NHL slams Sharks’ Raffi Torres with 41-game suspension

SAN JOSE, Calif. _ The NHL threw the book at Raffi Torres on Monday, suspending the Sharks forward 41 games for his illegal hit on Jakob Silfverberg in San Jose’s final preseason game.tmpplchld It’s the second longest suspension in league history, and the longest in the 25-year history of the Sharks franchise.tmpplchld Torres will miss half of the regular season and forfeit $440,860.29, according to terms of the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement with the players association. It’s the fifth time Torres has been suspended in his NHL career. He’s also been warned twice for illegal hits and fined three times.tmpplchld Torres’ nearly record-setting suspension overshadowed the announcement that Joe Pavelski had been named the Sharks captain by coach Pete DeBoer. Joe Thornton and Logan Couture were named assistant captains by DeBoer.tmpplchld As of Monday afternoon, there had not been word if the Sharks or the NHLPA plan to appeal the length of Torres’ suspension. Torres is not eligible to return until Jan. 14, 2016 when the Sharks host the Edmonton Oilers.tmpplchld Torres was given a 10-minute misconduct and a match penalty for his hit on Silfverberg with 7:15 to go in the first period of Saturday’s game against the Ducks. Replays showed that Torres’ left shoulder made direct contact with Silfverberg’s face after Silfverberg released the puck.tmpplchld In its decision, the NHL determined that Torres’ hit on Silfverberg was a late, forceful and illegal check to the head. Although Silfverberg was not seriously hurt, Torres’ past transgressions played a major role in the punishment.tmpplchld In his video explanation, Patrick Burke, the NHL’s director of player safety, said Torres, “takes four strides before driving into a high, late hit that makes Silfverberg’s head the main point of contact. This is both interference and an illegal check to the head.”tmpplchld Burke continued, “hard body checks are a part of the game, provided they are delivered in a legal manner. In this case, Silfverberg is no longer eligible to be hit in any manner.”tmpplchld Burke said it was important to note that Silfverberg does not “materially change the position of his head just prior to impact,” meaning he did not make himself more vulnerable to Torres’ hit.tmpplchld Torres has been previously suspended four times in his NHL career, the latest coming in Game 1 of the second round of the 2013 playoffs. Torres hit Jarret Stoll of the Los Angeles Kings, making contact with the head, and was suspended for the remainder of the series. Stoll missed the next six games as well with head and shoulder injuries.tmpplchld Torres was technically not considered a repeat offender since he has not had any suspensions in the last 18 months. But the CBA states that “players who repeatedly violate league playing rules will be more severely punished for each new violation.”tmpplchld Torres has only played in 15 games since he was suspended for the hit on Stoll, as he recovered from two surgeries on his right knee and was off for nearly 18 months. He played in two preseason games before Saturday.tmpplchld Burke pointed out that in his 703 game NHL career, Torres has been “warned, fined or suspended on nine previous occasions, the majority of which have involved a hit to an opponent’s head.”tmpplchld ___tmpplchld (c)2015 San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.)tmpplchld Visit the San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.) at www.mercurynews.comtmpplchld Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.tmpplchld