Dein erstes Forum » The revised Rule allows Hockey Operations

TORONTO -- Danny Koevermans no longer wears the jersey but he still bleeds Toronto FC red. A goal machine for the MLS team when healthy, the former striker is back in his native Netherlands these days. As in Toronto, his 35-year-old body let him down when he tried one last time to take the field with FC Utrecht earlier this year. Now coaching with the Dutch club, Koevermans, his wife and two daughters are back in the family home in Helmond they left behind to come in Toronto. And the former Dutch international is happy and at peace. "I am good. I am excellent," he said over the phone. "I miss Toronto but for the rest, Im just doing fine." He has been closely following Toronto FCs new-look -- and winning -- lineup. He watched the first two games live online and has followed every outing since. "First thing I do in the morning is check out what theyve done," he said. "Im happy for you all. Its crazy. Three away games, only one home game, nine points already, maybe this will be the season for the playoffs. I hope so." Sadly Koevermans presence in Toronto these days is limited to a photo of him applauding the fans. It is portrayed prominently on a wall in the foyer of the teams north Toronto training centre. "It was an amazing time," Koevermans said. "I miss Toronto every single day." A serious knee injury -- he tore his anterior cruciate ligament -- and a string of ensuing calf problems in the same left leg limited his MLS career. While he signed a 2 1/2-year deal, essentially his TFC playing time lasted one calendar year, from July 2011 to July 2012, with 17 goals in 21 starts and 26 appearances. The six-foot-three Koevermans, whose contract expired at the end of 2013, returned to the Netherlands with his family on Dec. 14. He wanted to try one last comeback back home and signed with Utrecht, with both sides knowing that he was one injury away from retiring. "I was hoping to give them some goals, but it never came to that point," said Koevermans, who saw just 29 minutes action in three appearances. His calf gave out less than a month after he arrived. He returned to training one more time only to pull his calf muscle two weeks later. "I said enough is enough, its over. Im going to quit," he said. The eventual decision to retire as a player was not difficult. "I saw it coming," he said. Utrecht asked him to stay with the team until the end of the season, which he agreed to. "Its a good group of guys and I feel comfortable over there," he said. "I feel appreciated." Then the team asked him to work with the strikers, which he has agreed to do through the end of the season. The Utrecht strike force includes Colombian Juan Agudelo, Zambian Jacob Mulenga and Belgian Steve De Ridder. "I like it," Koevermans said. "I never had the ambition to be a head coach but something like this would be perfect. Im hoping they will keep me next year." Utrecht is only an hours drive from his home in Helmond so the job is attractive from all fronts. Toronto FC introduced Koevermans and former German international midfielder Torsten Frings as designated players on June 29, 2011, with both making their MLS debut July 20. Frings may have had the name but Koevermans had the moves. He collected eight goals in 10 games in 2011, scoring from all angles and with every part of his body. While some strikers celebrate highlight-reel finishes, the no-nonsense Koevermans didnt care how his goals went in as long as the goalie had to pick the ball out of the net. He was a straight-shooter off the pitch as well, making headlines during the disastrous start to the 2102 season after Toronto slipped to 0-9-0. "Were setting a record for the worst team in the world, man, and its painful," Koevermans said at the time. "What can I say more? Its just the worst ever." The Dutchman took matters in his own hands when he came off the bench the next game. He beat Chris Konopka (now a Toronto FC player) to score in the 88th minute and end the record slump with a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union. Koevermans was troubled by minor injuries at the start of the 2012 campaign but, when he regained his health, he went on a roll and had nine of the teams 19 goals when he went down. According to Opta, which tracks statistics, Toronto scored every 65.9 minutes during the 2012 season with the big Dutchman on the field. Over the same stretch of the season when he hadnt played, they scored every 130.8 minutes. Koevermans says his career ended July 14, 2012, when he wrecked his knee on the artificial turf at New Englands Gillette Stadium. After surgery and 11 months of painstaking rehab, he returned in July 2013 but only saw 78 minutes of action spread over four games as his calf kept on giving out. As the 2013 season wore down, Koevermans was a forgotten man at Toronto FC. Pro soccer can be a cruel game -- out of sight, out of mind when it comes to injured players. He was distraught as his career in Toronto fizzled. His family liked the city and he had hoped to play one more season if healthy. It was not to be. But today he says he is OK with his fate. "I know I had a good career. Its unlucky that basically it ended on this July 14 (2012). ... The moment I tore my ACL, I never really got back to full fitness, full game fitness. Which is a shame. But I tried, I tried really hard." He never got a medical explanation why his surgically repaired knee resulted in so many calf issues. He puts it down to age and a lot of soccer miles under his belt. "Maybe at the end, when I look back at it, my body was kind of fit but not fit any more for the highest level. I couldnt train any more really really hard like you have to do." 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Canadas 5-1 loss to Finland in the semifinal ranks as the tournaments most-watched game with a record 2.7 million viewers, the largest ever for a World Juniors game played outside of North America, and winning Saturday as the most-watched program on Canadian television.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: I was watching the Predators vs. Wild game Saturday night and cannot figure out two calls in that game. First of all, Mike Fisher was called for a double minor for hooking. No blood. No injury. Nothing really out of the ordinary other than a minor for hooking. Why was it a double minor? Secondly, the Wilds third goal, while on the power play for the double hooking minor, never crossed the line as far as I can see. Now, at the end you can see Derek Roy pull the puck from Seth Jones shin pad but that doesnt mean the puck crossed the line. I thought Toronto had to see the puck actually cross the line for it to be called a goal. Im so confused! The Preds should have won that game in regulation. Thanks for your insight. Its so fun reading your column. Sincerely, Darin Scott Franklin, TN Darin: The double minor assessed against Mike Fisher resulted from two separate incidents that were deemed to be hooking infractions by the referee(s). A delayed penalty was signaled by referee Justin St. Pierre when Fisher reached with his stick and made light contact between the hands of Nino Niederreiter. The contact did not impede Niederreiters ability to cleanly advance the puck by banking it off the wall to its intended recipient, Wild teammate Ryan Carter. Carter picked up the pass and skated the puck up ice and deep into the Predators end zone. This marginal call (weak) resulted because the referee made the decision to skate toward the opposite side corner away from both Niederreiter and Fisher as they raced for the loose puck. The referee was therefore looking over his shoulder and did not have a clear perspective of the contact and the finish of the play. Had the ref observed the full extent of Fishers action and unimpeded completion of the play by Niederrreiter he should have deemed that no harm - no foul resulted. At the other end of the ice and on the ensuing delay, Fisher clearly hooked Zach Parise to the ice which prevented him from getting to the loose puck. There wasnt any doubt this was a violation of Rule 55 and caused referee Brad Meier to also raise his arm. The two separate hooking calls combined for a double minor assessed against Fisher. A very tight standard was implemented in this game with regard to restraining fouls. A total of eight minor penalties were assessed; all of which were in the restraining category (four for hooking, two for holding, two for interference). Prior to the 2014-15 season, the NHL issued a press release outlining the new rules that were adopted. Video revieww was expanded and modified to allow broader discretion to Hockey Operations to assist the referees in determining the legitimacy of all potential goals (e.ddddddddddddg., to ensure they are good hockey goals). The revised Rule allows Hockey Operations to correct a broader array of situations where video review clearly establishes that a goal or no goal call on the ice has been made in error. Prior to this broader discretion being extended, the situation room personnel required clear visual evidence of the puck crossing the line or being in the net. If a body or hand obstructed the view of the puck, even though it might be logical to deduce that the puck was across the line, an inconclusive verdict was to be rendered from Video Review. All the replays shown during the game broadcast and repeated on the NHL Situation Room Blog do not clearly show the black disc across the line. It was only upon completion of the play that Derek Roy reached across the goal line with his glove and appeared to drag the puck from underneath Seth Jones, who was located inside the net at that point. Unless the Situation Room had an enhanced camera shot along the goal line of the puck resting under Jones pad, it would only seem logical that they deduced the puck was across the line and awarded the goal after Roy reached in and dragged the disk out under the cover of his glove. I have awarded goals (prior to video replay) when I witnessed a goalie had clearly caught the puck across the goal line or made a save with his pad that was inside the net. In cases such as this it was only logical to determine that since the puck was inside the goalies trapper or hit the pad inside the net a goal had resulted. Im okay with the Situation Room utilizing common sense and logic to deduce that a puck had entered the net during the process of play. We saw several examples over the last few seasons where their decision on apparent legitimate goals was restricted because the puck was covered and not visible to them inside the net. My one caution or concern however is when a scrum in the crease area takes place similar to this play. There was considerable pushing, jostling and active stick movement that took place inside the crease, some of which occurred after the play was ruled dead by the referee. Once players separated, it was only at that point that Roy made a move with his glove to locate the puck and drag it backward. Since the goalie or a player cannot be pushed into the net with the puck sound judgment must be applied with common sense logic to determine when the puck actually crossed the goal line. The Situation Room must have determined it was, as they say, a good hockey goal. ' ' '