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. Dear Kerry, On Thursday night in the Chicago/Detroit game, linesman Steve Barton was forced to leave the game due to an injury. I&襬ve got two questions regarding this situation: 1. Are there any common rules how referees and linesmen split their responsibilities after such a situation happened?2. How many referees (linesmen) is "enough" to finish the game? Is it possible to finish the game with only one referee (linesman) left? (e.g. hypothetically three referees are forced to leave the game) Looking forward to your answers. With best wishes from Slovakia,Peter Bartisek Hi Peter: Cmon Ref is pleased to receive your question from the beautiful country of Slovakia and with the International Games of the Winter Olympics soon to begin. Thank you for your concern for linesman Steve Barton when he was forced to leave the game in Chicago with an injury. Barts is an outstanding linesman and truly one of the great guys on staff. It appears he may have sustained a slight concussion from a hit to the head sustained on Monday night in Phoenix. We wish Steve a full and speedy recovery. Rule 32.6 provides general provisions when a linesman is unable to continue; "Should a Linesman appointed be unable to act at the last minute or through sickness or accident be unable to finish the game, the Referees shall have the power to appoint another in his stead, if they deem it necessary, or if required to do so by the Manager or Coach of either of the competing teams. If no replacement Linesman is available, the two Referees will assist the remaining Linesman with his duties while still retaining their ability to assess penalties when deemed appropriate." In the practical application the two Referees assist the remaining linesman with his duties. The Linesman conducts all end zone face-offs and the lead referee (backing up in advance of the play) picks up the first offside call at the lead blue line and also will make the call on the new hybrid icing rule either by waving the play good or blowing his whistle when he determines icing has been committed. The "Junior" referee conducts neutral zone face-offs. He would most likely assist the Linesman in breaking up fights as well; although it might be agreed upon that the larger of the two referees would perform this physical duty! In the event that three officials were forced to leave the game or were perhaps unable to arrive at the rink due to weather or unforeseen circumstance the authority to appoint replacements is spelled out in rule 31.11. "If, owing to illness or accident, one of the Referees is unable to continue to officiate, the remaining Referee shall perform the duties of the ill or injured Referee during the balance of the game. In the event that a member of the Leagues Hockey Operations or Officiating departments is in attendance at a game where a spare official is present, he shall have the authority to substitute the injured Referee with a spare. If through misadventure or sickness, he Referees and Linesmen appointed are prevented from appearing, the League will make every attempt to find suitable replacement officials, otherwise, the Managers or Coaches of the two Clubs shall agree on Referee(s) and Linesman(men). If they are unable to agree, they shall appoint a player from each side who shall act as Referee and Linesman; the player of the home Club acting as Referee and the player of the visiting Club as linesman." Members of the off-ice crew are typically high level amateur or minor professional hockey officials and could be appointed to act as substitute referees and linesmen if necessary. We have seen situations where this has happened in the past. Peter in Slovakia and all the rest of your fans wish you a speedy recovery Barts. Roger Craig Super Bowl Jersey . -- Brendan Leipsic had two goals and an assist and Nicolas Petan extended his point streak to 11 games as the Portland Winterhawks slipped past the Red Deer Rebels 5-4 on Saturday in Western Hockey League action. Matt Breida Super Bowl Jersey . Venus Williams advanced to the ASB Classic final in Auckland on a walkover when fellow American Jamie Hampton withdrew from their semifinal Friday with a right hip injury. http://www.49ersofficialfanshop.com/jerry-rice-jersey-sales.html . The Leafs were back on the ice Wednesday following an 10-day break. It apparently wasnt long enough, as Team Canadas 2-1 win over Latvia didnt conclude before the Leafs began practice. "I was thinking we might get a little delay, but it was nice to get out there," said Tyler Bozak of watching Wednesdays game. Richard Sherman Super Bowl Jersey . They say things like "stress is when you dont know what youre doing" and "I wasnt hired to motivate players, I was hired to coach motivated players." They ring as true now as they did when Mularkey heard them the first time playing tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame coach 25 years ago. Jason Verrett Super Bowl Jersey . According to the CFL Scouting Bureaus January rankings, four of the top five Canadian prospects line-up on the offensive side of the trenches, which is good news for Bombers general manager Kyle Walters. With only one selection in the first two rounds — Walters sent his second-round pick to Saskatchewan in the days ahead of the 2013 trade deadline — the No.Drama, drama and more drama. Week 11 in the CFL had storylines in each game that were easy to understand and enjoyable to watch unfold. Calgary improved to 8-2 and Edmonton regressed to 1-9. And still, the majority of the attention was on Ed Hervey and his critical comments about his team - specifically Simeon Rottier. Now I do understand the frustration that he feels as a key management individual because his vision and desires have evaporated. And were only in September. But it was the wrong way to handle it. If Edmonton had won 42-3, Hervey would have looked like a genius with his confronting and motivating. But it didnt happen. Kris Sweet was caught on camera berating his players after pass protection problem and that didnt work either. Both Hervey and Sweet I have a lot of respect for, but there has to be a better way. Pro football is a tough business and one that has a level of pressure that not all can handle and in some moments need to stay private. From the players perspective, especially if youre young, you become so conscious of avoiding mistakes that you hesitate letting go and being aggressive. Confrontation does work, but confrontation in a public venue is difficult to deal with and accept. Edmonton has become this very interesting psychological study of human emotion under stress and its results. And which way it gravitates is speculation at this point. Now lost in all the drama with Edmonton is Calgarys 8-2 record - tied for first place and John Hufnagel completing his 100th game as the teams head coach (Congratulations, coach!). In Hamilton, the story is whats wrong with the B.C. Lions and (dont know) and what is right with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (that I do know). The man with a plan is Kent Austin and his plan is being seen in a physical form on the football field. Dennis McPhee has slowly but consistently improved the Ticats defensive line to a point that now they are a group of game changing athletes. Each positional increment has progressed, but the challenge has now changed for Hamilton as the schedule has now changed. Gone are the Eskimos and Bombers,, here are the Stampeders and Riders and all the teams that are polished and winning.dddddddddddd. Its often said that the personality of a team is reflected in the head coach. Well, if I could describe Kent Austin in one word it would be "steady." Not to high, not too low - just maintaining focus on the goal of winning football. The team is like that too. Just getting a little better each week, game by game and not letting opinion and criticism get you down. They have a big challenge this week at the 8-2 Stampeders, but win or lose this Ticat team will not panic - just progress. With Toronto, a very significant 37-30 win in Montreal and a bounce back game for Zack Collaros in so many ways. They did not play well last Tuesday in their disaster of a 20-9 loss and did not play very well in the first half of their 37-30 win. Collaros was 12-of-18 for 100 yards and an interception in that half with one yard rushing. In the second half, there was a different confidence level and a different result - 18-for-25, 236 yards with two touchdowns and 41 yards rushing. When the times were toughest, Collaros responded with his best for some excellent drama. The Argos are now 6-4 and thats the good news. The bad news is that they travel to Saskatchewan next to play a Rider team coming off a loss in Winnipeg. And how about Winnipeg! You have to go back to July 4 to find the last registered win for Bomber football - 19-11 over Montreal. Now I can still say this and that and that and this about what has to improve but why not just enjoy the experience of winning as for one week? The pressure is off! And a good trade for the Bombers too - Pierce returns to the Lions for a fresh start and with Akeem Foster they get a tall Canadian target with genuine upside. Now the Bombers have Edmonton in back-to-backs and need to sweep the Eskimos. If they do - you never know. Thats right, I am saying you still have a chance! So with Week 11 over and Week 12 about to begin, Im certainly looking forward to another new discussion of dramatic stories. Should be very interesting. ' ' '