The NHL fined Dallas Stars right winger Mikko Rantanen $2,000 for two citations of embellishment.
The league's hockey operations flagged Rantanen on two occasions this season, which automatically triggered the fine.
The first incident, which triggered a warning, came from Dallas' Oct. 16 game against the Vancouver Canucks. The second incident happened just over a minute into the third period of the Stars' game against the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 11.
Rantanen skated by the Senators' crease and got tangled up with netminder Linus Ullmark. Ullmark raised his right arm, and Rantanen appeared to grab it. Both players fell to the ice.
NHL Hockey Operations tracks all games, logs all penalties for diving or embellishment and flags plays not called on the ice that it determines deserved such a penalty. In both incidents, Rantanen was not assessed a penalty.
Ottawa Senators' Nick Cousins Fined For EmbellishmentThe NHL's hockey operations department flagged Nick Cousins for two incidents that violated the league's embellishment and diving rule this season.Rule 64 of the NHL rulebook is designed to punish players and teams that embellish to draw a penalty, increasing the severity of the punishment the more it happens. Here's what happens when a player is cited for embellishment or diving under Rule 64:
- First citation: warning
- Second citation: $2,000 fine
- Third citation: $3,000 fine
- Fourth citation: $4,000 fine
- Fifth citation onward: $5,000 fine each
If a team combines for four fines, whether it's a player or collective team receiving the fine, the coach starts to get fined:
- Four fines total: coach is fined $2,000
- Five fines total: coach is fined $3,000
- Six fines total: coach is fined $4,000
- Seven-plus fines total: coach is fined $5,000 each
The fined money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
Rantanen, 29, has 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points in 21 games this season. The Nousiainen, Finland, native also received a game misconduct penalty for boarding New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov on Nov. 18 but didn't receive supplementary discipline.
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