira at UFC 172 in April while Cormier clamoured to meet the champion. "Ive wanted to fight Jon for a long time. Ive wanted to be a champion for a long time," Cormier said. The matchup pits the six-foot-four champion against the five-foot-11 challenger. At 84 inches, Jones has the longest reach in the UFC and will hold a significant advantage over Cormier (71 inches) in that regard. "I dont care if a guy has long arms," said Cormier. "Youve just got to move your head. Youve got to be going forward. You cant stand on the outside. Reach becomes important whenever you stay on the outside and you allow a person to use it. "Him being tall? OK. Josh Barnett was tall. Bigfoot Silva was tall. Soa Paleleis tall. Ive fought a ton of tall guys. When I go to the weigh-ins and I look at you in the face and I see your chin right there and if I can reach you with my hands, thats enough for me." Cormier beat all of those fighters. The 35-year-old is a two-time Olympian whose wrestling resume includes a fourth at the Olympics and third, fifth and ninth at world competitions. He took up MMA in 2009, making his pro debut in Strikeforce in September that year. He combines elite grappling with heavy hands, with wins over Roy (Big Country) Nelson and former heavyweight champions Frank Mir and Barnett. The 27-year-old Jones, a former junior college wrestling champion, and Cormier have similar grappling stats. Jones averages 2.37 takedowns per 15 minutes compared to 2.17 for Cormier, according to FightMetric. Jones takedown accuracy is 50 per cent, Cormier 48 per cent. Cormier has never been taken down, while Jones has successfully defended 96 per cent of takedowns. Their striking stats are also a wash. Jones lands 4.33 significant strikes a minute, Cormier 4.08. Jones striking accuracy is 54 per cent, compared to 50 per cent for Cormier. The challenger absorbs fewer significant strikes (1.30) per minute than Jones (1.92) and is successful in his striking defence 70 per cent of the time, compared to 66 per cent for Jones. Jones has already disposed of elite wrestlers in beating Chael Sonnen and Rashad Evans. But Cormier believes he matches up well against Jones. And he is clearly watching Jones every move, including the champ posting a photo of his training partners with the message "These guys will lead me to victory September 27." Said Cormier: "Ive got some guys too. And Ive got a big old guy (heavyweight champion Velasquez) thats going to ensure that Im successful Sept. 27. If you need a training partner, you dont get one better than Cain Velasquez. And then Ive got a tall kid (in) Luke Rockhold thats just as athletic as Jon Jones thats going to ensure that Im ready come Sept. 27. "So hes got a team and Ive got two guys ... Those guys I trust with my life. Ill be ready come fight night." ' ' '