Do you agree with the 25 game Raffi Torres suspension?

[yaletownguy]

I think the real proof will be when the next suspension is handed out... Let's see if Malkin or Ovechkin get similar suspensions for their next infraction... you know it's going to happen, they play on the edge as well.

I think Keiths hit was much more severe than Torres, as far as I'm concerned at least Torres was a hockey play, and Keith's was more or less, criminal assault.

YTG

 

[Deep Threat]

Torres is a repeat offender, has no respect for other players by targeting the head... Justice served!

 

[storm rider]

I heard of the suspension today on AM 660 as I was driving to Edmonton and I was a bit surprised by the length....25 games is a lot and no doubt Torres is hoping Phoenix goes deep into the playoffs as that will eat into his suspension....if Phoenix gets punted in the first round then Torres will feel the sting in the wallet because playoff games dont count towards his bi-weekly pay check.

That being said I think the heavy handed punishment is appropriate....it was a deliberate cheap hit and he launched himself at Hossa with the clear intent to injure him.....when the NHL brought in all the rules for penalizing obstruction to speed up the game and make it more exciting for fans it had a 2 pronged effect...it did indeed speed up the game but at the same time those rule changes set the ground work for hits such as this to occur and on a fairly frequent basis I will say......the rules changes for obstruction changed the dynamics of the game so much that Brett Hull retired after the first season with the new rules and was noted of saying "I cant play this way and compete with guys 15 years younger than me"...rather than playing for a few more seasons and posting diminishing numbers he retired on his own terms....tis a shame he never got a Stanley Cup.

As a fan I want to see exciting hockey games....I want to see players drilled into the boards as well as good solid open ice body checks.....I dont want to see cheap hits that are meant to injure a player deliberatly and with malice of forethought.....that is not decent hockey...in fact it is an insult to the sport.

As for the comparison to the Bertuzzi BEATING of Moore to the hit by Torres I am scratching my head over it....Bertuzzi ASSAULTED Moore from behind where Torres administered a cheap lethal injury intending open ice body check....the two situations are apples & oranges....kind of like if I walked up behind Hunka and punched him in the back of the neck with a roll of quarters in my hand or if a shouldered him out of the way whilst walking past him because he was in my way...BIG difference between the two.

The suspension is a long time and Shannahan is clearly sending a message with this......what needs to be done is for it to be applied to ALL players in the NHL on a consistent basis.

GO Kings

SR

 

[Gotee-man]

What a joke. Yes, the hit was a bit late and raffi did leave his feet a lil, but hossa was the one who circled back. If hossa just went straight up the ice, he wouldn't have been hammered like that. Torres was probably surprised hossa was open like that and was just finishing his check. He probably just jumped up a bit to brace himself. Torres was by no means going for the head, shoulder hit more on the chest.

 

[Elmore]

As dirty plays go, I thought the crap Shea Weber pulled on Zetterburg was worse than Torres but it didn't cause any damage and Weber does not have a reputation for that sort of behavior. I missed the live broadcast of the Neil hit on Boyle but learned that Tortorella compared it to Torres hit. The replay showed it was not quite as late as Torres hit and Neil did not leave his feet but Boyle is as big as they come and contact still managed to occur near the head. I am not sure how Shanahan will see that one.

In the NFL, you can't hit a defenseless player...basically if their head is down and they can't see the hit coming or have no time to defend themself or prepare for the hit, it's illegal. Maybe that is the direction the NHL will start heading if they really want to protect the players.

 

[gunit 2403]

I think the length of suspension is adequate. Are all those sticking up for Torres because he used to play for the Canucks??? He is dirty and I think this is payback for the non-suspension on the Brent Seabrook hit. Neil deserves a suspension as well but we'll see how that one works out.

 

[joho]

I was so glad when Torres left the town. There is a big difference between playing hard and playing stupid.

 

[DavidMR]

Bertuzzi's hit was retribution for Moore's hit on Naslund. Moore would not fight and was goaded up and down the ice before Bert lost it and jammed his head into the ice. I AM NOT APPROVING OF BERT'S HIT SO DO NOT GO THERE.

This is different. Torres hit is sure stupidity and goonery to take another player out of the game in the playoffs.

I am not clear on what the difference is, unless you mean playoff strategy versus retribution. Was Bertuzzi's action any less stupid on a one to ten scale than Torres?

 

[Karl Blues]

...it did indeed speed up the game but at the same time those rule changes set the ground work for hits such as this to occur and on a fairly frequent basis I will say......the rules changes for obstruction changed the dynamics of the game so much that Brett Hull retired after the first season with the new rules and was noted of saying "I cant play this way and compete with guys 15 years younger than me"...rather than playing for a few more seasons and posting diminishing numbers he retired on his own terms....tis a shame he never got a Stanley Cup.

SR

Brett Hull won 2 Stanley Cups, one with Dallas and another with Detroit.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_Stanley_Cups_did_Brett_Hull_win

 

[manni]

about 22 games too much imo.
there's just no way RT could have let up at that speed,
plus Hossa had his head down and he should be partially at fault.

what's the difference between this and the premeditated fights?
couldn't players get concussion this way as well?
Shanny needs to be a bit more consistent imo.