Suspension coming for Torres?

[hf101]

Since the Hossa hit last spring Torres has managed to stay out of Shanny's videos but probably not this time.

Torres received a 2 min penalty for charging. Stoll left the game and did not return.

How many games should / will Torres be suspended?

[ruxpin]

It seems like a hit to the head, doesn't it? He didn't leave his feet but that's the only thing "good" about it, right?

I mean, it seems to meet all the other criteria. I'm having a very hard time from this video telling where the puck is, but I'm thinking it wasn't there. I don't know whether Stoll was hurt but there wasn't the ugly-looking injury involved in other suspensions. It's hard for me to even venture a guess at this point but I'm going to guess NO suspension even though I think he should sit a game or two.

[radoran]

Watching it in real time I don't even really see a "charging" call here. Happy to learn.

The puck is at the player's feet, Torres doesn't take strides into the hit (he does take two quick steps to move in Stoll's direction) or leave his feet. Shoulder does make contact with head and it seems to be the primary course of contact.

I could see "roughing" on that call. And it would not surprise me to see repeat offender Torres get a game or two.

Which, of course, means Shanahan will ban him from competitive sport.

[mojo1917]

I'm having a very hard time from this video telling where the puck is, but I'm thinking it wasn't there. I don't know whether Stoll was hurt but there wasn't the ugly-looking injury involved in other suspensions

me too. though it looks like Stoll had just put it down from his glove to play it and that's when Torres hit him.

but since Raffy Torres isn't a Penguin i'm going to say suspension

i don't think i could pass that shot up if i were Torres either, it really looked like a hockey play to me.

He's got a bad history for this type of play and worse... he's close to hitting Stoll in the shoulder but the primary point of contact was Stoll's bean, the letter of the rule says it has to be looked at right ?

who knows; the league is pretty inconsistent with this and I think this hit isn't heinous.

I would not be surprised either way, it wasn't particularly vicious but does violate the rule of no head shots.

I think past history hurts him and he gets a game or two.

[AlaskaFlyerFan]

I don't like it. I don't think it should have been a penalty nor do I think it should be a suspension. Torres cleaned up his act this year, only receiving 17 PIMs in 39 games.

Looking at the slow motion replay, it looks like Stoll is doubled over when he sees Torres coming. He starts to straighten up and gets hit in the head. If he would not have (key phrase here) *dramatically changed the position of his head*, the hit would have been Torres' chest on Stoll's shoulder.

Since they offered him an in person hearing, Torres will get more than 5 games.

[hf101]

Since they offered him an in person hearing, Torres will get more than 5 games.

I agree, however Shanahan isn't obligated to give more than 5 games because there is an in person hearing. He still could choose to give less.

[hf101]

A bit of smack talk ........

Los Angeles Kings head coach Darryl Sutter called Raffi Torres‘ hit on Jarret Stoll “careless.” San Jose Sharks captain Joe Thornton seems to think that Stoll was the one being careless.

Thornton, 33, told CSNBayArea.com that he’s surprised the NHL wants to discuss the check with Torres.

“We were kind of shocked today to hear he has to fly to New York for the hearing,” Thornton said. “We didn’t see anything wrong on the play.”

The Sharks captain argues that the league is putting hitters in a tough spot.

“It almost seems like the player getting hit has no responsibility at all right now,” Thornton said. “In that case, I think Jarret probably wasn’t expecting to get hit, and it just looked like a clean hit. It seems right now that the responsibility is on the hitter, and not the receiver right now.”

Apparently he’s not very happy with that standard, then.

“No,” Thornton said. “The way I was brought up was to keep your head up. Just keep your head up. When I was six years old, I was taught that.”

He wasn’t the only Sharks player to support Torres. Logan Couture called it a clean, “shoulder-to-shoulder” hit. Joe Pavelski described it as a “hard call in our book” and head coach Todd McLellan didn’t even think Torres deserved to be whistled for a penalty on the play.

Either way, Torres’ availability seems unlikely (at best) for Thursday’s Game 2, so the Sharks need to move on.

http://prohockeytalk...ead-up/related/

[radoran]

Really can't disagree with Thornton there.

[AlaskaFlyerFan]

Torres suspended for the remainder of the Series

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=423358

SHARKS F TORRES SUSPENDED FOR REST OF SERIES FOR STOLL HIT

San Jose Sharks forward Raffi Torres has been suspended for the remainder of the second round for his illegal check to the head on Jarret Stoll of the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 on Tuesday.

Torres attended an in-person hearing at the NHL offices on Thursday.

Stoll did not return to the game for the third period after being hit in the head by Torres late in the second period and Kings head coach Darryl Sutter said they "weren't resting" him.

Torres was assessed a minor penalty for charging on the play.

Sutter hinted that Stoll may not return to the lineup anytime soon, saying "you play seven games in 12 days, so that's tough."

"Clean hit. Not even a charging penalty, in my opinion," said Sharks head coach Todd McLellan after the game.

Torres has been suspended three times over his career, including 21 games during last season's playoffs for an illegal hit on Marian Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks. He was also suspended two games for charging last season and four games for an elbow to the head in 2010-11.

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=60&id=249243&cmpid=nhl-twt

Edited May 16, 2013 by AlaskaFlyerFan

[mojo1917]

That's crap...

Torres had a chance to make a hockey play , dislodge the puck from a player and re-start the cycle. I think Stoll was defenseless on the play, but that was the play he made , his choice, getting hit was the consequence of that choice. I don't think there was intent to injure, it looked like intent to regain the puck... The punishment is too severe for the play IMO

Edited May 16, 2013 by mojo1917

[yave1964]

And there you go with Torres. He brings so much to a team, especially in the post season but then.....this. He could play on my team any time but he needs to learn to tone it down a bit and learn to fly under the radar.

[ruxpin]

Okay. Kind of said this in the shoutbox.

The views I had of it made it hard for me to really have any kind of hard set opinion on this. From what I could see, though, was that it was clearly a hit to the head, and Torres has his history.

If it were any other name, I could see possibly no suspension at all. Given the name, I figured maybe 2 games.

I just don't understand Shanny's version of discipline. It doesn't seem to have any rhyme nor reason (taken as a body of work, not just this hit). I think he's extremely confusing/confused and is a detriment to what the league is trying to do. It doesn't help the league at all--players, coaches, commentators, media, fans--if no one can figure out what the rules are and aren't. I think they'd be better served by NOT doing the video explanations. Go back to "The league has ruled player X will get X games." Period. Because in so many of Shanahan's videos either the video does not match his explanation or the rule he's citing is being used in such a novel way, sometimes contrary to English. And there are instances where rules cited to defend a suspension in the past are suddenly rendered not relevant to any type of criteria.

I am not a fan of Torres and don't have him on my fantasy team. I've never been a fan of the Capitals West. I don't care there either. It just doesn't *seems* that this was a vicious hit to me. Most know my feeling on the Gyrba hit and I don't think this one even had that force. I don't get the whole thing.

I actually liked Shanahan as a player. I wasn't interested in him when everyone was clamouring that Philly should get him but largely because at that point he was simply old. But I did like him as a player generally. I just think as a disciplinarian he's doing a horrible disservice to the game and needs to step away or be fired.

[radoran]

I just think as a disciplinarian he's doing a horrible disservice to the game and needs to step away or be fired.

Really for the first time I'm starting to understand when people say they no longer recognize the game.

This hit and Gryba's were classic "hockey plays" that I want to see in this sport if players are going to put themselves into that position. Yes, sometimes the best pass is the one you don't make or don't stretch out for. If a train is coming at you at 15 mph and you feel you can jump in front of it - it's not the train's fault if something bad happens to you.

Instead we have the league putting the entire onus of the impact on the defensive player. Under the rules the only time you're really allowed to hit a guy is when he has the puck. One would think if one, you know, has the puck one might presume that someone on the ice might be trying to hit you.

Like Thornton said - you are taught as a hockey player from the time you first put on skates to keep your head up and be aware of your surroundings. That requirement doesn't stop when you get to the highest level of the sport. It is amplified.

It's a fast game - the fastest game on ice. People get hurt even when you play the game right.

[ruxpin]

Really for the first time I'm starting to understand when people say they no longer recognize the game.

This hit and Gryba's were classic "hockey plays" that I want to see in this sport if players are going to put themselves into that position. Yes, sometimes the best pass is the one you don't make or don't stretch out for. If a train is coming at you at 15 mph and you feel you can jump in front of it - it's not the train's fault if something bad happens to you.

Instead we have the league putting the entire onus of the impact on the defensive player. Under the rules the only time you're really allowed to hit a guy is when he has the puck. One would think if one, you know, has the puck one might presume that someone on the ice might be trying to hit you.

Like Thornton said - you are taught as a hockey player from the time you first put on skates to keep your head up and be aware of your surroundings. That requirement doesn't stop when you get to the highest level of the sport. It is amplified.

It's a fast game - the fastest game on ice. People get hurt even when you play the game right.

I completely agree with this. Every word.

You and I, however, might just be the dinosaurs some people are referring to in the comments section on the the TSN story.

[hf101]

And there you go with Torres. He brings so much to a team, especially in the post season but then.....this. He could play on my team any time but he needs to learn to tone it down a bit and learn to fly under the radar.

Actually I think Torres did a decent job of that this season. I'm thinking that Torres thought Stoll would be moving up the ice a bit faster. Thus as he was aligning up the body check he planned a full body check. Stoll instead slowed up as he reached to the ice. Thus the hit was a bit in front of Stoll missing the shoulder and unfortunately then a blow to the head.

[radoran]

I completely agree with this. Every word.

You and I, however, might just be the dinosaurs some people are referring to in the comments section on the the TSN story.

I'm gonna go mow the ice.