NHL makes punishment decision on Stanley Cup champion for behavior throughout the season

The NHL is not playing around when it comes to stern decisions this season. Just 19 games into the campaign, Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins has been on the eye of the storm. Now, the league is assessing a monetary fine on the Stanley Cup champion for his behavior on the ice.

Cousins has long been a player few fanbases are fond of. Constantly pushing the edge of the NHL rulebook, the 32-year-old veteran has made more enemies than friends around the league. However, the league’s latest fine wasn’t for a dangerous play, it was for conduct that fell short of the sport’s expected sense of sportsmanship.

“Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins has been fined $2,000 as supplementary discipline under NHL Rule 64 (Diving/Embellishment),” the NHL announced through an official statement.

NHL looks to take diving off the game

There may be nothing hockey fans across the globe dislike more than players diving. For a sport that prides itself on being the toughest to play and boasting the grittiest athletes, watching others try to take advantage by embellishing and drawing calls boils the blood of fans everywhere.

Nick Cousins during a game with the Ottawa Senators

In that regard, the NHL agrees there is no place for diving in the game. If players want to do that, there’s another Olympic sport they can sign up for. As a result, the league has implemented a fine system in which players cited for diving or embellishment are punished on a graduated scale.

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How the fine system works

“NHL Rule 64 is designed to bring attention to and more seriously penalize players (and teams) who repeatedly dive and embellish in an attempt to draw penalties,” the NHL’s rulebook states.

For the first citation, players essentially get a mulligan—a free pass, if you will—getting off the hook with only a warning. However, after the second one, the player will see money deducted from his bank account—most precisely, $2,000. After each additional citation, an extra $1,000 is added to the total, up to the maximum fine of $5,000.

Head coaches are not off the hook

Moreover, head coaches are impacted by their players’ actions as well. Each citation issued to a player on their team counts toward the head coach’s total. “Four fines (five citations) issued to one player or a club collectively results in the head coach receiving his first fine,” the rule indicates.

Nick Cousins hoists the Stanley Cup

With Cousins already on his second citation less than a quarter through the 2025-26 NHL season, Senators head coach Travis Green may want to have a chat with the veteran. If not, Green may find himself footing the bill for the sins of the veteran, as well.