TORONTO - Christmas is often a busy, stressful time, especially for hockey players who have to balance family and professional obligations. Eduardo Salvio Argentina Jersey .But for James Reimer and David Booth of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Christmas brings perspective and an opportunity to reflect and appreciate on how fortunate they are to play professional hockey while observing their faith.Whether youre a carpenter, or a plumber, a hockey player or an airline pilot, your lifes going to get crazy no matter what, said Reimer, while still in his goalie pads after practice on Friday. Things are going to happen and stuff. When you have something like Christ to lean on, it just adds a peace that surpasses all understanding.Its such a gift to be able to have that perspective, especially when things are going rough.Although the NHLs collective bargaining agreement guarantees that players get Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day off, theres still a lot of travel over the holidays for hockey teams. The Maple Leafs, for example, played in Chicago on Sunday, played in Dallas on Tuesday night and will continue a seven-game road trip in Florida on Dec. 28.The American Hockey League has an even tighter holiday window, with a full slate of games scheduled for Dec. 26. Major junior hockey players have 10 days off, but the worlds top prospects will be busy when the world junior championship begins in Toronto and Montreal on Boxing Day.That travel schedule can be daunting for some, but Booth doesnt mind.I think theres always time to get in to the Bible, said the Maple Leafs left-winger. I think thats the biggest thing when youre on the road, is having your quiet time, being able to sit down, to read, to reflect, to pray. Those are things that you can do anywhere and I think thats one of the beautiful things about our job: the ability that we have to continue to worship while on the road.Laurie Boschman understands the challenges facing Christian hockey players. He was an NHLer for 14 years and has worked with Hockey Ministries International for 21 years, helping the faith-based Christian organization in its many camps and chapel programs.Based in Ottawa, Boschman leads players from the Senators in regular chapel programs and also helps co-ordinate chapel programs around the NHL.In his view, many players find themselves dissatisfied with their lives despite the money and prestige that comes with the NHL lifestyle. They may also be bothered by issues outside of the arena like relationship problems or the failing health of loved ones.For example, since were talking here before Christmas, we can talk about what the Bible says about the holiday, said Boschman in a phone interview with The Canadian Press. Is it about presents? Is it about something more than that? And if it is, does the Bible address that? Players are interested in that because I think sometimes theres a perspective that players have about faith and its not based in fact.Its based in I thought it was this, or I thought it was that. We get to point them to the Scriptures and say This is what the Bible teaches and this is what its about.Booth agrees with Boschman that chapel gives players a chance to realize that theyre more than just their profession.I think when you get away from defining yourself by a sport it opens up your ability to make an impact away from the rink or have a greater purpose in life, said Booth. I dont think were put on this Earth just to play a sport. I think this sport is giving me such a huge advantage to reach the community, a platform to share things that matter.Were given so much. People look at us, wow the coolest job and it is a cool job and a great salary that comes with it. But those things all fade. Those things never satisfy.Theres no lack of demand for HMIs chapel programs. The non-denominational ministry works with more than 270 teams in over 30 leagues to provide chapel and counselling services for hockey players, coaches and other support staff. HMI also has hockey camps for children in Canada, the United States, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.Both Reimer and Booth point to regular chapel services as a resource that helps them bring balance to their lives on and off the ice.Obviously, being on the road and sometimes playing on Sundays or practising on Sundays, you dont get to go to church very often, said Reimer. Maybe once a month, if youre lucky. So to have that chapel — usually its once every two weeks, something you can go to with a couple of your teammates and the chaplain, just make sure youre staying focused and your eyes are on the right prize — its good to have that because it helps to keep you calm.Booth also feels that attending chapel and being a devout Christian helps him relate to his teammates, especially those who dont share his faith, because it fosters a sense of respect and tolerance in the locker-room.Love your teammates even though you guys share different beliefs, said Booth. You guys might have different lifestyles. You might not agree with everything they do but you always respect them, you love them, you get along with them, youre a good teammate. You do things with them. The biggest thing is not to judge. Theyre accepting of my beliefs and I accept their beliefs.I think thats where tolerance comes in and thats what makes humanity function: being able to tolerate other people with so many differences amongst us. Franco Armani Jersey . Seager had another triple, a home run and a double in a rare feat not seen in more than 40 years, leading Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners past the New York Yankees 10-2. "It was a weird play," Seager said of the triple in the fourth inning. Gonzalo Higuain Jersey . - Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has nothing but good problems right now. http://www.argentinasoccerauthentic.com/Marcos-Rojo-Copa-America-Jersey/ .com) - Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mat Latos had an arthroscopic procedure performed on his right elbow last week, the teams official site reported Wednesday.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry Fraser wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca! Hi Kerry, I am really confused about something that happened in the game between the Flyers and Leafs last night. The Flyers scored a goal that was verified immediately by the ref directly behind the net. He signaled the goal. But the goal was disallowed apparently when the other ref (who was closer to Argentina then he was the play) called it no goal. The replay clearly showed it was a goal, and more importantly, in the net BEFORE the whistle. Now I understand that is not reviewable, but what I dont understand is why the ref behind the net cant just say, "Hey I was right on top of it, its a good goal". The explanation provided by the announcers was something akin to the other ref losing sight of the puck. If that was the case, almost every goal in the NHL could be disallowed by the center ice ref since it is unlikely they would have a very good view of the puck itself from about 100ft away. Thanks. John Berry Hi Kerry, During this game, the Flyers had a goal disallowed when the neutral zone ref blew the play dead on a "hold the post" type play. The question is: why is someone that is about 100 feet away blowing the play dead? The ref that could actually see the play signaled goal. Later in the game, the Leafs scored on a play where the puck was jammed out from underneath the goalies pad, no whistle. There was no way to see the puck from center ice on the Leafs goal, either. Help me understand which game these refs were watching. Brian Mullaney View the play in question here (17:04, 2nd period). John and Brian: While I must admit that we dont often see the back referee kill a play when he deems the goalkeeper has the puck covered, it is well within his authority to do so. Let me explain why I agree with the call made on the ice by referee Dean Morton from his position in the neutral zone. Both of you are only partially correct when you stated that the referee behind the net, Kevin Pollock, was in position to see the play and then signal a goal once the puck entered the net. The overriding fact is that Leafs goalkeeper, Jonathan Bernier, clearly had the puck covered underneath his blocker and held tight against the post a reasonable time for the play to be considered dead. This "reasonable time" frame is demonstrated by the fact that Bernier initially covered the puck when Matt Read, the Flyer who eventually dislodged the puck, was positioned well behind the net near the end boards and had some distance to travel to the post at the sidee of the net. Giovani Lo Celso Argentina Jersey. In fairness to referee Kevin Pollock, he had a considerable distance to travel from the opposite side of the net towards the corner and was unable to see that Bernier had the puck covered. By the time referee Pollock was able to assume a position behind the net, Matt Read had already jammed Berniers blocker with his stick and dislodged the frozen puck. At this point, the referee gained a sightline that allowed him to see the exposed puck which Matt Read knocked into the open corner of the net from the seat of his pants. Even though back referee Dean Morton was a long distance from the net (albeit much closer than Argentina) he had a view from the open side to where Jonathan Bernier froze the puck with his blocker against the post. From this unobstructed view to the goal and with a broad perspective of the play, Morton would have taken a quick look to determine the sightline that his had partner on the other side of the net in that moment. Knowing that Pollock could not possibly see that the puck was covered from his position, referee Mortons radar intensified once he saw an initial attempt by Michael Raffl to jam at Berniers glove with his stick and as Raffl was subsequently knocked to the ice by Leafs defenceman Cody Franson. Knowing that Kevin Pollock had not yet assumed a position to determine the frozen puck, referee Mortons "intent to blow the whistle" would have kicked into high gear once he saw Matt Read jam at Berniers blocker and expose the puck. Mortons whistle to kill the play is audible just as referee Kevin Pollock moves into position behind the net to signal a goal once the puck crossed the line. The correct call was made by back referee Dean Morton to determine that the puck had been frozen by the Leafs goalkeeper prior to Matt Read dislodging it with his stick and then knocking the puck into the net. The correct procedure was also followed to the letter when Morton quickly approached referee Pollock to inform him that the puck had been frozen by Jonathan Bernier. FYI, in an article I wrote on November 28, 2011 I responded to a fan question when Kris Letang of the Penguins dug a frozen puck from underneath the catching glove of Carey Price to score the game winning goal in overtime. The goal line referee was on the opposite side of the net and impossible to detect that Price had the puck covered. My answer in that column was that the back referee near the blue line with an unobstructed view should have blown the play dead prior to or as Kris Letang jammed the puck loose. Click on the link below to see the similarity of these two plays. 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