Tonight at 7:05pm et a referee will drop the puck to kick off the 2013-14 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The first round is always the toughest brand of hockey and the most difficult for the Officials to work effectively. Finishing on top of a division does not always guarantee advancement beyond the first playoff round as we have seen through several upsets in recent years. This years matchups will guarantee that some legitimate Cup contenders will be eliminated with a one and done series appearance. The margin for victory between all the teams is very slim and mistakes made by players and officials are magnified at this time of year. Simply put, mistakes can be the difference between a team and an official from going on in the playoffs or going home! Last night I joined James Duthie for a brief segment in the playoff preview show shot in Studio 9 at TSN where I will be monitoring games and officials calls on a nightly basis throughout the first round. James asked me what I will be looking for from the Officials the moment the playoffs begin. My response was for strict adherence to the letter of the law. The rules do not change during the playoffs and neither should the expected standard of enforcement! The referees have often been accused of putting their whistles away during the playoffs. Far too many times we have seen the score and time of a game factored into the refs judgment as to what constitutes an obvious penalty. I cited a game between the NY Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens from the final weekend of the regular season as an example of what we should hope from the referees throughout this postseason. In that game, referee Gord Dwyer awarded a penalty shot to Brian Gionta in overtime when the Habs captain was tripped from behind at the Rangers blue line by Raphael Diaz. Gionta was chasing a loose puck at the time he was fouled and therefore did not have possession and control of the puck. This aspect of the play could have offered the referee an out to take an easier path and simply assess a minor penalty for tripping. Instead, referee Dwyer made the correct judgment as stipulated in rule 24.8 (iii) that Brian Gionta would have obtained possession and control of the puck and was denied a reasonable chance to score. The game ended when Brian Gionta scored on the ensuing penalty shot awarded by the referee. Kudos to referee Dwyer for making this perceived tough call (video link). In reality the more difficult position a referee will place himself in is if he attempts to manage the game by letting an obvious infraction go uncalled. This often sets a chain of events in motion that is difficult for the ref to recover from. The subsequent infraction committed by the other team is usually worse than the previous one he let go. By applying a sense of fairness, the official feels helpless to call that next penalty and the standard becomes lost. The best deterrent for a player to avoid committing an infraction is the fear that he will be placing his team at a disadvantage by incurring a penalty. When that fear factor no longer exists as a result of the refs whistle being put away the game can deteriorate and the integrity of the outcome placed in jeopardy. Anarchy can result until an automatic penalty is called such as puck over the glass or too many men on the ice and a semblance of order is restored! This negative influence on a game can be avoided it the referees call the obvious infractions that are committed regardless of the score or time in a game. Whenever the officials make the tough but correct call they must receive the support of the Officiating Department heads. Management needs to demonstrate their courage by publicly backing the officials when they make the right call at a crucial time in the game. A season long subjective performance evaluation has been tabulated by the Officiating and Hockey Operations Department on each referee and linesman to determine selection to the playoffs. Congratulations and best of luck to the following officials that have been selected to the first round: Referees Francis Charron, Paul Devorski, Gord Dwyer, Eric Furlatt, Dave Jackson, Mark Joannette, Steve Kozari, Chris Lee, Wes McCauley, Brad Meier, Dean Morton, Dan OHalloran, Dan ORourke, Chris Rooney, Tim Peel, Kevin Pollock, Francois St.-Laurent, Justin St.Pierre, Kelly Sutherland, Brad Watson Linesmen Derek Amell, Steve Barton, David Brisebois, Lonnie Cameron, Scott Cherry, Michel Cormier, Greg Devorski, Scott Driscoll, Darren Gibbs, Shane Heyer, Brad Kovachik, Matt MacPherson, Steve Miller, Brian Murphy, Jonny Murray, Derek Nansen, Brian Pancich, Pierre Racicot, Jay Sharrers, Mark Shewchyk The hockey world will be watching closely as each of you display the courage and good judgment necessary to get the job done. Stitched NBA Jerseys . -- Augusta James of Bath, Ont. Cheap NBA Jerseys Authentic . "There are a lot of things that are going very well in this organization. Im not coming in here to rip things apart," Nicholson told reporters Friday. "I know what Hockey Canada was when I started, and I know where this (Oilers) organization is today. https://www.nbachinajerseys.us/. First, Ivan Nova decided to have season-ending Tommy John elbow surgery. Then Michael Pineda was suspended for 10 games for using pine tar. Cheap Nike Basketball Jerseys . JOHNS, N. NBA Jerseys Store . It took five games, but the Celtics finally helped Stevens earn his first NBA victory. "Im going to celebrate for a whole 12 minutes, and then Im going to start watching Orlando and trying to figure them out," the first-year Celtics coach said after Boston beat the Utah Jazz, one of the leagues other winless teams, 97-87 on Wednesday night.Hibernian have appointed Neil Lennon as their new head coach as a replacement for Alan Stubbs after he left for Rotherham. The former Celtic boss has agreed a two-year deal at Easter Road and returns to football after leaving Bolton Wanderers in March.As well as taking the club into the Europa League next season after last months Scottish Cup win, he will be tasked with taking Hibs out of the Championship in their third season at that level. Lennon will be assisted by Garry Parker, who was also his deputy during his time at Parkhead and the Macron Stadium.Lennon told Sky Sports News HQ: What can I offer this club? Hopefully bring a winning mentality. I think Im following on in big shoes from Alan for what he achieved here.The remit is obviously to try and get promotion but thats going to be pretty difficult because of the competition thats in the Championship. Lennon will be expected to bring success to Easter Road after winning three league titles as Celtic boss I know the environment, the culture and the people here. Hibs is a big club with fantastic tradition. Theyve got the monkey off their back with winning the Scottish Cup as well.Its a great club with a great support and we want to get it going again. The budget will be strong for the division but I dont think well be favourites. Its going to be an exciting league.With Dundee United coming down from the Premiership aand Falkirk, who finished ahead of us, weve got overcome those teams along with the likes of Dunfermline, who have good momentum.ddddddddddddLennon previously had four years in charge of Celtic, winning the Premiership three times with two of those successes coming in Rangers absence from the top flight.He also added Scottish Cup wins in 2011 and 2013 to his haul before leaving to pursue a new challenge and eventually ended up at Bolton in October 2014. Lennon replaces Alan Stubbs, who left for Rotherham United last week (pic from @OfficialRUFC) Lennon was the clubs first choice to take Stubbs place from the start of their search, with Dempster and director of football George Craig leading negotiations.Stubbs left for Rotherham last week after Neil Warnock quit the Yorkshire club having saved them from relegation to League One.Lennon added: The chairman (Rod Petrie) took time out to come down and see us and the facilities here are incredible. Ive been really impressed by what Leeanns had to say as well.Its very exciting for me, obviously. Ive got big admiration for the club and have done for a long time. Im looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead. Also See: Hibs fixtures Hibs stats Scottish Champ table Boyd: Rodgers will need time ' ' '