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! Hey Kerry, Just want to say that I love reading your column and every time theres a strange call on the ice, the next day Im on TSN.ca to see if you wrote anything. Now you might not remember but we actually met at the breakfast buffet at the Marriott in Aruba. We were the Habs family who got our hockey updates from you while on vacation! Moving on, I was watching Game 7 of the Detroit/Chicago series and I was just amazed at the call made on the "second" Chicago goal. Now I know you are probably going to get a lot of emails on this call but I dont understand why Chicago was assessed a penalty on the scrum in front of the bench. In my opinion only Detroit should have got a penalty and therefore it should have been a goal. I also dont understand why the referee allowed the play to continue after deciding that both teams deserved a penalty. This is just one of many strange calls seen in this playoffs that I dont understand. Thanks a lot Kerry,Patrick McLaughlin -- Hey Patrick: Its great to reconnect with you. As they say in Aruba; Bon Bini—One Happy Island! There wasnt much happiness in the Madhouse on Madison last night with 1:47 remaining in regulation time when Niklas Hjalmarsson scored the potential series-winning goal only to have it negated by coincidental roughing minor penalties assessed by Referee Stephen Walkom from 90 feet away. The celebration from the 20,000 plus in attendance was put on hold until Brent Seabrook scored the eventual game-winning, series-ending goal just 3:35 into the first overtime period. This goal would not be denied and the House erupted in jubilant celebration. With justice eventually served I can only guess that a huge sigh of relief was felt by at least one man in stripes and countless NHL executives in suits watching from the sidelines. Most confusing to me is the Referees decision to assess coincidental minor penalties on the play. Forget the score and the time of the game; or even that it was Game 7 and Chicago was on the attack with puck possession deep in the Red Wing zone. I dare not factor these into the equation as we all cry for a consistent standard of enforcement to be implemented throughout the entire game. Instead I will analyze the play on face value and demonstrate why it was the wrong judgment to make period! With an eye toward consistency I cant help but bring to your attention a scrum that took place in front of the Red Wing bench just 3:33 into the game. Andrew Shaw of the Hawks engaged both Henrik Zetterberg and Valtteri Filppula on a line change. Shaws sweater was grabbed by Kyle Quincey, who was seated on the Wings bench. Shaw finished the scrum by picking Filppula up and slamming him to the ice. The Red Wing star forward was injured on the play and did not return to action. No penalties were assessed on this play; neither to Shaw as the aggressor or coincidental in nature. With a couple of minutes remaining in regulation time it was most obvious that Quincey was the aggressor when he finished the check on Brandon Saad and knocked/pushed the Hawk player with suspended animation on the top dasher board and into the Red Wings bench. In an effort to regain his balance and extricate him from the bench Saad reached and grabbed the back of Quinceys helmet causing it to fall off. Quincey then pulled and slammed Saad to the ice causing the Hawk player to land hard on his back. The worst that Brandon Saad did at this point was taking a weak cuff with his right glove hand at Quincey as the Red Wing defenceman bent over Saad. The minimal response from Saad did not equate to coincidental minor penalties being given and I see no justification for stopping the play. If any penalty was deemed worthy by the trailing Referee (and I can certainly live with no call similar to that on Shaw-Filppula) it should have been assessed to Kyle Quincey exclusively. Since Chicago was in possession of the puck a delayed penalty would be signaled IF one was to be called. As the scrum ensued in the neutral zone Referee Walkom, as the trailing referee, had the luxury of time and full vision of the ice from this vantage point. He should have not only observed Saads minimal participation in response to being the recipient of the hit, but most importantly the lack of consequence this activity had on the play in the end zone 90 feet away with the Hawks in possession of the puck and a potential scoring opportunity. This is not the time for a referee to develop tunnel vision. The best course of action for any referee, especially one with Stephen Walkoms experience, should have been to skate to Quincey and Saad (as he did) but instead of deciding to stop the play, Referee Walkom should have verbally instructed both players to get up and move on thereby allowing play to continue. No harm-no foul would be the ultimate and appropriate verdict rendered. Justice was later served and a bullet was dodged when Chicago scored in OT to win the game and series. Authentic Custom Islanders Jersey . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. Wholesale Custom Islanders Shirts . Radwanska, making her debut in the Seoul tournament, hit eight aces in a match that lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes at Olympic Park tennis stadium. "It was definitely a very good match -- I was playing really good tennis," Radwanska said. http://www.customislandersjersey.com/ . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable show by the confident Swedish challenger, who had the best of the early rounds and then hung on in the fourth and fifth. Cheap Islanders Jerseys . Capitals head coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin was injured in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and clarified it was not a head injury. Cheap Custom Islanders Jersey . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernicks recent decision to not stand during the national anthem as a way of protesting police killings of unarmed black men has drawn support and scorn far beyond sports. The Associated Press explains how The Star-Spangled Banner became a ritual of American public life, its complicated racial origins and how the song has been used as a form of political resistance.---THE NATIONAL ANTHEM AS A RITUAL OF AMERICAN SPORTThe national anthem and sports first merged in the early 20th century, when The Star-Spangled Banner became part of baseball games. The anthem is played before the start of every U.S. major sporting event, where fans and players are expected to salute the flag by placing a hand over the heart while singing along. Not doing so is considered unpatriotic by some. Its important to remember that a lot of these traditions that we take as timeless or dating back to the founders are pretty recent innovations, said Princeton University historian Kevin Kruse.---BLACK ATHLETES AND POLITICAL PROTESTKaepernicks protest was the latest in a history of actions by black athletes meant to call out the discrepancies between the experiences of people of color and Americas professed ideals.In 1968, Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos lifted their black-gloved fists as the national anthem was played after they won the gold and bronze medals in the mens 200-meter sprint -- a gesture seen as radical and an endorsement of black power. Boxer Muhammad Ali, celebrated as an American hero after his death in June, was arrested in 1967 after his refusal to be drafted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War was seen as an act of civil disobedience. Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, wrote in his autobiography that he was unable to sing the national anthem or salute the flag.Former Denver Nuggets point guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was suspended by the NBA after refusing to participate in the national anthem pre-game ceremony in 1996. More recently, NBA players including Derrick Rose and LeBron James have worn T-shirts reading I Cant Breathe in reference to Eric Garner, who was killed by New York City police officers in 2014. Last month, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and James opened the ESPY Awards with a message about gun violence against minorities.The outrage were seeing in light of the Kaepernick decision ... is just another example of our countrys lack of a real understanding of what it means to be a perrson of color in the United States, said Penn State historian Crystal Sanders.dddddddddddd Wealth, education, attire ... none of that prevents us from being victims of racial discrimination.---WHY THE CONTROVERSY?Kaepernicks decision has outraged some who see his protest as offensive and un-American. It is also an unwelcome distraction for those who view sports as a way to transcend conflicts around race, gender, politics and other uncomfortable subjects in American life. Others have come to his defense, saying his decision to sit out the national anthem and flag salute is protected as freedom of expression under the U.S. Constitution.---HOW THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER WAS BORNWatching the bombing of Fort McHenry while detained on a British ship during the War of 1812, attorney Francis Scott Key was inspired to write The Star-Spangled Banner as he saw the American flag flying overhead in the early morning hours of Sept. 14, 1814. The flags presence signaled the retreat of British ships from Baltimores harbor and the U.S. survival of a battle that lasted 25 hours. The showdown galvanized the young country and the flag became a symbol of determination and victory.The Star-Spangled Banner was popular among the branches of the armed forces throughout the 19th century, but more than a century would pass before the song would become the national anthem. President Woodrow Wilson signed an executive order declaring it so in 1916, and Congress passed an act confirming the order in 1931 that was signed into law by President Herbert Hoover the same year.---CONTROVERSIAL THIRD VERSEKey supported slavery and came from a powerful plantation family in Maryland. His background may have influenced the songs third verse, which includes the lyrics, No refuge could save the hireling and slave/From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave. These words have been interpreted as a reference to the Colonial Marines, black recruits to the British forces who fought in exchange for their freedom. Kaepernicks objection to saluting the flag was not related to the third verse of the national anthem, but his protest has brought fresh attention to this forgotten stanza.---Errin Haines Whack covers urban affairs for The Associated Press. Follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/emarvelous and read more of her work at http://bigstory.ap.org/journalist/errin-haines-whack . ' ' '