Michkov Fined for Embellishment, NHL Cracks Down

0:00On April 7th, Philadelphia Flyers-Winger Maatve Mikeoff just got hit with a $2,000 fine for his second embellishment call this season. It went down in the second period against the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 24th when Mitchkov braced for a cross-check from Dante Fabro after a check of his own, dropped to his knees, and both players ended up with penalties. The NHL's hockey ops team reviews every game, logging dives and embellishments even if refs missed him on ice. Mitchkov got his first warning back on December 3rd versus the Buffalo Sabres, so this latest flag triggered the cash penalty under Rule 64. Fans and analysts are buzzing about it, seeing it as part of the league's push to clean up the drama on the ice. The 21-year-old Mitchkov still shining, though, with 17 goals and 26 assists for 43 points in 76 games. Year, building on his rookie season of 26 goals and 63 points total. If he gets dinged again, fines jump to $3,000, then $4,000 and $5,000 each time after that.

1:06Teams face Heat 2, with the coach fined 2000 after 4 player citations, scaling up from there, and all the money flows to the players. Emergency assistance fund. Mitchkov's got plenty of season left to keep his head down and rack up those points without drawing more eyes from the league. Stay locked in with NHL News Today, AI-powered updates.