Phoenix Coyotes‘ Raffi Torres will be suspended 21 games for a brutal head shot.
July 3, 2012- Gary Bettman, the Commissioner of the National Hockey League ruled on Monday that the Phoenix Coyotes ‘ Raffi Torres will be suspended for 21 games after Torres had appealed his original suspension. Torres was suspended for hitting Marian Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks in the head. The suspension handed down was four games fewer than Brendan Shanahan, the NHL’s disciplinarian gave Torres on April 21.
Hossa was taken off the ice via a stretcher and missed the entire first round of the playoffs. Torres has already served 13 games of his suspension during the recent playoffs and will only have to sit out the first eight games to start the season this fall. The difference of four games taken off his suspension means Torres will not lose over $680,000 in salary. Torres is a repeat offender in the league and appealed that the length of his suspension was too excessive, not that he was suspended.
When Torres was initially suspended by Shanahan, the Coyotes had possibly 25 more playoff games to play. Any time unserved was to be carried over to the following regular season at a cost to Torres of $170, 731 per game for loss of salary. Under the new ruling by Bettman, Torres will lose a total salary amount of $1.3 million. Bettman said in his statement that this type of on-ice conduct by Torres was not acceptable and would not be tolerated in the NHL.
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