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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! Kerry, I was watching the Leafs vs. Wild game Wednesday night and noticed that they had an official who was skating in his first NHL game. I thought it was great to see such a young man get to where he is now and display such hard work for his first game. Being an official myself who is looking to move up to do higher levels of hockey, what advice can you give me and other young officials who are looking to improve on their skills? I know an official like yourself has a lot of experience that can be shared to help officials clean up their game. Ryan Stark,London, ON Hi Ryan:It was once told to me that "from experience you attain judgment - from poor judgment you attain experience!" Those words of wisdom were told to me by then IHL Commissioner Bill Beagan in one of my very first games as referee when a bench-clearing brawl had erupted and lasted for 20 minutes. Everybody was fighting including the goalkeepers and even the trainers! I didnt have a clue how to handle the situation I found myself in for the very first time. When the dust settled all I assessed was fighting majors to four players. No first man off the bench, no third man in, no penalty to the goalies for leaving their crease; talk about a deer in the headlights moment. Fortunately Commissioner Beagan took me aside and in a fatherly way coached me as to how I needed to manage a situation like that when it happened in the future. I gained confidence through his coaching that night and through the "poor judgment" I had exercised on the ice. I made an immediate transition from playing to officiating in 1972 following my final season in the Southern Ontario Jr. "A" League as captain of the Sarnia Bees. I attended a five-day school for officials in late September of that year and was scouted and invited to attend the NHL Training Camp of Officials two days later. My knowledge of the game was gained as a player. I could skate well, understood the physicality of the game and the emotional levels that players and coaches feel. As a captain of most teams I played for I demonstrated respect for the Refs and some knowledge of the rules. Beyond that I knew nothing about being a referee. I was immediately thrust into the officiating ranks at the professional level and had to learn every aspect of the job; baptism under fire! I was forced to become a student of the game at a new and different level. Most importantly I very quickly recognized the need to learn more about myself. The job requires us as officials to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. Each of us will bring certain strengths and weaknesses to the work place. While we rely on our strengths it is important to recognize our deficiencies; especially any character flaws that we all develop over time. These flaws most often surface and rear their ugly head when we are under pressure. I call them negative reflex reactions to stress. As an example, while toughness and over the top, in-your-face aggressiveness might serve someone well as a player but it would become a major obstacle as a referee during a confrontation. The role of the referee is not just to enforce the rules through good judgment but also about managing the emotional element of the game; to bring the temperature down when necessary. To do this effectively every referee must first manage and control his own emotional level when his feet are put to the fire. Doing so will allow for better decision making, to take control of aggressive situations and to develop positive working relationships with players and coaches build through mutual respect. Recognize how you respond when your authority is questioned, as will often be the case. When you speak to a player or coach, listen to yourself. Be a communicator and dont always take yourself so seriously. One particular night in Madison Square Garden a very frustrated Willie Plett of the Minnesota North Stars asked me if it was my "worst game of the season?" I responded, "No, they are all about this bad." My non-aggressive response redirected Willies focus in a positive way. If you have a chip on your shoulder recognize it and then remove it. Obviously the mechanics of our profession must be learned and constantly refined; knowledge of the rules, positioning, judgment and standard of enforcement and physical conditioning to name a few. The best advice I can offer you Ryan is to always remain a student of the game and of yourself. This will enable you to continually grow as a respected official and as a person. The game that you love will benefit and so will those around you. Its impossible to separate the person you are from the job you do! To develop and maximize personal skills every officials ongoing post-game homework assignment should be honest self-reflection. Even if a game goes well, time should be spent alone with your thoughts as to anything that could have been done differently to achieve a better result through your performance. Accept that human mistakes will be made but learn from them. After every game I recognized there were things that I knew I should have done differently. I filed them in the memory banks under the to-do list. From experience I attained judgment - from poor judgment I attained experience. Congratulations to young Referee Trent Knorr who worked the Leafs-Wild in his first NHL game. Custom Winnipeg Jets Jerseys . A rainy day saw the former champion Djokovic handle 14th-seeded Frenchman Jo- Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) under the roof on the famed Centre Court. Custom Vegas Golden Knights Jerseys . Messier, who had been a special assistant to Rangers general manager Glen Sather, announced Thursday in a statement that he is resigning in order to "expand the game of hockey in the New York area by developing the Kingsbridge National Ice Center. http://www.customjerseyshockey.com/custom-buffalo-sabres-jerseys-179b.html . 1 goaltender tonight when they conclude a four-game road trip versus the Winnipeg Jets. Custom Hockey Jerseys China . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers (5) - Simply put, Lundqvist was brilliant. Custom Philadelphia Flyers Jerseys . No surprise there. Kershaw, who also earned the title after throwing his first career no-hitter in June, had a 1.SAN JOSE, Calif. -- After struggling to score any goals for four games, the San Jose Sharks had plenty of moves left for a shootout. Joe Thornton capped San Joses perfect shootout with a nifty toe-drag past Corey Crawford that helped the Sharks snap a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night. "What a move," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. "Really nice to watch. That must have been in his bag for a long time because Ive been here for six years and I hadnt seen that. Its nice that it came out." Joe Pavelski scored a short-handed goal in regulation and opened the shootout with a goal, and Patrick Marleau also scored in the tiebreaker for the Sharks, who have won six straight shootouts. Antti Niemi made 29 saves and stopped Patrick Sharp in the second round of the shootout. After Pavelski and Marleau scored in the first two rounds of the shootout, Thornton ended it when he dragged the puck around Crawford and knocked it in the empty net. Thornton has scored on all three shootout attempts this season after not even attempting one the previous three seasons. "I was just lucky enough that it went in," Thornton said. "Usually he likes putting me fourth but with so many guys out, I got moved up a slot, which is nice on the ego." "Not making a save in the shootout was the only thing that bothered me," Crawford said. "We played well and we had our chances to win, a couple of chances late. Our guys were doing a great job of not allowing many second chances." The teams traded goals early in the third during a Chicago power play with Brad Stuart off for hooking Patrick Kane. Pavelski got the scoring started with a short-handed goal after a bad breakout pass from Sharp. Scott Hannan quickly sent the puck back to Pavelski, who knocked the pass down, skated past Duncan Keith and beat Crawford high for his 29th goal. "We get a little tip on it and it turns into a fluttering puck," Pavelski said. "Next tthing you know, you see it laying there, and if you can win the race, youve got a chance.dddddddddddd I was able to get just enough of an opening to make a shot." Just over a minute later, Saad answered late in the power play after Justin Braun failed to clear the puck from the defensive zone. Kris Versteeg fed Saad, who beat Niemi for his 18th goal. That was Chicagos third power-play goal in two games after having just one the previous seven. Crawford kept the game tied when he made a pad save at the goal line on a one-timer by Stuart, and the Blackhawks killed a late penalty to force overtime. San Jose is 0-for-16 on the power play the past six games. The game was scoreless after two periods despite both teams getting quality scoring chances but were unable to get past either Niemi or Crawford. Kane hit a post early in the first period for Chicago, and Dan Boyle got robbed by the crossbar later in the first for San Jose. Niemi made a strong pad save to rob Ben Smith in the first period and withstood a couple of frantic flurries near his net in the second. Niemi also was helped when Marian Hossa missed the net off a nice setup by Saad during a power play late in the second period. The Sharks put 22 shots on net against Crawford in the first two periods, generating heavy pressure during a second period power play for too many men on the ice. But Crawford was up to the task. San Jose was attacking at the end of the second, and Marleau had a prime chance when he batted a puck from midair in the slot toward the net in the closing seconds. "It was a playoff type atmosphere," Versteeg said. "Time and space were virtually non-existent and thats when you need to play smart." NOTES: Jason Demers, who leads San Jose defenceman with 24 points, was scratched with a lower-body injury. ... Chicago F Michal Handzus returned to San Jose for the first time since being dealt to the Blackhawks last March. ... The Sharks reassigned F John McCarthy to Worcester of the AHL after he cleared waivers. 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