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Julien thinks diving crackdown is ‘step in the right direction’

2013 NHL Stanley Cup Final - Game Four

BOSTON, MA - JUNE 19: Head coach Claude Julien of the Boston Bruins speaks to the media after being defeated by the Chicago Blackhawks in Game Four of the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on June 19, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Chicago Blackhawks won 6-5. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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I hesitate to even share this, given what the comments section could turn into. But per CSN New England, here’s Bruins coach Claude Julien with some remarks about the NHL’s crackdown on embellishment:

“I think it’s a step in the right direction,” he said. “There are a couple of things from that. As you know, it’s not easy for referees to call diving, and there were examples that looked like they were diving, but they were seriously hurt. That makes it a tough call for the referees. The best result from that is that in the [NHL] War Room they’ll be able to review all of those things. You saw in the playoffs last year with the Plekanec situation where he didn’t get hit, and then grabbed his face. They missed it the first time, but they got him the second time.

“It’s a situation where they can review the play properly. Not only are there fines and warnings, but also the players themselves have agreed to let the media and the public know who those guys are. So basically it tells me that 90 percent of players, at least, don’t want that in the game, so they’re trying to police it themselves.

“It’s not always easy for coaches. You can tell a guy ‘don’t dive’, but even on our team we’ve seen a few of them. I don’t stand for that, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. You have to understand that we’re trying to get it out of the game, and you’ve got to do it the right way.”

OK, go yell at each other below. We’ll just put this here...

...since we all know someone would post it anyway.

Related: To ‘attack’ embellishment, NHL wants to ‘bring alive’ old rule