Senators’ Nick Cousins fined by NHL for embellishment

Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins has been fined $2,000 for diving and embellishment, the NHL announced Tuesday.

The league issued the penalty under Rule 64, which is aimed at curbing players who repeatedly attempt to exaggerate contact to draw penalties. The NHL’s hockey operations department reviews all potential embellishment incidents — including those that don’t result in an on-ice call — before deciding whether a citation is warranted.

Cousins had previously been warned for an incident that took place during an Oct. 25 game in Washington. The fine was triggered by a second citation stemming from a play at 8:22 of the first period on Nov. 9 versus Utah, when Utah forward JJ Peterka was called for interference.

There is a tiered system of fines for repeat offenders under Rule 64, with amounts increasing for each additional citation up to $5,000. Coaches can eventually face fines up to $5,000 as well, if their team accumulates multiple embellishment violations.

Funds collected from these fines are donated to the NHL Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.