Hockey's 50 Most Brutal Suspension-Inducing Hits of All Time
Hockey is a violent game, and with players skating faster and hitting stronger than ever, there is a high risk for injuries.
Many of the hits that result in serious injuries also cause the player who delivered the hit to be suspended. Let's look at the 50 most brutal suspension-inducing hits in hockey history.
Aaron Rome
1 of 50Aaron Rome received the longest suspension in Stanley Cup final history, four games, for a late hit to the head on Boston Bruins forward Nathan Horton.
Raffi Torres
2 of 50Raffi Torres' first entry on this list is his brutal hit on Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa, which earned him a 25-game suspension.
Rene Bourque
3 of 50About a month after being suspended, Calgary Flames winger Rene Bourque delivered this vicious elbow to Capitals center Niklas Backstrom, earning a five-game suspension.
Dale Hunter
4 of 50Dale Hunter received a 21-game suspension for his terrible hit on New York Islanders forward Pierre Turgeon.
Marty McSorley
5 of 50In one of the most brutal actions in NHL history, Marty McSorley of the Boston Bruins slashes Cancuks forward Donald Brashear in the face, and receives a 23-game suspension.
Chris Simon
6 of 50The longest suspension in NHL history, 30 games, was given to Chris Simon of the New York Islanders after he stepped on Jarkko Ruutu of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Jesse Boulerice
7 of 50Jesse Boulerice received a 25-game suspension for this cross-check on Canucks forward Ryan Kesler.
Chris Simon
8 of 50Chris Simon's brutal slash on Ryan Hollweg earned him a 25-game suspension.
Gordie Dwyer
9 of 50Gordie Dwyer left the penalty box and abused referees during a preseason game in 2000, earning him a 23-game suspension.
Patrice Cormier
10 of 50In one of the more brutal elbows you will ever see, Patrice Cormer was suspended 20 games by the QMJHL for elbowing Mikael Tam earlier last season.
Steve Downie
11 of 50Steve Downie's vicious head shot on Dean McAmmond earned him a 20-game suspension during the 2007 preseason.
Todd Bertuzzi
12 of 50In what many believe is the worst moment in NHL history, Todd Bertuzzi goes after Steve Moore and punches him in the back of the head, earning a 20-game suspension.
Bertuzzi's legal trial for this hit will take place later this year.
Tom Lysiak
13 of 50Although you can't see it in the video, in 1983, Tom Lysiak of the Chicago Blackhawks received a 20-game suspension for tripping an official on purpose.
Brad May
14 of 50During the 2000 season, Brad May of the Phoenix Coyotes was suspended 20 games for hitting Steve Heinze of the Blue Jackets in the face with his stick.
Claude Lemieux
15 of 50Claude Lemieux of the Colorado Avalanche was suspended two games during the 1996 Western Conference finals for this head shot on Detroit Red Wings forward Kris Draper.
Dino Ciccarelli
16 of 50Dino Ciccarelli of the Minnesota North Stars was suspended 10 games for this brutal stick to the face on Luke Richardson of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Ciccarelli even served jail time for this hit.
Tie Domi
17 of 50Tie Domi of the Maple Leafs was suspended 11 games during the 2001 playoffs for a brutal elbow along the boards on Devils star defenseman Scott Niedermayer.
Andy Sutton
18 of 50Andy Sutton of the New York Islanders received a two-game suspension for boarding Pittsburgh Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis during the 2009-10 season.
Tony Granato
19 of 50Tony Granato of the Los Angeles Kings got a 15-game suspension for this slash on Neil Wilkinson of the Chicago Blackhawks back in 1994.
Eddie Shore
20 of 50Boston Bruins legend Eddie Shore was hit with a 16-game suspension for a brutal hit to the head on Ace Bailey of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Billy Coutu
21 of 50After he assaulted multiple officials during a game, Billy Coutu of the Boston Bruins was suspended by the NHL for the rest of his life in 1927.
Picture taken from here.
Maurice Richard
22 of 50Montreal Canadiens legend Maurice Richard was suspended 15 games for punching a referee during the 1955 season.
Michael Halmo
23 of 50The OHL suspended Michael Halmo 10 games for his big hit on Nail Yakupov of the Sarnia Sting earlier this year.
Wilf Paiement
24 of 50Wilf Paiement was suspended 15 games for a stick check to Dennis Polonich's face during the 1978 season.
Picture taken from here.
Dave Brown
25 of 50A vicious cross-check by Dave Brown of the Philadelphia Flyers earned him a 15-game suspension during the 1987 season.
Matt Cooke
26 of 50Matt Cooke, one of the dirtiest players in NHL history, was suspended 16 games, which included six playoff games, for this brutal head shot on New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh.
Matt Johnson
27 of 50A sucker punch from Matt Johnson of the Kings on Jeff Beukeboom of the Rangers ended his career during the 1998 NHL season.
Ron Hextall
28 of 50Ron Hextall lost his mind when he attacked Montreal Canadiens defenseman Chris Chelios during a 1989 playoff game.
David Shaw
29 of 50David Shaw hits Pittsburgh Penguins star Mario Lemieux in the face with his stick and earns a 12-game suspension.
Owen Nolan
30 of 50San Jose Sharks star Owen Nolan elbowed Grant Marshall of the Dallas Stars and was hit with an 11-game suspension from the NHL.
Scott Niedermayer
31 of 50Devils defenseman Scott Nierdermayer got a 10-game suspension in 2000 for cross checking Peter Worrell of the Florida Panthers.
Trevor Gillies
32 of 50Islanders forward Trevor Gillies checked Wild forward Cal Clutterbuck into the boards during the 2007 season and received a 10-game suspension.
Dan Carcillo
33 of 50Dan Carcillo of the Chicago Blackhawks delivers a crushing hit on Tom Gilbert of the Edmonton Oilers and earned a seven-game suspension as a result.
Carcillo also tore his ACL on the play.
Brendan Smith
34 of 50Brendan Smith received an eight-game suspension, which included three preseason games, for this head shot on Ben Smith of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Andy Sutton
35 of 50Andy Sutton of the Oilers hit Avalanche rookie Gabriel Landeskog with an elbow to the head that resulted in a five-game suspension this year.
Andy Sutton
36 of 50Andy Sutton returns to this list with a charge on Alexei Ponikarovsky, one in which the Oilers defenseman leaves his feet to deliver the hit.
Sutton got a eight-game suspension.
Duncan Keith
37 of 50Duncan Keith's vicious elbow to Vancouver Canucks forward Daniel Sedin's head resulted in a concussion, and a five-game suspensions for the Blackhawks defenseman.
Mike Liambas
38 of 50Mike Liamba was suspended for the rest of the 2009-10 season for his brutal hit on Ben Fanelli that resulted in the Kitchener Rangers defenseman suffering serious injuries.
Arron Asham
39 of 50Penguins forward Arron Asham cross-checked Flyers forward Brayden Schenn, then punched him on the ice during a playoff game this year. Asham got a five-game suspension.
Jesse Boulerice
40 of 50Plymouth Whalers forward Jesse Boulerice got a one-year suspension from the OHL for this vicious cheap shot on Andrew Long.
Alexander Perezhogin
41 of 50Alexander Perezhogin of the Hamilton Bulldogs was suspended 89 games in the AHL for his brutal hit to the head on Garrett Stafford.
Josh Gratton
42 of 50Josh Gratton was suspended 20 games by the KHL in 2010 for purposely injuring two players.
Tom Kunhackl
43 of 50Earlier this year, Tom Kunhackl delivered a huge hit on Kitchener Rangers defenseman Ryan Murphy that resulted in a 20-game suspension.
Ruslan Salei
44 of 50Ruslan Salei of the Anaheim Ducks was suspended 10 games by the NHL for this brutal check from behind on Dallas Star forward Mike Modano.
Dougie Hamilton
45 of 50Dougie Hamilton of the Niagara IceDogs received a 10-game suspension this season for a brutal elbow.
Jeremy Yablonski
46 of 50Jeremy Yablonski was suspended for the rest of the KHL season back in November for punching an opposing player.
Patrick Kaleta
47 of 50Patrick Kaleta's headbutt on Jakub Voracek wasn't the most brutal hit on this list, but it's definitely a dangerous play that has no part in hockey. Kaleta received a four-game suspension for the hit.
Scott Trask
48 of 50Scott Trask was suspended by the QMJHL for this brutal shoulder-to-the-head hit on Aiden Kelly of the St. John's Sea Dogs.
Gary Suter
49 of 50Gary Suter's head shot to Anaheim Ducks captain Paul Kariya during the 1998 season earned him a four-game suspension from the NHL.
Michael Halmo
50 of 50Michael Halmo was hit with a five-game suspension by the OHL for this brutal hit on a player who didn't see it coming.
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