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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. Dan-Axel Zagadou Dortmund Jersey .ca! Hi Kerry, My question to you is what is the going through a referees mind when a missed call or a wrong call results in a game winning goal? I refer back to last weeks game involving Edmonton and Toronto. There was a clear mistake made by the officials in overtime against Ryan Nugent-Hopkins that resulted a turnover and a 3-on-1 break and a game-winning goal for Toronto. I am sure that the referees knew that they had messed up and would certainly have known after the fact. I am sure that during your career that must have occurred at least once. My question is how do you feel after and do you apologize for the error? Chuck --- Hi Chuck: I messed up more than once during my career for sure; the most obvious being Wayne Gretzkys missed high-stick on Doug Gilmour in 1993. A referee never wants to affect the outcome of a game. That infamous missed call certainly affected the outcome of Game 6 of that Western Conference Final when Gretz scored the winning goal in OT immediately after play resumed. Instead, he should have been sitting in the penalty box with a double minor. The teams would have played 4-on-4 until Glenn Anderson served the balance of his boarding penalty. The Leafs would have then gone on the power play "if" neither team had scored to end the game at that point. We know one thing for certain; Wayne Gretzky would not have scored the winner for at least four minutes! Tremendous uncertainty surrounded the aftermath of the missed infraction. When I asked "Killer" what had happened he said that Waynes follow-through of his shot struck him on the chin. I responded, "If thats the case a normal follow-through of a shot does not constitute a penalty!" Gilmour was okay with that understanding. Something just didnt sit right with me so I sought assistance from my two colleagues. Neither of the linesmen (Kevin Collins and Ron Finn) was able to confirm the high-stick which left me with a totally helpless feeling of uncertainty. My desire as the sole Referee in a game was to see everything. In this situation I had failed my objective miserably. It wasnt until the next day however, when I saw a replay of the incident that I became aware of the missed call. As a result, the sick feeling an official gets in the pit of their gut when they mess up wasnt instantaneous but delayed for 24 hours. That sick feeling didnt subside any time soon as I watched Gretzky light it up back in Toronto to eliminate the Leafs in Game 7. While the memory of the incident could never really be erased (nor should it) I had to learn from it and move forward no differently than a player mistake costs his team a game, a series or even a Stanley Cup. Rookie Steve Smiths errant bank shot off the back of Grant Fuhrs leg comes to mind. To his credit and personal strength Smitty bounced back and had a tremendous NHL career. One play or one call should not define a career. There were other times that I knew in the moment that I had blown a call. If I overreacted by signaling a phantom/marginal penalty I wanted to chew my arm off during the delay. At times such as this I instantly knew it was a bad call as much as the player I was sending to the box. Whenever the team captain approached me in protest of the bad call I would admit my mistake immediately. Inevitably the Captains next response was, "You owe us one" or "Better make one up!" While I would respond that "Two wrongs dont make a right" the most difficult challenge was always to fight human nature when you know you erred. I did my very best not to do that very thing - make the dreaded makeup call. I will tell you there were many times that I silently rooted for the success of a teams PK unit. Two minutes can seem like an eternity when your mouth feels like its full of dry sawdust. If the team was scored upon that sick-gut feeling intensified but had to be pushed aside but remaining ever hopeful through the ebb and flow the game would be clearly decided by the players. When an error has been made it is really important to bear down and keep your head in the moment and not dwell on the past mistake. You have to push negative thoughts out and allow them to pass through as opposed to dwelling on them. Sometimes that takes self-talk; almost in a running play-by-play dialogue to maintain focus and avoid missing yet another call. What I am attempting to share with you here is not only the reality of human failure (mistakes made) which we all know happen but more importantly how we respond in dealing with that failure through our individual human nature. Every Official truly cares about the game and gives their very best. Their desire for perfection is an impossible task to achieve yet every Official chases that illusive "perfect game." The most respected and proficient Referees are the ones that minimize their mistakes, admit to them when they occur but most importantly learn from them and move forward. There are always calls throughout a game, a season or a career that every Official wishes he had the opportunity to do over again. Perhaps the Refs in the Leafs-Oilers game would like another shot at viewing and responding as Cody Franson punched Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to the ice from behind in overtime resulting in a three-on-one and Dave Bollands winning goal. Ill leave that call for them to wrestle with and perhaps learn from. Thanks for the thought-provoking question Chuck. Know that we cant alter history - just our response in the present. Shinji Kagawa Dortmund Jersey . Neither side would publicly confirm or deny any discussions were taking place, until the near unexpected happened. On Saturday night sources confirmed to TSN, the league and players agreed to terms on a new, tentative CBA, pending ratification by the unions players. A league source confirmed the CFLs board of governors must also ratify any potential agreement. Axel Witsel Dortmund Jersey . Nwaneri, who was born in Dallas and attended Naaman Forest High School in nearby Garland, Texas, tweeted, "Its official! Im coming home, Im coming home.SAN FRANCISCO -- Tim Lincecum is staying put with the San Francisco Giants just as he hoped, reaching agreement Tuesday on a $35 million, two-year contract through the 2015 season. The deal is pending a physical, which had yet to be scheduled. Lincecum has a full no-trade clause in the new deal. General manager Brian Sabean said when the season ended that among his top priorities was bringing back the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner, who also indicated he cherishes familiarity and wanted stay with the only club he has known. He pitched the Game 5 clincher in the 2010 World Series at Texas, then shifted to the bullpen and became a reliable reliever during the Giants 2012 run to their second title in three years. He pitched a no-hitter July 13 at San Diego. Sabean wanted to lock up Lincecums deal before he hit the open market in free agency. The 29-year-old Lincecum just completed a $40.5 million, two-year contract that paid him $22 million this past season. The Giants, who missed the playoffs at 76-86, already took care of their first order of business by signing right fielder Hunter Pence to a $90 million, five-year contract before the season ended. He played every game this year. Lincecum, the 10th overall draft pick by San Francisco in 2006 out of Washington, has had losing records in each of the past three seasons but manager Bruce Bochy has expressed encouragement with the pitchers progress to make changes to not only his delivery and mechanics but also his between-start routine and fitness. After his final start of the season Sept. 26 against the rivall Los Angeles Dodgers, the four-time All-Star reflected on the idea of a possible departure. Lukasz Piszczek Dortmund Jersey. Many thought he might listen to his hometown Seattle Mariners if they came calling. The Giants didnt let that happen, knowing someone would sign Lincecum in a hurry despite all the ups and downs. "Ive just been one of the most fortunate pitchers in this organization just to be a part of so many things," said Lincecum, who won the Cy Young in 2008 and 09. "To have the guys around me, Barry Bonds, Randy Johnson, big names, Buster Posey coming up, Pablo Sandoval. The names just dont end. To be here to witness all the things theyve done, and be there for also the team things, its been pretty special for me." Lincecum went 10-14 with a 4.37 ERA and 193 strikeouts in 32 starts this season. The right-hander joined Hall of Famers Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry and also Kirk Rueter as the only Giants in San Francisco history to win at least 10 games in six straight seasons. Nicknamed The Freak, Lincecum is 89-70 with a 3.46 ERA over seven major league seasons. With fans unsure whether he would return beyond 2013, his supporters held signs during his last start such as, "Timmy Dont Leave" and "SF Loves You!" He tipped his cap -- a rare gesture for him. "It was pretty special," Lincecum said at the time. "Just to be in that kind of like situation today, you kind of really see whats going on and the emotions that are tied with it. Im still trying to figure out how to handle it." ' ' '