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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. 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CSKA received the heavier punishment of playing its next European home game behind closed doors, after its supporters displayed racist and far-right symbols in the Czech Republic during a 2-1 loss to Viktoria Plzen on Dec.LINZ, Austria -- Top-seeded Angelique Kerber and No. 2 Sloane Stephens reached the quarterfinals of the Generali Ladies in contrasting styles on Thursday. Kerber downed Alexandra Cadantu of Romania 6-1, 6-0 in just 50 minutes, while Stephens needed 2 1/2 hours to defeat Andrea Petkovic of Germany 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-3. Kerber was broken while serving for the first set but was otherwise hardly challenged by the 72nd-ranked Cadantu, who scored just eight points in total on her own serve. "I felt really well on court," the 10th-ranked German said. "I was very relaxed and played well from the start." Kerber is one win short of securing the eighth and final spot at the season-ending WTA Championships in Istanbul. She takes on Patricia Mayr-Achleitner in the quarterfinals. The Austrian missed two match points at 5-3 in the second set before defeating Maryna Zanevska of Ukraine 6-1, 6-7 (1), 6-4. The 12th-ranked Stephens won just two of the first 14 points and later dropped 5-2 behiind against Petkovic, but the American saved three set points before taking the opener in a tiebreaker.dddddddddddd "I let out some screams which I normally dont do," Stephens said about her slow start. "I am just happy to get through." Stephens went 3-1 up in the second set before Petkovic reeled off 10 straight points to turn it around. Stephens managed an early break in the decider and the Australian Open semifinalist closed out the victory on her third match point. Stephens next plays Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland, who rallied to defeat Karin Knapp of Italy 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 to advance to her first quarterfinals since April. Earlier, Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia routed Katarzyna Piter of Poland 6-0, 6-1 in less than 53 minutes. Piter, playing in her first main draw of the year, broke the seventh-seeded Cibulkova in the second set for her only game. In her fourth quarterfinal of the season, Cibulkova will take on two-time former champion Ana Ivanovic. ' ' '