The Dishonor of Embellishment in the NHL

[ASquared]

Are we seeing more embellishment now more than ever? Here's why it's not only bad for the game, but bush league as well.

http://thehockeywriters.com/the-dish...nt-in-the-nhl/

[Pengwin7]

I have several schools of thought on "embellishment".

1. Diving. I HATE diving embellishment, if the guy didn't trip you, don't dive. That stinks.
But in some regard... I understand it.
A guy like Stamkos has break-away speed... and lots of guys are putting just a slight little tug on the top of the laces. Just a little tug, can pull a player from accelerating.
After a while, it gets frustrating. Have it happen 10 times without being called... you start to fall more often.
Sucks that it happens but NHL head of officiating would really have to crack down.

2. High-stick faking. THIS... you know... I'm not sure I mind so much. If a guy gets his stick up on you... that's a high-stick. For anybody that has actually gotten a real life hockey stick in the face... during a game... it can friggin hurt. So if a guy gets his stick up near my effin jaw - he should be in the box. Don't put him in the box and guys start Plekanec-ing. So, I hated that Plek acts, cause that sucks, but every player that gets his stick up above the ribs, even a tap, anywhere on an opposing player - should be gone for high-sticking. Keep your stick under control. It's a friggin spear.


Ultimately, people need to pick their argument.
If you want to stop the "fakers", you have to call everything that IS a penalty.

But these same people that bitch about "fakers" also bitch when there isn't any flow to a game... "let them play" people say.
Yeah... if you let them play, you aren't calling stuff, and if you aren't calling stuff that should be called, guys start faking.

I've never been a faker.
My whole life during games - I haven't ever faked even the slightest of injuries... but then again, I don't play at a competitive level.


I don't know... I think the game is pretty good now.
Officials have found that happy medium - and the league officiating will slowly start identifying the "floppers" and "fakers" and start whistling them for "Plekanecing"... so I don't the game requires any change.

Great article.
Thumbs up.

[Daydream Nation]

Use the video and fine the hell out of players after the fact. Use fines and public embarrassment to curb embellishment. Nobody wants the NHL to turn into the spectacle that soccer is.

[forumname]

Use the video and fine the hell out of players after the fact. Use fines and public embarrassment to curb embellishment. Nobody wants the NHL to turn into the spectacle that soccer is.

I like the statement that implementing something like this would make. Even though it's an over-reaction and a bit silly, I would be for it. Public shame goes a long way - even though something tells me the big divers out there think of it as a bit heroic (sacrificing dignity for the team)...

[marshal]

Players get away with it because there isn't any supplemental discipline, and there should be. At worst right now, if a player is called for embellishment, he gets two minutes, no fine and no suspension. Not too bad of a price to pay considering the refs don't really call it that much. Way I see it, though, the problem with instituting supplemental discipline is that players can/probably will argue that it was a "natural reaction", or that they "really were injured". I'm sure the NHLPA would be involved and there'd be credibility issues in the NHL and how the league is governed even worse than the piss-poor suspensions that are now handed down.

Gotta feel bad for the refs when they call a lotta these games. They probably try not to "judge a book by it's cover", but when you see a Lapierre or Marchand or Plekanec snap their head back in "agony" or fall "helplessly" to the ice and wait for trainers to come out, that's gotta twist their guts when they call a penalty and the guy is back out next shift on the PP. When I read about the Auger-Burrows controversy, I applauded Auger. When you develop a reputation for pulling crap like some guys in the NHL do and then plead innocence, why the hell should the refs give you the benefit of the doubt? Boy Who Cried Wolf.

[rumplestiltskin]

I have several schools of thought on "embellishment".

1. Diving. I HATE diving embellishment, if the guy didn't trip you, don't dive. That stinks.
But in some regard... I understand it.
A guy like Stamkos has break-away speed... and lots of guys are putting just a slight little tug on the top of the laces. Just a little tug, can pull a player from accelerating.
After a while, it gets frustrating. Have it happen 10 times without being called... you start to fall more often.
Sucks that it happens but NHL head of officiating would really have to crack down.

2. High-stick faking. THIS... you know... I'm not sure I mind so much. If a guy gets his stick up on you... that's a high-stick. For anybody that has actually gotten a real life hockey stick in the face... during a game... it can friggin hurt. So if a guy gets his stick up near my effin jaw - he should be in the box. Don't put him in the box and guys start Plekanec-ing. So, I hated that Plek acts, cause that sucks, but every player that gets his stick up above the ribs, even a tap, anywhere on an opposing player - should be gone for high-sticking. Keep your stick under control. It's a friggin spear.


Ultimately, people need to pick their argument.
If you want to stop the "fakers", you have to call everything that IS a penalty.

But these same people that bitch about "fakers" also bitch when there isn't any flow to a game... "let them play" people say.
Yeah... if you let them play, you aren't calling stuff, and if you aren't calling stuff that should be called, guys start faking.

I've never been a faker.
My whole life during games - I haven't ever faked even the slightest of injuries... but then again, I don't play at a competitive level.


I don't know... I think the game is pretty good now.
Officials have found that happy medium - and the league officiating will slowly start identifying the "floppers" and "fakers" and start whistling them for "Plekanecing"... so I don't the game requires any change.

Great article.
Thumbs up.

Plekanecing? Naming it for a guy not even especially known for diving? Especially on a team that has a Oscar nominee like Subban, why not Suban-ing??? Or are you sure it wouldn't be better named Carcillo-ing or Marchand-ing? Or perhaps more like Crosby-ing? Kesler-ing? Oh I know, Ribeiro-ing, that has a great ring dont you think? Every single team has at least one guy who does it so frankly this is a pretty idiotic comment I think.

And having two types of diving, one the good kind and one the bad kind? That makes even less sense. Fail all around on this one. The refs aren't stupid, they know which guys like to put on a show, call the dives for what they are and call the penalties for what they are and the game will be better all around

[Atomic Wedgy]

I like the idea of retroactive penalties for embellishment/diving. If the video reply can tell conclusively that embellished/dove, then start the team off with a penalty the next time they play that team. If they dont meet that team again that season, roll it to the next season. If you dont like that, you could fine the player and/or team retroactively. The fine would increase with every incident.