Tomas Plekanec’s embellishment finally gets called out, sparks #Plekanecing hashtag

The Montreal Canadiens have earned their reputation as the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs’ most nefarious divers and embellishers. In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final, they were finally called on it.

Tomas Plekanec was whistled for "diving" at 13:05 of the second period after snapping his head back on a high stick that didn’t touch him, nearly a second after Marty St. Louis lowered his stick to the ice again.

The Rangers scored on the ensuing power play, completing a stunning three-goal rally that spanned 4:24 of the second period.

It wasn’t just a good call, it was a call the officials owed Plekanec after he embarrassed them on this play in Game 4, drawing a penalty from Brian Boyle of the Rangers.

A stick hit his chest; Plekanec threw his head back like he had just been shot in the face.

Said former referee Kerry Fraser on TSN:

Even though Boyle's stick did not quite fit the criteria of a "high stick (above the height of the opponents shoulders) it was used in a careless manner and could certainly result in a slashing penalty. Plekanec's embellishment was also worthy of a penalty that should have resulted in an on-ice numerical strength of four aside. Given Plekanec's blatant overreaction it could even been deemed a 'stand alone' embellishment penalty if the ref wanted to send a clear message but I doubt he would receive much support.

In Game 5, Plekanec got his standalone penalty, and the Rangers got a power-play goal.

Selling a penalty is one thing. It's a tactic. It's something every offensive player does, at every level of hockey. It's not exactly honorable, but it's commonplace.

Inventing a penalty is another story. Plekanec was doing the latter in the last two games, and was finally whistled for his embarrassment, er, embellishment.

The Internet correctly shamed Plekanec for his behavior with a Twitter hashtag on Tuesday night: #Plekanecing!

s/t My Regular Face