Canucks rookie Braeden Cootes hadn't even played his first NHL shift when he already faced a fine for skating in the pregame warmup without a helmet. The Vancouver Canucks started their 2025-26 NHL campaign just perfectly on Thursday evening, <a href='https://www.nhl.com/news/calgary-flames-vancouver-canucks-game-recap-october-9-2025' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>coasting easily to a 5-1 victory over the Calgary Flames</a> in their home opener. The win was characterized by some good performances from new faces as well as great play from some of their regulars, and got the team off on the right note to start the season. During the pre-game, fans got to enjoy an old NHL tradition: the rookie lap. It's a light-hearted moment where first-year players take a lap around the ice alone to absorb it all. The league does have a policy, though, in which any player completing the lap helmet-less will be subject to a fine, something they've been strictly enforcing even on young phenoms like Connor Bedard. Rookie or veteran, rules are rules, and everyone must follow them. This time, it was Canucks rookie Braeden Cootes, the 15th overall selection of the Canucks in the 2025 NHL Draft, who took part in the rookie lap. Cootes took his lap without a helmet, as Canucks fans looked on and cheered, but according to the rules, a fine from the league's office will most definitely be handed down. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/sportsnet/status/1976464409355751460'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> The NHL has implemented a fine for any player that does it without a helmet <h3>Veteran Players Usually Assume Payment of the Fines Handed Down to Rookies in These Instances</h3> As has been the tradition, some of the veteran players from Vancouver will have to pay the penalty, which is a lovely gesture in order to allow rookies their special moment in the spotlight. Even though Commissioner Gary Bettman has not hidden his desire to have no part of a re-adoption of the no-helmet rule during warm-up, it is obvious that the spirit of the rookie lap is not disappearing. Fans will still get to enjoy this moment for years to come, even if it puts a dent in someone's wallet.