A harsh stance on divers and embellishers. That’s what the NHL was bringing to the table this season.
They announced a cat’s nine lives worth of fines for players who chose to be the outlaws – the amounts barely even denting the outside of the players’ wallets let alone what’s in them.
The league also makes calls to the players with warnings, though they don’t release who they’re tattling on.
The result? 56 embellishment calls on 54 different players (including two San Jose Sharks) and a fine for three players heading into the All-Star break.
The three players’ that were fined were:
James Neal (NSH): $2,000 Gustav Nyquist (DET): $2,000 Vincent Trochek (FLA): $2,000
There are 52 embellishers that weren’t fined – including two repeat offenders – but what’s most interesting about those who were fined is that Trochek has yet to receive a minor penalty for embellishment. The league’s supplementary discipline for Rule 64 has the $2,000 fine as the “second incident… with the first getting a warning. I guess the minors that Brad Marchand and Evgeni Malkin – who have two minors for embellishment each – don’t count as incidents, since they were never fined.
So, who dives the most? Let’s start with the Conference’s.
The Western Conference and the Eastern Conference have each accumulated 28 embellishment calls from the start of the season to the All-Star break. Since the Conferences aren’t even it means the embellishment share isn’t either. The West dives at a rate of 2.00 calls per team, the East at 1.75.
Divisional Breakdowns
The Atlantic Division, led by Montreal and Ottawa, have 17 embellishment calls to tarnish their reputation to lead the East (Metro has 11). The Pacific Division, led by Anaheim and Calgary, is the most dramatic on the Western side, receiving 16 of the Wests 28 calls (Central – 12). Again, we have to turn to the uneven amount of teams to determine which division features more actors per team. That title goes to the Pacific with 2.29 embellishments per team.
Embellishment Leaderboard
1. Pittsburgh Penguins (5) T-2. Ottawa Senators (4) T-2. Montreal Canadiens (4) T-3. Anaheim Ducks (3) T-3. Calgary Flames (3) T-3. Boston Bruins (3) T-3. Minnesota Wild (3) T-3. St Louis Blues (3)
Players Called For Embellishment By Team (Alphabetical Order By Team) per NHL.com Boxscores
Anaheim Ducks: Sami Vatanen, Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf Arizona Coyotes: Kyle Chipchura, Martin Erat Boston Bruins: Brad Marchand (2), Rielly Smith Buffalo Sabres: Zemgus Girgensons Calgary Flames: Mark Giordano, Markus Granlund, Paul Byron Carolina Hurricanes: Victor Rask Chicago Blackhawks: Andrew Shaw, Bryan Bickell Colorado Avalanche: ZERO Columbus Blue Jackets: Scott Hartnell Dallas Stars: Ryan Garbutt Detroit Red Wings: Justin Abdelkader, Gustav Nyquist Edmonton Oilers: David Perron, Jeff Petry Florida Panthers: Jussi Jokinen, Jonathan Huberdeau Los Angeles Kings: Jarret Stoll, Jordan Nolan Minnesota Wild: Nicklas Backstrom, Stephane Veilleux, Keith Ballard Montreal Canadiens: PK Subban, Max Pacioretty, Mike Weaver, Brandon Prust Nashville Predators: Filip Forsberg, James Neal New Jersey Devils: Michael Ryder New York Islanders: Matt Martin New York Rangers: ZERO Ottawa Senators: Bobby Ryan, Curtis Lazar, Clarke MacArthur, Kyle Turris Philadelphia Flyers: Brayden Schenn, Zac Rinaldo Pittsburgh Penguins: Evgeni Malkin (2), Steve Downie, Chris Kunitz, Blake Comeau San Jose Sharks: Matt Irwin, Logan Couture St Louis Blues: Vladimir Tarasenko, Steve Ott, TJ Oshie Tampa Bay Lightning: Tyler Johnson Toronto Maple Leafs: ZERO Vancouver Canucks: Derek Dorsett, Zack Kassian Washington Capitals: ZERO Winnipeg Jets: Jim Slater
Fun Facts:
- Evgeni Malkin and Brad Marchand are the only two repeat offenders. Neither have been fined.
- Nicklas Backstrom is the only goaltender to get a flop call.
- Four teams (Col, NYR, Tor, Wsh) have no embellishment calls against them.
- The West is the most dramatic Conference, the Pacific the most dramatic Division.
- David Perron was a member of the Oilers when he was convicted of his crime, so Edmonton gets the credit.
Is the league really deterring embellishment with this nonsense? Here’s a chart of the calls per game for each month.
The calls are declining, but are the embellishers simply stopping their antics or are they just honing their acting skills to avoid the calls?
This list is only the players that have received calls for embellishment. I’m sure we can all think of a few Oscar-worthy nominees that didn’t make the list. Let it be known in the comment section.
Shame on the Sharks for contributing to this list.
Thanks for reading.