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. Mr. Fraser, In the PIT/NYR Round 2 series, there have been two separate occasions where Marc Staal has taken blatant shots to the head of Pittsburghs Sidney Crosby. In Game 3, Staal hit Crosby with a viscous crosscheck to the back of the head. I was shocked that a penalty wasnt even called on the ice! The league then came out the following day and said that no punishment would be handed down for the hit. The following night, in Game 4, Staal again went after Crosbys head. This time it was a blatant elbow. Again, it was from behind, to the back of the head, nearly knocking the helmet off Crosbys head. Again, there was no call on the ice, and no action taken by the league. Can you explain to me how the league and officials, in this era of "no tolerance" for hits to the head, can allow this kind of thing to go on? How can there be no call on the ice? Obviously, since there was no action for the league, or penalty called, in Game 3, Staal figured he was cleared to do it again in Game 4. I mean, if the NHL doesnt care about the well-being of its marquee players, why should Staal? Thanks for listening. Any light you can shed on this subject would be great! John Waclo John: The cross-check that Marc Staal delivered on Sidney Crosby was well beyond just a minor infraction (Video link) and worthy of at least a five-minute major and game misconduct. This aggressive cross-check delivered to the head area could not be considered an effort by a defensive player to contain, engage in a battle in battle or to clear an opponent from the front of the net. The blow did not start at the name plate on the back of the jersey and then rode up to the neck and back of the helmet. This forceful, full-arm extension cross-check went directly to the back of the neck/head of Crosby and should be considered an attempt to injure and worthy of a match penalty under rule 59.4. For the sake of argument lets reverse the body position of Crosby where he and Staal are face-to-face. If that same force is delivered to the neck and chin of Sid he will most likely be spitting blood, chicklets and perhaps even incur another broken jaw. I would sincerely hope that a match penalty would be assessed in that case and a player would be suspended for cross-checking an opponent in the face! I see a deliberate and forceful cross-check to the back of a players neck and head to be similarly dangerous regardless of the fact it was delivered on a player with a well-documented history of concussions. If you want to see an "old school" hit take a look at the major and game misconduct I assessed to Darian Hatcher in a game in Dallas just prior to the playoffs, when he delivered an elbow to the face of Jeremy Roenick. Roenicks jaw was dislocated, broken in three places and he had eight teeth cracked or broken. Roenick approached me on the ice spitting blood and teeth with his jaw wagging in the breeze as he attempted to say, "He broke my f----n jaw!" Hatcher was suspended for seven games (including the Stars first five playoff games) by Colin Campbell for the illegal hit. See it here. John, you ask how these types of plays can be missed. The answer is there are too many "puck watchers" wearing stripes in these playoffs. Player safety is placed in jeopardy when these aggressive fouls are allowed to go un-penalized. This isnt "old school" officiating; just a lack of awareness. Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic . The teams were scoreless for most of the first two periods before Canada scored three times in a span of less than four minutes. Sarah Potomak opened the scoring on the power play. Cheap NFL Jerseys . However, the intensity and physicality that has characterized the postseason so far has caught Gretzky by surprise. "Its a little bit risqué right now," Gretzky told Philadelphia radio station 97. http://www.cheapnfljerseysbestsite.com/ . He never mentioned anything about his hitting. The 33-year-old right-hander had success with both Sunday, pitching six solid innings and helping the offence-starved Mets with an RBI single as New York salvaged a doubleheader split with a 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Cheap NFL Jerseys 2017 . The Big Man finished 3-1 in Week 19, and sits at 53-24 on the season. Now Schultz is ready for more action. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . 1 player in the world. So Duval gutted it out Thursday at the Byron Nelson Championship despite the pain from a muscle issue in his right elbow, a day after his stepson had to drive him because he couldnt even use that arm.TORONTO -- American tennis legend Pete Sampras offered some words of praise for Milos Raonic just hours after the Canadian star helped make Rogers Cup history. Raonic and fellow Canadian Vasek Pospisil both advanced to the semifinals at the mens event in Montreal, marking the first time in the Open Era that two Canadians will meet in the semis. Sampras, in Toronto for a Legends Cup exhibition event with fellow former world No. 1s Jim Courier and John McEnroe, says the No. 13-ranked Raonic is due for a breakthrough but it wont come easily. "Hes up against (Novak) Djokovic and (Andy) Murray and Roger (Federer) and four great players, and it takes time," said Sampras. "I think hes a threat already. I think hes got a huge game, monster serve, willing to come in and do some things and get to the net." Sampras is second all-time in Slams won (14) and weeks spent as the worlds No. 1-ranked player (286). He won two Australian Opens, seven Wimbledon titles, and five U.S. Opens. He exited pro tennis by winning his very last match in the 2002 U.S. Open final against Andre Agassi. Samprass reflected back on his own career and the time it took him to find the kind of success that has so far eluded Raonic in the majors.dddddddddddd "I didnt figure this game out until I was probably 22 or 23, so when everything was settled in I was physically and mentally great. I knew where I stood in the game," he said. "It just takes time. I know Milos does the right things; he works hard; he wants to do well. "He just has to be patient. It isnt going to happen overnight." The 41-year-old Sampras is often asked about the state of the American game. When the new ATP ranking are released, there will be no American men in the top-20 for the first time. "People ask me all the time whats wrong with American tennis. I dont know why," he said. "Its looking a little slim. Were in decent shape, but obviously we want our guys to be ranked No. 1 like we were in the 90s. "The world has gotten a little better. Maybe the U.S has gotten a little bit complacent. I really dont know. I think what happened in the 90s with Andre, me and Jim was rare." ' ' '