Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn. Cody Kessler Jersey .ca. Hi Kerry, Love the insight your column provides. Hoping you can explain to me the thought process from the officials on penalty calls made when the arm hasnt gone up initially. In last nights Senators-Kings game, Ottawas Jared Cowen came across and hit Dwight King with a glancing blow in the second period. Replays clearly showed neither referee raised their arm to indicate a penalty. King obviously didnt like the hit, got up and got Cowen with a minor slash. The two dropped their gloves and engaged in a fight. But instead of offsetting fighting penalties, the Sens were penalized an extra two minutes for interference. It appears to me that after the fight, the refs decided to give Cowen an extra penalty for the initial hit even though they werent going to initially. Had there been no fight, it seems no penalty would have been called and play would have continued. How does a fight after a hit change the ruling on the initial hit? Your thoughts please? Thanks, Stephen Webster Stephen: While it is often said that hindsight is 20-20, the initial reaction from both referees that Jared Cowen delivered a legal shoulder check on Dwight King and therefore did not deserve a penalty was the correct one. It is with certainty that I concur with your assessment Stephen, that no penalty would have resulted had King not taken exception to the body check and initiated a fight with Cowen. As a result of the subsequent fight the referee(s) had additional time to replay Kings helicopter fall in their mind and therefore deduced an illegal check to the head had resulted. Video footage catches the linesman in a quick but direct discussion with the referee while restraining Cowen and probably shared his perception of the check that he gained from the blue line. The referee(s) should have trusted their first gut instinct on the play because it was the correct one. Cowens additional minor penalty is listed in the boxscore as an illegal check to the head and not interference as initially reported. There is absolutely no way that interference could have been called when King got more stick on the puck than Cowen and tipped the puck past the Ottawa defender immediately prior to body contact. Kings body position was low and open as he extended to tip the puck and then began to pull up and away from the impending hit. Cowen slipped his body past the center mass in an effort to avoid Kings head and then delivered upward shoulder to shoulder contact. As a result of Kings body posture, the impact caused the LA player to spin in a helicopter free-fall which really ticked him off. After getting up off the ice King travelled some 20 feet to slash at Cowen and a fight was initiated. Even if the referee later determined that he misjudged an illegal check to the head delivered by Cowen, King should have also been assessed a slashing minor that initiated the mutually agreed upon fight. In the very best case assessment LA should have played a man short as a result of the King slash. At worst, the teams should have played five men aside with both players serving seven minutes each. The final penalty assessment caused my colleague Ray Ferraro to accurately comment on the TSN broadcast, I have no idea, quite honestly, how Ottawa is shorthanded out of this. In no way am I making excuses for the referees decision but since you asked Stephen, Ill provide you with my idea and perspective on how it ultimately occurred. These plays happen very quickly and the referee views the play in its entirety. The ref takes in the entire sequence gained from his sightline with a broad visual perspective beginning with the setup of two players converging on the puck, stick on puck contact and then immediate body contact. His eye is not narrowly focused on in the direct point of body contact given the speed with which this all takes place and the angle from which he views it. At the moment of contact, and in the aftermath, the refs mind quickly factors in all of these aspects of the play he observed to determine the legality of the check. By not raising his arm the referee determined that the contact delivered by Cowen was legal. Kings reaction to the hit and response to Cowen became another element of the play for the referee to consider. The fight and resulting time delay caused the referee to replay the optics of King spiraling out of control through the air. This coupled with probable input from other crew members caused the referee to rethink his initial judgment. Given the attention and suspensions that illegal contact to the head has garnered the referee became fearful of misjudging the hit. As a result of these factors the referees initial decision changed from, I dont think Cowen got him in the head to Cowen must have made illegal contact with Kings head. My final thought is that the first instinct a referee has on a play is usually the correct one and that hindsight is not always 20-20. Dede Westbrook Jersey . Felton pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm. He admitted he knowingly had a large-capacity ammunition magazine and a semi-automatic pistol without a license. Myles Jack Jersey . -- Arizona pitcher Bronson Arroyo is expected to miss a week to 10 days because of a back injury. http://www.thejaguarsfansshop.com/Jaguars-Jermey-Parnell-Draft-Jersey/ . They probably ruined Tim Duncans hopes of a career change, though. Duncan wants to be a point guard, coach Gregg Popovich revealed Saturday, a wish that wont be granted.Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle said forward Daniel Winnik is 100 per cent fine after being stretched off the ice in the first period of Thursday nights loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Less than one minute into the first period, Winnik was checked by Avalanche defenceman Jan Hejda while trying to enter the offensive zone. He collided head-first into the ice and lay motionless several minutes before being removed from the ice by medical staff. The Toronto Maple Leafs later announced Winnik had not been transported to hosspital and was moving all of his extremities. Abry Jones Jersey. During the first intermission, Leafs defenceman Stephane Robidas told TSNs Mark Masters that Winnik was walking in the teams dressing room. Winnik, who signed a one-year contract with the Leafs prior to this season, has one goal and six assists in 12 games with the team. Maple Leafs defenceman Jake Gardiner also left Thursdays game in the first period after blocking a shot off his left knee. Carlyle said following the loss Gardiner sustained a bone bruise. Cheap Nuggets Jerseys Cheap Timberwolves Jerseys Cheap Thunder Jerseys Cheap Blazers Jerseys Cheap Jazz Jerseys Cheap Warriors Jerseys Cheap Clippers Jerseys Cheap Lakers Jerseys Cheap Suns Jerseys Cheap Kings Jerseys Cheap Mavericks Jerseys Cheap Rockets Jerseys Cheap Grizzlies Jerseys Cheap Pelicans Jerseys Cheap Spurs Jerseys Cheap Thunder Jerseys Cheap 76ers Jerseys Cheap Knicks Jerseys Cheap Raptors Jerseys Cheap Pistons Jerseys Cheap Team USA Basketball Jerseys ' ' '