Raffi Torres of San Jose Sharks out for Series against Los Angeles Kings - NHL Playoffs Update
San Jose was dealt a major blow by National Hockey League (NHL) authorities as veteran left winger, Raffi Torres, was handed down a suspension for the entire semi-finals series against the Los Angeles Kings,
just hours before Game 2 was scheduled to kick off between the two Western Conference teams.
Explaining the reason for their notice, the NHL’s senior vice president of player safety, Brendan Shanahan, cited Torres’ hit on Los Angeles’ Jarret Stoll during the opening matchup of the series. He termed it
to be an illegal hit to the head, which is something Torres is definitely not unfamiliar with.
During the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, when Torres was a part of the Phoenix Coyotes, he was handed down a 25-game suspension after the Coyotes made a historical run for the post-season. It is also important
to note that the Coyotes went on to lose the very series after Torres was suspended.
San Jose, on the other hand, thought that the hit was legal but it does not matter what they think at the end, after Stoll was unable to rejoin the game. Torres will now be going to New York for a hearing in
front of the NHL, which could also result in his ban being reduced or even increased, in rare cases.
"We were kind of shocked to hear he has to fly to New York for the hearing, because we didn't see anything wrong on the play," Thornton said Wednesday. "It's unfortunate that Raffi has to go through this again."
Raffi Torres, a 31-year-old native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was drafted by the New York Islanders as their fifth overall selection back in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. He has 11 seasons of experience under his
belt with the Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, Phoenix Coyotes and now, the San Jose Sharks.
In a total of 630 games played up until now, Torres has 134 points along with 121 assists to his name, but his major accomplishment is definitely the 490 minutes of penalty time he carries. He also has 61 games
played in the playoffs with 25 points (9 goals, 16 assists).
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