Raffi Torres Suspension: Coyotes Forward Banned 25 Games for Marian Hossa Hit

Phoenix Coyotes forward Raffi Torres has been suspended 25 games by the NHL for his brutal hit on Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa from Tuesday night, RDS reports.

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25 games suspension for #coyotes Raffi Torres.

— Renaud P Lavoie (@RenLavoieRDS) April 21, 2012"

UPDATE: Saturday, April 21 at 6:43 p.m. ET

Torres released a statement via the NHLPA on Saturday regarding his suspension:

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“My main concern is for the healthy recovery of Marian Hossa, and I hope that he will be able to get back on the ice to compete again soon. I sincerely regret injuring Marian. 

Regarding the severity of the suspension issued, I will take the next few days to decide whether or not to appeal the decision.”

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If there is an appeal to this suspension, it will be heard by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

Even if the Coyotes were to play seven games in every series this postseason, including the Stanley Cup Final, Torres would not be able to play again this year because the max amount of games left for Phoenix is 24.

Torres' suspension is the longest in NHL playoff history.

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25 games for Torres is the longest suspension NHL has ever handed out in playoffs. Prev was 21 games for Dale Hunter hit on Turgeon in '93

— Sara Orlesky (@saraorlesky) April 21, 2012"

This was a fantastic decision by league disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan because these types of hits have to be taken out of the game.

Shanahan has certainly set a precedent with this suspension. If you continue to hit opponents in a dangerous manner that violates the rules of the game, you will be suspended for a lengthy amount of time.

The league has made an effort to take head shots out of the sport through rule changes and adjustments to its department of player safety, and this decision proves they are serious at accomplishing that goal.

The hit forced Hossa to leave Game 3 on a stretcher and he was not able to play in Game 4. His status for the rest of the playoffs is uncertain.

Here is the suspension video from Shanahan.

Shanahan explains in the video that three NHL rules were broken as a result of this hit:

• Interference - Late hit by Torres
• Charging - Torres launched himself at Hossa before making contact
• Illegal hit to the head - violates Rule 48

Even though three rules were broken as a result of this hit, none of the four officials on the ice called any kind of penalty on Torres.

Torres has been disciplined multiple times in his career for several hits, several of which include hits to the head.  Torres has not learned his lesson and has refused to be less reckless on the ice even though he has a long history of suspensions and fines.

You have to imagine that his prior history of supplemental discipline was a biggest factor in Shanahan's decision to suspend Torres for an enormous amount of time. The league cannot allow players to get away with dangerous and illegal hits on a repeated basis.

Several NHL players have been asked about the suspension to Torres, and nearly all of them have praised the league's decision.

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“It sends a huge message for guys to smarten up out there – especially during the playoffs,” [Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan] Toews said.

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Kings forward Willie Mitchell, who has first hand experience dealing with concussions, had a strong opinion on the Torres suspension, telling LAKingsInsider:

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“First of all, I just want to say that it’s just not Raffi,” Mitchell said. “It doesn’t matter who it is. If you’re a repeat offender, it’s about time they got aggressive. I give Brendan (Shanahan) and the league compliments, because they’ve done a good job in the regular season. I think, in the playoffs, they maybe got away from it early on, and they set a precedent that was tough to get away from.”

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The players know that the level of respect amongst each other has to improve, and this incident with Torres and Hossa is another example of that.

The NHL needed to make an example of Torres, and this 25-game suspension does just that. 

Follow @NicholasGoss35

Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and has covered the team firsthand throughout the season. He was also the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Final in Boston.