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. Hey Kerry, Undoubtedly you will receive a lot of emails regarding this game. I have a question regarding the position of the linesman on the missed offside call that led to the Avs tying the game late in the third period against the Wild on Friday. Why is the linesman positioned outside the blue line? Shouldnt he be inside the line so that his body or skates arent inadvertently the cause of an offside for the attacking team? If he were in position inside the line, he surely wouldnt have to lean away from the line as he does in the photograph all over the media. I would like to know your thoughts. Thanks. DJ Waldron DJ, I want to establish first and foremost that Pierre Racicot is universally accepted as one of the top linesman in the NHL. Racicots high level of skill and competency has been recognized with seven consecutive selections to work the Stanley Cup Final. I worked many games with Pierre and can tell you firsthand that he has earned much deserved respect from players and coaches throughout the League. No matter how good a player or official is, mistakes are sometimes made. The great officials minimize their mistakes and Racicot clearly falls into that category. This is one of the very few times that this linesman got the call wrong. Let me explain why that happened. As you point out DJ, linesman Racicots initial decision to set up outside the blue line created an obstructed view of the inside edge of the line once Nathan MacKinnon carried the puck a mere couple of feet in front of the linesman. From this less than perfect position, and with Paul Stastny in full stride and about to cross the line to the right of MacKinnon, Racicot made the quick, but unfortunate, decision to alter his upper body posture away from the line. This move, made in a millisecond of time, was initiated by the linesman in an effort to gain an angle that might allow him to see both the puck and Stastny crossing the inside edge of the blue line. What this new angle created for the linesman, however, was a sightline toward the middle of the ice that became obstructed by the body of MacKinnon. Offside resulted in the blink of an eye as Stastnys lead skate (and with his back skate in the air not in contact with the line or outside the attacking zone) crossed inches ahead of the puck and resulted in a rare missed call by Racicot. I had the opportunity to work with some incredibly talented linesmen during the course of my career; Pierre Racicot included. As I was writing this column I spoke with HHOF member and former colleague Ray Scapinello to provide us with some technical insight on a play of this nature. Scamp said that he learned from fellow Hall-of-Fame members John DAmico and Matt Pavelich that, as a rule of thumb, it was imperative for the linesman to be set inside the blue line prior to players and the puck crossing the line. Im sure it might have happened through unavoidable circumstance but I cant ever remember Scapinello making a decision on an off-side from the neutral zone. On the contrary, I have vivid memories of Scamp positioned inside the zone, down on one knee and looking along the inside edge of the blue line to render his accurate decision on a close call. Once the play was deemed on-side, the little fellow jumped up and quickly moved his skates outside the blue line to avoid being hit with the puck and preventing it from exiting the zone. Ray stressed the importance of the linesmen seeing the attack develop, moving quickly to set up inside the blue line and waiting to make the call as the puck and players cross the line. Scamp said this, especially with the red line no longer in play for the off-side pass rule and the linesmen must be dialed in for potential stretch passes. When set up inside the blue line, Ray said it didnt matter if all five attacking players crossed the line at the same time because his view would not be obstructed. The rare missed offside call by Racicot was an anomaly for this highly skilled professional linesman. He will learn from this experience and gain an unobstructed sightline from a position inside the blue line whenever possible. If, in the future, there is a need to alter his upper body posture/sightline along the line, my guess is Pierre will lean toward the inside edge instead of away from it. This play not only demonstrates the speed of the game but also that human error can and will occur, no matter good the player or official is. This play aside, the NHL Officiating Department could certainly use Hockey Hall of Fame legendary linesman Ray Scapinello to lead and coach the current crop of NHL linesmen, no matter how proficient they might be. Scamp learned from the very best in his day; the present group of linesman should be afforded the same privilege. Cheap Frank Thomas Jersey . -- Creighton apparently has Villanovas number. Cheap Harold Baines Jersey . Paul, MN (SportsNetwork. http://www.cheapwhitesoxjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-name-jersey .com) - Mike Conley scored 20 points with five assists to help the Memphis Grizzlies remain unbeaten with a 91-89 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. Cheap Paul Konerko Jersey . The time off didnt slow them down. Tyler Zeller scored a season-high 18 points and grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds, Kyrie Irving added 14 points and the Cavaliers pushed their winning streak to five games Tuesday night with a 114-85 victory over the skidding Philadelphia 76ers. Cheap Luke Appling Jersey . Forward Iker Muniain scored the winner in the 70th minute after Bilbaos incessant pressure recovered the ball and sparked a counterattack inside Barcelonas half. Neymar was once again tagged to pick up Messis goal-scoring duties, but when he wasnt frustrated by slippery footing Bilbaos defence got the better of him.It seems the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have not seen the end of their week of change. According to TSN Winnipeg beat reporter Sara Orlesky, reports emerged late last night that the Bombers quarterbacks had been informed that Max Hall will get the start for their Friday night match-up against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The announcement comes just 11 days after head coach Tim Burke named Justin Goltz the teams starting quarterback for the season, a move that saw incumbent starter Buck Pierce demoted to third-string duties. On August 1 Burke said, “[w]e want to have continuity with our offence and we feel like Justin will give us a better chance for week in and week out continuity.” Between then and now, however, the Bombers have undergone a serious front office overhaul. On Friday the team announced it had dismissed both general manager Joe Mack and chief executive officer Wade Miller. The team followed those announcements up earlier Monday by appointing former Ticats head coach Marcel Bellefeuille to its offensive coaching staff. When asked about the decision Monday, Goltz did not hide his displeasure. “Obviously Im not very fond of it,” Goltz told reporters. “I dont really understand it. I think it was poorly managed, but Im 25 years old, I feel like Ive got a bright future and that the best days of my football [career] are ahead of me.” “I wwasnt really given an explanation.dddddddddddd I know that everybody wants to win now and that theres a lot of pressure on peoples jobs. I think that everybodys trying to search for a fast fix and I dont necessarily think that one persons going to come in here and turn around our offence.” Burke would offer up that the decision came from his teams offensive staff when asked about the decision. “Gary [Crowton] and the coaching staff on offence unanimously and passionately chose Max to be the quarterback,” Burke told reporters. “There was no pressure from anybody to make that decision.” The shuffle did place Pierce back up to the back-up role in the teams quarterback depth chart, but the 31-year-old veteran was not taking much solace in his improved lot behind centre. “They made a very rash decision, the powers that be, after Week 4 saying that Im number three,” Pierce said Monday. “I think a lot of people are making decisions very quickly.” Winnipeg remains last in the East Division with a 1-5 record on the season, having lost their last four in a row. Pierce and Goltz have combined for 109 completions on 184 passing attempts for a total of 1, 321 yards so far in 2013. The pair has combined for four touchdowns while tossing seven interceptions. Hall is yet to appear in a CFL game over his professional career. 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