NHL Playoffs 2012: Raffi Torres Should Be Gone for the Postseason

The pace was excellent. It was a two-way exciting hockey game. It was everything that we love about playoff hockey and what makes this sport special.

Then...Boom!

When Raffi Torres charged Marian Hossa, left his feet and drilled him in the head, thousands of hockey fans watched Hossa get carted off the ice. The puck was well off his stick, he had his head down and I would doubt that we will see him again this postseason.

While watching the game, I was fuming in anger after the first period. Then Mike Keenan said it best in between periods. He said, "I love the intensity of playoff hockey, but there has to be a respect level."

For Torres, well what a shocker. Here is a player that has been suspended multiple times and never learned his lesson. The book has never been thrown at him that hard, and he clearly has little respect for the gamesmanship that should be a part of the sport of hockey.

A game that was so great in the first ten minutes, will be remembered for the wrong reasons.

We love to take shots at Brendan Shanahan and how he has handled handing out discipline. I will say that players certainly have seemed to play with more reckless abandon after Shea Weber got a mere $2,500 fine for his assault on Henrik Zetterberg. So yes, Shanny, that's on you.

Having said that, it is absolutely critical that a repeat offender like Torres never has the chance to see the ice again this playoff season. If Shanahan wanted to send a message with Andrew Shaw's hit on Mike Smith, he needs to do it again with Torres. 

He need not worry about suspending a superstar. He need not worry about having to play the repeat offender card to make a point. Just take another look at an NHL superstar motionless, being carried off on a stretcher. We have no idea what the long-term effects of Hossa's injury will be and it is scary to think about.

This postseason has been marred with controversial and downright dirty play and you cannot blame Shanahan for all of that. Ownership needs to be on the players to respect the game, respect their opponents and set a better standard.

Yes, I understand it's the playoffs and emotions can get the best of you, but until there is buy-in from players, management and the NHL administration, we are going to keep seeing incidents like this. Let's face it, as of right now, the league is out of control.