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Raffi Torres suspended 25 games for putting Marian Hossa on stretcher; agree or disagree?
Raffi Torres suspended 25 games Video - NHL VideoCenter
Major points in the video:
• Hossa had clearly released the puck before Torres hit him. In fact, he swings at the puck before he hits him.
• The NHL determined that Torres launched himself into the hit, and by leaping "made Hossa's head the principle point of contact." This is consistent with other Shanahan rulings and has been a particular crusade for the Dept. of Player safety.
• Torres was a repeat-repeat-repeat-repeat offender. Not always launching himself, but targeting the head at least five times. In each case, Torres was told what was wrong with the hits, and what the NHL wanted him to avoid. Yet on the Hossa check, it was the same thing: reckless targeting of the head, this time with horrific results. He just. Doesn't. Get. It.
• Hossa was a critical player for Chicago. The concussion he suffered, according to one source, is a "major" head injury that could have sidelined him for the duration of the postseason. (The Blackhawks have been non-committal on Hossa's status, as these things can change rapidly.)
• But perhaps the most interesting aspect of the suspension was the idea that was for multiple violations of NHL rules: interference, charging and an illegal check to the head.
Go back and watch the hours of suspension videos produced by the NHL this season. Almost none of them explicitly point out the multiple infractions on a given hit. Granted, when giving out a 25-game suspension, your explanation should be air-tight, hence the detail. But if the NHL goes forward with a "multiple infraction" outlook on supplemental discipline, it could make larger suspensions more palatable.
That said: This large suspension is for Raffi Torres alone.
Rest of story here.
Raffi Torres suspended 25 games Video - NHL VideoCenter
Major points in the video:
• Hossa had clearly released the puck before Torres hit him. In fact, he swings at the puck before he hits him.
• The NHL determined that Torres launched himself into the hit, and by leaping "made Hossa's head the principle point of contact." This is consistent with other Shanahan rulings and has been a particular crusade for the Dept. of Player safety.
• Torres was a repeat-repeat-repeat-repeat offender. Not always launching himself, but targeting the head at least five times. In each case, Torres was told what was wrong with the hits, and what the NHL wanted him to avoid. Yet on the Hossa check, it was the same thing: reckless targeting of the head, this time with horrific results. He just. Doesn't. Get. It.
• Hossa was a critical player for Chicago. The concussion he suffered, according to one source, is a "major" head injury that could have sidelined him for the duration of the postseason. (The Blackhawks have been non-committal on Hossa's status, as these things can change rapidly.)
• But perhaps the most interesting aspect of the suspension was the idea that was for multiple violations of NHL rules: interference, charging and an illegal check to the head.
Go back and watch the hours of suspension videos produced by the NHL this season. Almost none of them explicitly point out the multiple infractions on a given hit. Granted, when giving out a 25-game suspension, your explanation should be air-tight, hence the detail. But if the NHL goes forward with a "multiple infraction" outlook on supplemental discipline, it could make larger suspensions more palatable.
That said: This large suspension is for Raffi Torres alone.
Rest of story here.
