Embellishment Culture in NCAA Hockey.

[Frozen4sioux]

The time has come,  its actually well past the time that the NCAA must address this devastating disease affecting the college hockey game.

The systematic use of the embellishment to pervert the officialls responsibility to the rules and the heightened awareness of "player safety", is akin and more devestating to this game than the Astros sign stealing is to baseball.

As we have seen, the use of this method of cheating the game has given teams distinct advantages and have developed a culture of acceptability. This culture has been engrained for years in the U of minnesota programs, UMD and SCSU in particular. 

How does the removal of these tactics actually come about?

It has to come from all aspects of the game.

On ice officials:

We need to realize that "In game" it is quite difficult to crackdown on acts of theatrical manipulation.  However it does need to be a "point of emphasis" ...again. If players know that its being watched for it may help.

For penalization, the 2/10 should be used, for instances such as the general  trip exageration or the drop and flop after a post whistle scrum, another example is the goalie initiating contact in crease and then flopping. For the more severe faking of head contact the 5/Game should be something that is available to the officials, and make it reviewable.  

The NCAA & The conferences:

No conference should want to be known as welcoming to these tactics, and the supplemental disipline should and MUST respect how devastating this culture is to hockey. The use of 1 and 2 game suspensions, and graduated from there, is something that every player and coach should fear..... to the point of eliminating it from their programs culture. Case in point the Pheoling Phlop from the past weekend.... 4 game suspension. That would drive the point home. The hit, jerk the head, and grabbing of facemask and helmet in and itself is obvious, but the all too common "Gophering" ( bobbing ones head up to look check that an officials sees the distress, and then back down) this is an obvious tell tale indicator. If a player is truly hurt, they arent thinking about manipulation of the call, they are hurt. 

When these acts are so engrained in the program culture that the training and support staff are in on the manipulation, coaches also need to be held accountable in suspensions and possible fines. Helping players off the ice and down the tunnel until an effective call is made and them allowing the "hurt" player to reappear for powerplay, and often times the next faceoff after review.... its as if there is no respect whatsoever for the officials or the game. 

This is the same as clubhouse personnel banging drums and watching cameras for signs.

The NCAA needs to take these points of emphasis and disiplinary measures and make them uniform accross all conferences.

Bottom line, we all have to be vocal to the leagues and with the ADs of our schools tobpressure the leagues to get this aspect of hockey OUT of the game. 

 

[cberkas]

As much as I don't want to see UND do it, diving is part of the game. The only negative is the player gets a matching penalty the positive is a power play. Will UND dive to get calls, no, but the others are already doing it. I don't expect there to be a crack down on diving, but the only conference that would crack down on diving would be the NCHC. The refs should review each game with the supervisor that's in the building so they get better at noticing the diving. With reviewing games the conference could see who the habitual divers are and start implementing suspensions or just not call penalties in favor of a player that is a know diver.

What should be mandatory is, when a player grabs their head, lays on the ice for and extended amount of time, or grabs at their knee. they are done for the game. If a player gets tossed for a 5 then a play that acts injured or they were shot should be done two. It happens way to many time that a play acts hurt then right after a review they are back on the ice like nothing happened at all. 

[nodak651]

Agreed.  The most annoying thing for me is that puck carriers have zero responsibility to protect themselves.  From someone who grew up playing, the new rules make hockey difficult to watch.. open ice hits are pretty much illegal now.  BORING!  Maybe I'm biased because I'm Grimaldi's size, and would have benefited from the current rules when I played, but players these days just seem so soft.  When I played, you were 100% going to get head hunted if you had your head down, and I've been steamrolled more than I'd like to admit, but I never stayed down on the ice like todays players do.  If you're not hurt, get the frick up.  It's just embarrassing.

[MafiaMan]

An anonymous source just emailed me some of the "training video" used at both SCSU and UMD...I'll leave this here.

[KoolGuy2K]

The best way to get this point across to the NCAA and the conferences is to have a concussion protocol for “player safety”. Have the “injured” player sit a minimum of 10 minutes of game time. This will definitely cut down on the diving. 

[geaux_sioux]

12 minutes ago, KoolGuy2K said:

The best way to get this point across to the NCAA and the conferences is to have a concussion protocol for “player safety”. Have the “injured” player sit a minimum of 10 minutes of game time. This will definitely cut down on the diving. 

This x1000

[brianvf]

35 minutes ago, KoolGuy2K said:

The best way to get this point across to the NCAA and the conferences is to have a concussion protocol for “player safety”. Have the “injured” player sit a minimum of 10 minutes of game time. This will definitely cut down on the diving. 

Heck, have them sit the rest of the game for proper evaluation. If you want to dive and hold your head, then be prepared to be out the rest of the game. 

[Sodbuster]

Remember in the 2016 NCAA championship game when the Quinnipiac goalie ripped his own mask off as he lay on his back in a scrum in the goal crease......then pleaded for a call? He did NOT receive an embellishment penalty but certainly should have.  

[KoolGuy2K]

51 minutes ago, brianvf said:

Heck, have them sit the rest of the game for proper evaluation. If you want to dive and hold your head, then be prepared to be out the rest of the game. 

That works too! Lol. Whatever they want to do. As long as they disguise it as player safety reasons, it will probably pass. Is this a year for rules changes?

[petey23]

2 hours ago, KoolGuy2K said:

The best way to get this point across to the NCAA and the conferences is to have a concussion protocol for “player safety”. Have the “injured” player sit a minimum of 10 minutes of game time. This will definitely cut down on the diving. 

They should have to go in a quiet dark room and go through concussion protocol. 

[Frozen4sioux]

2 minutes ago, petey23 said:

They should have to go in a quiet dark room and go through concussion protocol. 

At the absolute minimum.