Has diving become a normalized part of the game?

TheGoldenJet

Registered User
Apr 2, 2008
9,676
4,845
Coquitlam, BC
I have been following the game for more than two decades, and I have to say, I have noticed that diving seems to have become a normalized, accepted part of the game more than ever. Guys are flopping left and right to draw calls on a nightly basis, but the most disheartening part is that no one seems to call it out. Officials rarely call embellishments, and when obvious dives happen, hockey commentators almost never call it out on the broadcast. I can't tell how many times I've rolled my eyes at guys clearly letting themselves fall to the ice and the refs call a penalty and not a peep from the hockey media people who just go along with it like it's normal.

Am I the only one who's disgusted by this cultural shift in the NHL? There was for sure not as much diving in the NHL even just 10-15 years ago, what happened?
It seems that as scoring rose at the end of the last decade, so too did the incidence of diving.

Diving should be called to the maximum extent allowed by the rule book, it is threatening the quality and the integrity of the game. Instead, it seems that the refs aren’t trusted enough by the league to make these types of judgement calls.
 

Mr Positive

Cap Crunch Incoming
Nov 20, 2013
38,579
19,530
I'd say embellishment is normalized moreso than diving. I view diving as making something up completely.
I see embellishment as putting on a bit of a show about the contact on you, kind of just making sure the ref doesn't miss it.
 

ClydeLee

Registered User
Mar 23, 2012
12,529
5,984
Seriously?
Well I think not buying tickets, protesting or not watching the sport would be a good start.

Not telling anyone they should do that.
My point, how is the league going to know that means you don't like diving? How do you distinguish that the ire is specifically diving by doing that?

How does a general protest of not buying tickets/watching demonstrate THIS is the issue I am mad about? That's what you're not thinking. Not buying tickets/watching could be a complaint about numerous things about the game. That's not a specific point.
 

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