The offence that Skinner was fined for was for a play against the New York Rangers on November 23rd. Jeff Skinner was battling for a puck along the wall and fell down, resulting in a tripping penalty against New York.
This is a fair call to be assessed as embellishment. Jeff Skinner doesn't take a stick anywhere near his skates, and the instant reaction of the Rangers defenceman also gives away the embellishment.
According to NHL rules, a player can be fined for embellishment after their second offence. The league issues a warning to a player before dishing out the fine.
Scouting the Refs have explained a lengthy league review process that goes into assessing these penalties for embellishment. It means the NHL has been watching Jeff Skinner for an infraction just like this.
In my opinion, this in-depth review and discipline process from the NHL is a great way to reduce the instances of embellishment in the league. Embellishing a penalty is a dishonest way to play the game, and players may even be embarrassed that their name is out there for diving.
The Edmonton Oilers have also recently been on the other side of an embellishment fine. Florida Panthers forward Nick Cousins was fined for embellishing a play against Evan Bouchard last season.
Hopefully Jeff Skinner takes a lesson from this fine that he needs to play the game harder, and with more integrity.
POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 2 | 49 ANSWERS Oilers Forward Jeff Skinner Fined By The NHL For Two Offences Do you think Jeff Skinner should have been fined for this as embellishment? | ||
Yes, it was a dive | 20 | 40.8 % |
No | 24 | 49 % |
See Results | 5 | 10.2 % |
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