The embarrassing tactic of “diving” to draw a penalty in any sport should be met with stiff penalties to discourage cheaters.
Diving is corrupt, a slap to the integrity of a game. Yet on and on it goes, throughout the NHL.
And the league, while claiming it will now crack down on players who fake falls, may actually be going in the opposite direction. In its new rule package, the league is slightly increasing fines for players and adding fines for coaches of repeat offenders.
On the other hand, the provision to suspend a three-time “diver” is no longer there.
Not that anybody can remember or identify any player ever suspended for diving.
But as a punishment tool, nothing gets everyone’s attention like having a healthy player sitting in the press box in a jacket and tie for a game.
Instead, an offending player will get his two-minute penalty and supposedly a warning for a first offence, then graduated fines for each subsequent infraction up to US$5,000 (Dh18,365).
On the fourth offence, coaches start getting fined as well, up to a fee of $5,000.
But how serious is the NHL about any of this? When Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins became the first to draw an embellishment penalty this season, coach Claude Julien reported that the league never warned Marchand, nor the coach, apparently deciding to let it go.
Way to crack down, NHL.
sports@thenational.ae
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hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
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