The 15 Most Dangerous Plays of the 2011-12 NHL Season

There have been many dangerous plays in the NHL this season, and quite a few of them have resulted in suspensions, fines and injuries.

Even with league disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan handing out lots of suspensions, there are still a great number of dangerous plays where players are at risk of injury.

Let's look at the 15 most dangerous plays of the 2011-12 season thus far.

Marchand Clips Salo

Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand clipped Vancouver Canucks defenseman Sami Salo during a game in January and was given a five-game suspension for the dirty hit.

Bourque Elbows Backstrom

Calgary Flames forward Rene Bourque's vicious elbow to Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom's head resulted in a five-game suspension.

Green Elbows Connolly

On Thursday night, Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green recklessly elbowed Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brett Connolly in a play that could result in a suspension.

Carcillo Boards Gilbert

Chicago Blackhawks forward Daniel Carcillo was suspended for seven games as a result of this hit on Tom Gilbert of the Edmonton Oilers.

Lucic Runs into Miller

Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic was not suspended for this hit on Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller, and rightfully so, but there was a level of danger on this play considering goalie collisions can result in injuries.

Ference Boards McDonagh

Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference isn't a dirty player, but this was a bad hit on New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh from a game in Boston this January. Ference was suspended three games for the hit.

Torres Charges Prosser

Phoenix Coyotes forward Raffi Torres was suspended for two games for this charge at Minnesota Wild's Nate Prosser.

Sutton Elbows Landeskog

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Andy Sutton was rightfully suspended for five games after this vicious hit to the head on Colorado Avalanche rookie forward Gabriel Landeskog.

Sutton Charges Alexei Ponikarovsky

Andy Sutton was suspended for eight games as a result of his charge on Carolina Hurricanes forward Alexei Ponikarovsky.

Bourque Boards Seabrook

Rene Bourque returns to this list with a December incident in which he was suspended for two games for boarding Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook.

Porter Knees Booth

Colorado Avalanche forward Kevin Porter kneed Vancouver Canucks forward David Booth in a very dangerous play that resulted in a four-game suspension.

Kaleta Headbutts Voracek

Buffalo Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta, in one of the stranger scenes of the NHL season, decided to headbutt Philadelphia Flyers forward Jakub Voracek in November.

Cole Targets Abdelkader's Head

St. Louis Blues defenseman Ian Cole hit Detroit Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader's head this season in a very dangerous play that resulted in a three-game suspension.

Ovechkin Charges Michalek

In a reckless play, Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin charged Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Zbynek Michalek, resulting in a three-game suspension.

Engelland Hits Kruger

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Deryk Engelland delivers a high hit on Chicago Blackhawks forward Markus Kruger that resulted in a two-game suspension