Off Topic » Cubs. He walked Rene Rivera

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. Hi, The Leafs/Canadiens game Saturday night was very entertaining, right up until the penalty in overtime against Bernier and the Leafs. Can you please explain what Bernier did wrong to be awarded that penalty in OT? Thanks,Brad Mains ----- Kerry, In the game last night - Leafs and Habs - the ref called a penalty on Bernier for delay of game in OT. I know it is a rule in the books, but has not been called, IMO, very much. It is the rule, but my question is this - Was calling it OT a fair thing to do? I realize the ref was damned if did and damned if not! What is your take on this. Cheers! Ray Bungay ----- Kerry: In the Toronto - Montreal game, there was a penalty handed to Bernier of Toronto for Delay of game for coming out of his net and smothering the puck with a Montreal player right there. This seems an unusual if not unnecessary call, given it was in the overtime. I have never seen this before. What is the basis for the call? Your views would be helpful. Ted Baskerville ----- Hi Kerry,The Leafs Habs game Saturday night, the overtime penalty assessed to Bernier. I have seen many goalies cover the puck well outside their crease, I asked a goalie friend of mine and he said he was taught as long as the goalie can reach or has some part of himself in the crease it can be covered outside of the crease. Is this a rule? I believe Bernier was still in the crease when he dove at the puck then slid for another couple of feet. Was that the right call or am I just another bitter Leafs fan. Thanks,Chris Stevens Brad, Ray, Ted and Chris: I dont want to add fuel to the "bitterness" some Leafs fans might feel or even demonstrate on occasion but the delay of game penalty that Jonathan Bernier was assessed in the overtime loss to the Canadiens on Saturday was a must call for the referee to make regardless of the score or the time remaining in the game! In every case, when a goalkeeper skates out of his net and covers on a loose puck that far from his crease a delay of game penalty should be assessed as per the rule. This infraction committed by the goalkeeper should applied with the same consistency as the puck over glass rule that we saw called against Peter Budaj (8:31 of first period) and Phil Kessel with just 31 seconds remaining in regulation time. From Rule 63.2: A minor penalty shall be imposed on any player, including the goalkeeper, who holds, freezes or plays the puck with his stick, skates or body in such a manner as to deliberately cause a stoppage of play. With regard to a goalkeeper, this rule applies outside of his goal crease area. If a goalkeeper comes out of his crease to "cut down the angle" on a shot and after making the save covers the puck, this shall be legal. If the goalkeeper races out of his crease in an attempt to beat the attacking player to the puck and instead of playing the puck jumps on the puck causing a stoppage of play, this shall be a minor penalty for delay of game. The long stretch pass that PK Subban fired near the Habs goal line was too hot for Daniel Briere to handle cleanly at the Leafs blue line and created a race for a loose puck with Bernier on the potential scoring opportunity. A scoring opportunity was clearly eliminated when Bernier got to the puck first and covered it with his glove to cause a stoppage in play as opposed to legally playing the puck with his goal stick. The referee whistled the play dead and raised his arms in an upward fashion but did not immediately or emphatically signal a penalty to Bernier as he should have. A slower, perhaps methodical response by the ref was evident in both the camera shot and the minute of run-on commentary by the broadcasters before it became evident to them that a penalty to Bernier had been assessed. While you have never seen this penalty called Ted, I can assure you that I personally assessed it a number of times during my 30-year NHL officiating career. Whenever I had the occasion to make this call I did so immediately with an emphatic signal so there was no doubt or confusion in anyones mind that a penalty was assessed to the goalkeeper in this unique situation. Jonathan Bernier clearly violated rule 63.2 at 3:14 of the overtime period. The correct call was made by the referee and resulted in Max Paciorettys eventual power play game-winning goal. MLB Jerseys 2020 Online . Off-Season Game Plan looks at what the Blue Jackets may do to build upon last seasons success to return to the playoffs again next year. Stitched Nike MLB Jerseys . According to USA Today the Finns have tapped forwards Jarkko Immonen and Sakari Salminen to replace injured forwards Mikko Koivu and Valtteri Filppula at the Sochi Games. https://www.mlbjerseys2020.com/. -- At the beginning of training camp, Andrew Bogut set a goal to play all 82 regular-season games and regain his place among the NBAs best centres. MLB Jerseys 2020 . -- Dee Ford prefers to keep things simple: Play hard and fast, and let others worry about his NFL draft stock. Wholesale MLB Jerseys .S. President Barack Obama saluted the Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks at the White House on Monday -- a rare moment for a president hungry to see more victorious teams from his hometown. CHICAGO -- Despite struggling on the mound most of the game, Ian Kennedy executed his pitches when he needed it the most. Tommy Medica hit a go-ahead RBI double in the fifth, the same inning Kennedy pitched out of a bases loaded jam, and the San Diego Padres beat the Chicago Cubs 8-3 on Wednesday night. On a cool, unseasonably summer night in Chicago, Kennedy (8-9) won his third straight decision. He allowed three runs and three hits, while striking out six and pitching around a season-high five walks in six innings. With the bases loaded and one out in the fifth, Kennedy struck out Anthony Rizzo and got Starlin Castro to ground out to end the inning. Rizzo, currently one of the hottest hitters in baseball was coming off a two-homer game against the Padres on Tuesday. "Hes been swinging the bat very good, all season he has. If you make a mistake to him it will cost you quite a bit. I knew I had to execute and bear down in that situation. It was a big at-bat in the whole game and it kind of stopped their momentum," Kennedy said. Medica finished with three hits and drove in two runs for the Padres, who came into the game with baseballs worst batting average at .215. Luis Valbuena hit a three-run homer for the Cubs, who have lost 12 of 15. Cubs starter Tsuyoshi Wada (0-1) allowed five runs, five hits and four walks in four-plus innings. It was his second career start after receiving a no-decision against the Reds on July 8. "On the hill he looks as composed as anybody, but he didnt find his rhythm and command today as he had in his last outing against Cincinnati, but he kept grinding. He did try to get through it," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. After a leadoff walk in the first inning, Yangervis Solarte hit an RBI triple to right. Solarte scored on Carlos Quentins sacrifice fly to give the Padres a 2-0 lead. Solarte was acquired on Tuesday from Yankees, centring around a trade that sent Chase Headley to New York. "Right off the bat thhat was great to see.dddddddddddd It brought us some energy," Padres manager Bud Black said. "He looked good, everything as advertised. It was good to get him acclimated." Jeff Francoeur, who had his contract purchased by the Padres from Triple-A El Paso before the game, singled in his major league season debut, then scored from first on Chris Nelsons double. He finished the game 1 for 3 with a walk a sacrifice fly. Kennedy was unable to hold the 3-0 lead in the fourth inning. He allowed two walks, then with two outs, Valbuena drove Kennedys 0-1 pitch into the bleachers in right field to tie the game. It was Valbuenas sixth homer of the season. "It was just a bad curveball I threw to Valbuena. That was frustrating because I thought my curveball was pretty good all night," Kennedy said. "That was by far the worst one I threw all night." Wada, who struggled with his control the entire game, walked the first two batters in the fifth. His night ended when Medica hit an RBI ground-rule double in the ivy in left. Reliever Brian Schlitter continued with the control problems for the Cubs. He walked Rene Rivera with the bases loaded to give the Padres a 5-3 lead. Pinch-hitter Seth Smith and Medica had RBI singles in the eighth for the Padres and Francoeur added a sacrifice fly. NOTES: The Cubs promoted OF prospect Jorge Soler to Triple-A Iowa where he will join infielders Kris Bryant and Javier Baez. "Our last big call was around the All-Star break. With Soler, we talked about the fact that he really looked like he was on a mission. He came off the DL (hamstring injury) without missing a beat. It was remarkable for him not to show any signs of rust, in fact the opposite. And he said, now is my time," Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said. ... Francoeur took OF Cameron Maybins spot on the roster. Maybin was suspended 25 games Wednesday for testing positive for amphetamines. 01:11ET 24-07-14 ' ' '