How to stop embellishment

[ijuka]

Stopping embellishment is pretty simple.

Call them during the game, or fine for them after the game.

 

[v00d00daddy]

Thankfully someone in the media had the balls to bring it up.

And it’s ex player Luke Gazdic. I hope other former players and coaches keep bringing it up. Make the NHL look bad. That’s the only way to get changes

 

[FerrisRox]

When was the last time an embellishment penalty was called on its own? I've seen them as part of coincidental minors which in my view makes zero sense but obviously the league doesn't care.

Why do you think it makes zero sense? You don't think a player can be fouled and still embellish?

 

[Buck Naked]

This is why I suggested earlier in the thread to have a board of ex NHL players and referees to study cases brought forward by GMs and Coaches, and hand out fines and suspensions.

If this is your solution to a 50/50 situation like in the video, there's truly not a problem from the beginning. Why would a board know better than McDavid himself if he lost balance or not in that situation? What a truly dumb suggestion. Keep your board for the players who intentionally try to end their opponent's careers instead of the ones falling down to make a rule infraction a bit clearer for the refs.

If it's obvious, then absolutely they should call it.

But, the last time I checked, it still hurts to get hit in the face. And sometimes, just getting clipped in the right spot can hurt a lot more than taking a seemingly harder shot somewhere else. So, if there's contact, who exactly gets to decide which responses to high sticks are appropriate and which aren't? Or whether or not something is sufficient for the player to have legitimately tripped, or if they went down too easily? Seems like a very subjective type of thing, which means the league will handle it just like players safety, and none of it will make any sense. Is that really what people want?

Best contribution to this thread, by far.

 

[Duder54]

The rise in embellish is a direct result of years of poor officiating/referres refusing to call penalties.

Want less embellishment? Call penalties by the book.

 

[NorthStar4Canes]

Do away with all penalties. Anything goes. It'll simplify the ref's job and when players go down you know it's for real.

Remove the incentive, problem solved.

 

[Kevin27NYI]

I think it's very hard for the refs to call it, I think post game reviews of diving/embellishment is better. Fines that aren't a drop in the bucket.

 

[bigbadbruins1]

Honestly, They need to take embellishment out of the ref's hands. should be a Toronto only call and they buzz the officials, player that committed the embellishment gets an automatic extra penalty, so any time embellishment is called, even if another penalty is called, the embellishing team is short handed.

 

[Kevin27NYI]

Honestly, They need to take embellishment out of the ref's hands. should be a Toronto only call and they buzz the officials, player that committed the embellishment gets an automatic extra penalty, so any time embellishment is called, even if another penalty is called, the embellishing team is short handed.

The game is so fast, I think it's hard for refs to enforce it. Wish the players, coaches and teams held their own more responsible.

 

[canadianguy77]

Do away with all penalties. Anything goes. It'll simplify the ref's job and when players go down you know it's for real.

Remove the incentive, problem solved.

They basically did that in the 90s and it was a rough watch most nights.

 

[Machinehead]

I like it. If you're not doing it, you're not trying.

The best way to stop it is to get better officiating so players don't have to act like they got shot to get a call.

 

[kingsholygrail]

If there is embellishment, only call the embellishment.

 

[Jetsfan79]

After every game, the NHL should do a review to identify any missed obvious embellishment calls. When identified, the player gets a call and a warning. Same player does it again, it's a 1 game suspension. 3rd time caught its 5 games. 4th time, player gets 5 games and needs to take an off season training/educational course to learn not too embellish. 5th time, player also needs to make a public statement and admit he is engaging in dishonest behavior and has integrity issues. That should shame him to stop once and for all. Do this with any player during their playing career. Union could complain about the shaming but they won't have a leg to stand on if the player gets not just a 2nd or 3rd but a FOURTH chance.

 

[Brookbank]

Do away with all penalties. Anything goes. It'll simplify the ref's job and when players go down you know it's for real.

Remove the incentive, problem solved.

It was never a big issue in the pre lockout clutch and grab days. But seems to get worse each year.

Make penalties 1 minute of pp time

 

[Brookbank]

I like it. If you're not doing it, you're not trying.

The best way to stop it is to get better officiating so players don't have to act like they got shot to get a call.

We are literally at this level right now in playoff hockey. It is pathetic. And unlike other sports, hockey has its reputation as a tough sport riding on it. The refs are very limited by what they can see. Which is why embellishment has to be reviewed on video after

 

[Machinehead]

We are literally at this level right now in playoff hockey. It is pathetic. And unlike other sports, hockey has its reputation as a tough sport riding on it. The refs are very limited by what they can see. Which is why embellishment has to be reviewed on video after

This is why embellishment happens!!!

 

[Bizz]

Enforcers didn't prevent cheap-shots, and they sure as heck didn't deter pests (on the contrary), so what on earth makes you think that they would do anything against embellishment?

Embellishment happens when players don't get the calls they should get. Get the first call right, and embellishment will go down. Anything beyond that is redundant. There is no epidemic in that regard. Once you've made sure that players think they get the call if they deserve it, embellishment won't be much of an issue. You will never get rid of them entirely, just like you won't get rid of all cheap-shots or other infractions.

No, but I find it funnier whenever a diver gets his ass rightfully beaten instead of handing the refs another judgment call they'll undoubtedly f*** up all the time.

 

[The Nuge]

get the refs to call it more or make it a 5 min major so it's less appealing

Making it a 5 minute major with automatic review seems like the easy solution to the problem. Then the refs can call it, and take it back if they realize they missed something, and the 5 minutes means it’s not longer just offsetting penalties as the worst case scenario for the diver

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

2 minute minor for embellishment - basically selling a real penalty to stop the habit

Double-minor for diving so the team actually suffers - these are the phantom/soccer plays and would be reviewable to confirm similar to high sticking

 

[Mattb124]

It is so odd to that some have such distaste for embellishment that they would treat it more harshly than the infraction it is in reaction to. That’s ridiculous.

 

[one2gamble]

Define embellishment.

If I jerk my head back away quickly because a stick is coming up, is that embellishment?

Post game fines are probably the best way but its really on the refs to call the actual penalties.

Stop calling embellishment and the penalty. If you are going to call embellishment, make it a double minor or have it wipe out the original call and the embellishing team goes on the pk

 

[Brookbank]

This is why embellishment happens!!!

Yes. So it has to go by video review.

It is so odd to that some have such distaste for embellishment that they would treat it more harshly than the infraction it is in reaction to. That’s ridiculous.

Penalties do not put the sport in disrepute. So no. Its not ridiculous.

 

[ItWasJustified]

The DOPS reviews every game
1 game suspension for the first dive a player is convicted for.
3 games suspension for the second time.
6 games third time.
10 games 4th time.
If no further diving has occurred within a 5 season span, the suspension amounts resets back to 1 game.

And enough with the embellishment. Every embellishment should be seen as a dive.

Simple as.

 

[Roomtemperature]

Is it really that big a deal?

 

[saintunspecified]

Penalizing it more sounds good in theory but I want to ask everyone who's suggesting it one thing. Do you really trust NHL refs to be good enough at calling embellishment, or would it just make things worse?

I think it would make it worse for a few players who get a reputation. And sometimes players deserve the reputation, and sometimes they don't. For 2-3 years cross checks, hooks, and holds weren't being called against Barzal, but then that changed somehow this year? He had a reputation, questionable whether he deserved it.