Phoenix Coyotes winger Raffi Torres has been suspended 25 games for his hit on Marian Hossa and will miss the rest of the NHL playoffs and some of the 2012 NHL season. One of the focal points in the length of Torres' suspension was the fact that he violated three separate rules with the hit, as well as being deemed a "repeat offender" by the NHL's new CBA.
Raffi Torres Suspended, Termed Repeat Offender By NHL
Over the past 13 months Torres has been suspended by the NHL twice for flagrant hits.
In January, Torres was suspended for leaving his feet to check Minnesota Wild defenseman Nate Prosser, a hit similar to the one Torres landed on Hossa in Thursday night's game. NHL Senior Vice President of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan gave Torres a two-game suspension for the Prosser hit. Torres left his feet at Prosser on the same day that he was fined $2,500 for elbowing Colorado Avalanche defenseman Jan Hejda a few games earlier.
Torres was also suspended for four games in April 2011 for a hit on Edmonton Oilers' Jordan Eberle. In the NHL Playoffs that season Torres knocked Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook out of the game with a hard hit behind the net. Torres wasn't suspended then because that type of hit wasn't illegal under the head shot rule at the time.
Stick with SBNation.com for full Coyotes vs. Blackhawks series coverage. For more from the Phoenix perspective, head over to the Five For Howling. For more on the Blackhawks, check out Second City Hockey.
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