Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your em

Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn. Aaron Loup Jersey .ca. Hi Mr. Fraser, Im a fan of the column as you put a good perspective on some of the crazy reffing that goes on. I would love to know how Torontos Stephane Robidas isnt suspended for elbowing Vancouvers Shawn Matthias in the head with a dirty blatant elbow this past Saturday. Now Vancouver has one of its hottest players out with a concussion. Its pretty infuriating when we see Alex Burrows get two games for a much less dangerous hit, then Robidas gets away with a dirty, blatant elbow to the head. Whats wrong with this league? Ted Goodsell Airdrie, Alberta Ted: You are one of four fans that dropped this question in the Cmon Ref mail bag just last night who are curious as to why no suspension was imposed to Stephane Robidas after he elbowed Shawn Matthias in a play that resulted in concussion-like symptoms to the Vancouver player. The Player Safety Committee has a series of criteria to determine a hit they deem to be worthy of a suspension. You can find various examples and explanations in tutorial videos contained on the NHL.com player safety website. The committee, headed by Stephane Quintal, attempt to rule in a fair and consistent manner based on the criteria they have been handed. This is certainly no easy task and every decision (or non-decision) they make is closely scrutinized by team personnel, the media and fans alike. Every play is different and must be judged on its own merit. In many situations it appears to me that too narrow a margin exists between determining an illegal play worthy of a penalty imposed by the referee in the game or elevated to a suspension after the fact with regard to player safety. Even though this was an elbow infraction, rule 48 is the modern day standard bearer for illegal contact to the head. The rule provides a list of criteria that not only defines an illegal check to the head but offers caveats or exemptions that carry forward and become part of the criteria used by the Player Safety Committee to determine suspensions. Critical to their consideration is if an opponents head was the main point of contact and especially whether the player attempted to hit squarely through the opponents body and the head was not picked as a result of poor timing, poor angle of approach, or unnecessary extension of the body upward or outward. This is certainly an abundance of verbiage to digest when breaking down hits that result in varying degrees of contact to the head of a player. It is my opinion that too many caveats are being considered for not suspending a player when significant contact to the head results from a high, illegal hit. As we look at a couple of different angles when Robidas initiated contact with Matthias we are presented with evidence that would most likely have been strongly considered by the P.S.C. to determine a suspension was not warranted to the Toronto player. The camera shot from the stands, looking through the back of Matthias, indicates that Robidas elevated arm/elbow appears to make initial contact just below the chin (neck area) of the Vancouver player. As Robidas initiates contact his upper body slides off the centre mass of his opponent and results in Matthias head becoming the main point of contact with the right-back shoulder and upper tricep of Robidas. The cross ice shot is somewhat more incriminating that the elbow did some residual damage but it can be argued that Robidas elbow rode up after making initial contact below the chin. In the eye and mind of those responsible for determining a suspension this becomes an illegal elbow worthy of a minor penalty and does not cross the line of the criteria they utilize for the purpose of suspension. Some (or even many of us) wont agree with the rationale or criteria currently being utilized to determine a suspension. Many would suggest it falls short in an effort to hold players accountable for high hits that result in various degrees of contact to the head of an opponent and can result in injury. The General Managers are presently meeting and can recommend changes to this process if they deem them to be warranted. Its their stick and puck and until such time as changes are made it will be business as usual. I wish Shawn Matthias a full and speedy recovery. Wil Myers Jersey . -- The Minnesota Vikings have signed Jerome Simpson, the former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver recently convicted on a felony drug charge. Trevor Hoffman Padres Jersey . Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third. The rookies best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side. http://www.padressale.com/ . Radulov scored the lone goal in the shootout, and the Predators edged the Minnesota Wild 2-1 on Tuesday night to reach 100 points for the second time in three seasons and fourth in seven.SYDNEY, Australia -- The manager of Olympic swimming great Ian Thorpe says the five-time gold medallist is in rehab after being found disoriented on a Sydney street early Monday morning by police responding to a call from residents. James Erskine told the Australian Associated Press that Thorpe was affected by a combination of antidepressants and the painkillers he was taking for a shoulder injury. Police spoke to Thorpe after residents near his parents home in Panania in Sydneys southwest reported a man allegedly breaking into a van. He was taken to Sydneys Bankstown Hospital for assessment and was later transferred to a rehab facility. "He is in rehab for depression," AAP quoted Erskine as saying. Erskine said Thorpe had thought he was sitting in his friends car. "The owner of the car basically called the police and the police came," he said. "They realized it was Ian Thorpe. They realized he was disoriented." Erskine said Thorpe, 31, had been taking antidepressants and medication for his shoulder but had not been drinking alcohol. "He hadnt had a drink," he said. "He had zero alcohol in him." Police said no official complaint has been made and no further police action is anticipated. Thorpe, who is currently living in Switzerland, has been staying with his parents over Christmas. Erskines admission that Thorpe is in rehab comes only days after Thorpes management company denied reports he checked into a rehab facility while battling depression and alcohol abuse. News Corporation, quoting friends of Thorpe, said he had been injured in a fall at his parents home and was taken to hospital. Reports said Thorpe checked into a rehab faciliity, but later checked out and returned to his parents home. Randy Jones Jersey. Thorpes management company, SEL, later issued a statement denying the reports. "Ian is not in rehab," a SEL representative said Friday. "Ian was in hospital for an operation on his shoulder and is pleased to let his friends and fans know that he is now out of hospital and on the mend." In his autobiography, published last year, Thorpe said "not even my family is aware that Ive spent a lot of my life battling what I can only describe as crippling depression." Thorpe, known to fans as Thorpedo, was a freestyle specialist and one of the greatest swimmers of his generation. He won three gold and two silver medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics -- the most medals won by any individual competitor at those games -- and two more golds at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He also won 11 world championships gold medals, including six at the 2001 championships at Fukuoka, Japan. When he won his first world championships gold at the age of 14 in Perth in 1998, he was the youngest-ever individual male world champion. At various times Thorpe held 13 individual world records and shared five others in relay events. The 400m freestyle was his signature event which he dominated at Olympics and World championships over more than six years. Thorpe retired from swimming in November, 2006, but attempted a comeback in 2012. His attempt to win a place on the Australian team for the London Olympics was unsuccessful and his thoughts of competing at the 2013 World Championships or 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games were thwarted by a shoulder injury. Friends said he struggled to adjust to life after swimming. ' ' '