Coyotes' Torres suspended 25 games for Hossa hit
Raffi Torres of Phoenix was suspended 25 games by the NHL on Saturday for a late hit that resulted in Chicago'sMarian Hossa being taken off the ice on a stretcher. The ban ensures that the Coyotes' forward will miss the rest of the playoffs.
The announcement came hours before the Coyotes had a chance to eliminate the Blackhawks in Game 5 of their first-round series.
Torres left his feet to hit an unsuspecting Hossa during Game 3 on Tuesday night, smashing the Blackhawks forward into the ice. Hossa hasn't appeared again in the series.
Torres was not penalized during the game for the hit. His suspension is the longest since New York Islanders forward Chris Simon was banned 30 games for stomping on the ankle of Jarrko Ruutu in December 2007.
This is the third time Torres has been suspended by the NHL for a questionable hit in the last 13 months. He had a goal and an assist and averaged more than 19 minutes of ice time for Phoenix in the first three games of the series.
''The ruling is very severe for Raffi and our hockey club,'' Coyotes general manager Don Maloney said in a statement. ''Raffi plays a hard, physical game yet this contact crossed the line on what is acceptable in our game today. We hope Marian Hossa makes a full and speedy recovery as we all enjoy watching him perform.''
If the 25 games aren't exhausted during the playoffs - the Coyotes would need to play four straight seven-game series to complete the suspension - the ban carries over into the next regular season. Torres would not be able to play in any preseason games in that case.
As a repeat offender, Torres would forfeit $21,341 in salary for every regular-season game he sits out. Torres served the first game of the suspension Thursday while waiting for Friday's hearing with league disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan.
The announcement came hours before the Coyotes had a chance to eliminate the Blackhawks in Game 5 of their first-round series.
Torres left his feet to hit an unsuspecting Hossa during Game 3 on Tuesday night, smashing the Blackhawks forward into the ice. Hossa hasn't appeared again in the series.
Torres was not penalized during the game for the hit. His suspension is the longest since New York Islanders forward Chris Simon was banned 30 games for stomping on the ankle of Jarrko Ruutu in December 2007.
This is the third time Torres has been suspended by the NHL for a questionable hit in the last 13 months. He had a goal and an assist and averaged more than 19 minutes of ice time for Phoenix in the first three games of the series.
''The ruling is very severe for Raffi and our hockey club,'' Coyotes general manager Don Maloney said in a statement. ''Raffi plays a hard, physical game yet this contact crossed the line on what is acceptable in our game today. We hope Marian Hossa makes a full and speedy recovery as we all enjoy watching him perform.''
If the 25 games aren't exhausted during the playoffs - the Coyotes would need to play four straight seven-game series to complete the suspension - the ban carries over into the next regular season. Torres would not be able to play in any preseason games in that case.
As a repeat offender, Torres would forfeit $21,341 in salary for every regular-season game he sits out. Torres served the first game of the suspension Thursday while waiting for Friday's hearing with league disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan.