Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen was the first player to hit 30 points this season. He’s also the first to be fined for diving.
Rantanen has been hit with a $2,000 fine for embellishing a hook on November 14 against Boston’s Patrice Bergeron. Matching penalties were called on the play by referee Chris Schlenker, with Bergeron going off for hooking and Rantanen sitting for the embellishment.
Rantanen’s fine comes after he was previously issued a warning for diving/embellishment, which came during the Avs’ game against the New York Rangers on October 16. Rantanen was not called for diving in that game and did not draw a penalty with the dive.
His next diving charge will result in an increased fine of $3,000.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that league general managers are still concerned with diving. From 31 Thoughts:
Another note from the GM meetings: there are many people who still think diving/embellishment is a big problem.
As a reminder, here’s the scale of fines issues to those found guilty of diving/embellishment.
The league reviews all possible embellishment situations and may consider additional dives that were not penalized during the game. They may also rescind dives called in a game that were later reviewed and determined not to be embellishments.
Here’s Rule 64, which covers diving:
64.1 Diving / Embellishment – Any player who blatantly dives, embellishes a fall or a reaction, or who feigns an injury shall be penalized with a minor penalty under this rule.
A goalkeeper who deliberately initiates contact with an attacking player other than to establish position in the crease, or who otherwise acts to create the appearance of other than incidental contact with an attacking player, is subject to the assessment of a minor penalty for diving / embellishment.
The Diving/Embellishment Review Process
The NHL’s Hockey Operations department tracks every diving or embellishment penalty called on the ice. They also review each game to identify possible dives that were missed by the on-ice officials. (In some cases, they even rescind those diving penalties that may have been called during a game. Boston’s Brad Marchand was the beneficiary of such a modification.)
Once the Hockey Ops team agrees that a dive has taken place, they issue a citation. Sportsnet’s Damien Cox reported that there are nine individuals who participate in the review of each incident. If six decide that a dive has taken place, the player is cited.
