NHL issues formal warning ahead of Oilers and Canucks playoffs series

Per his usual, Rick Tocchet was made available to the many journalists who covered the Canucks' activities. The Canucks' pilot made an exciting revelation regarding a meeting that was held with the NHL ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs' second round.

Tocchet pointed out that the NHL had issued a formal warning to the team and head coaches on the art of embellishment. A growing trend now sees certain players (cough, Connor McDavid?) embellish certain plays or reactions to have the opponent punished and have a power play.


Without naming names, the NHL pointed out that the referees would be overly cautious not to fall for these egregious acts.


The Canucks' pilot was allowed to address, for one, the meeting but also how he felt about the penalties that resulted from said plays.

As a reminder, Tocchet had stated earlier this season that he would be in favour of allowing the referees to review or have the ability to challenge sequences during which a player embellished a penalty.



The Canucks and Oilers series is going to be one for the ages. With two of the NHL's most invested fanbases, this series will be heated and intense from the very start. Wildly viewed as the underdogs in this second round, mainly due to Thatcher Demko's absence for the start, Tocchet and his Canucks will have to work twice as hard to overcome the challenge they're facing.