How the NHL Came Up With 25 Games
There’s been a ton of reaction following the 25-game suspension Phoenix forward Raffi Torres received following his hit on Blackhawks superstar Marian Hossa.
Method behind the madness.
The NHL didn’t just pick this number out of a hat. There was no way the league was going to allow Torres to play again in the 2012 playoffs. A 25 game suspension is the only guarantee he’ll miss the remainder of the post-season. If the Coyotes play the maximum number of playoff games this spring he still won’t be eligible to play again until next season.
The NHL obviously needed to find a way to get their point across. On the surface the 25-game suspension seems stiff but if Hossa can’t play another playoff game then neither should Torres.
The chance of the Coyotes playing the maximum number of playoffs games allowed is obviously very slim. This is the only way the league is guaranteed to take significant money out of his pocket.
This suspension isn’t about just this one hit. It’s the fact he’s been either fined or suspended five previous times and hasn’t adjusted his game. You can argue all you want whether or not he should be suspended but sources say this is how they came up with the 25 game number.
I still believe Torres was an easy target for Shanahan and the NHL. Torres has a reputation as a dirty player and the NHL knew they had the support of the fans and the mainstream media if they came down hard on this particular player.
Most players tell me they don’t believe Shanahan has done a good job. Some feel he uses the media to tell his story. Several players tell me he’s been too inconsistent with his suspensions when his mantra was consistency at the time he took the job.
Regardless it’s a brutal job that’s guaranteed to be second guessed and picked apart. Then again this is a job he wanted.
Sources indicate changes could be on the way in terms of how discipline is handed down once the new CBA is agreed upon.
More to come,
Andy Strickland
Strickland.andy@gmail.com
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I've seen the same from fans and pundits. Two first time offenders received more games than Torres did for two incidents this season prior to his latest cheap shot. When you consider he also had a record how can anyone say the system is working or that it does what the NHL and SHannahan said they would be doing.
Andy my friend, we only have to look at two plays that started off the play offs---Zetterberg hits Weber up high and should have been a game and Weber should have probably at least received 5 games and I don't know if he has a history. If they would have done that then there would have been a clear real message.
It's a tricky balance and no one wants hitting taken out of the game. Maybe we do need fighting. I am also believing that somewhere along the line coaches stopped teaching the best revenge is scoring a goal or winning. And to wit, coaches used to punish and parents did also when a player on a losing team took revenge with cheap shots. I remember one time doing something like that as a kid and my coach screamed at me and I got a spanking and was grounded by my parents.
The truth truly is saying scoreboard. Or shaking hands at the end of series with the warmth of victory. When on the losing side you must be thinking how do I win, what can I do to win.
But the NHL has allowed this to take place and the first evidence of this is the fact that Bertuzzi is allowed to play. The second comes when Winewski gets 8 regular season games and I don't recall how many preseason games. That was a BIG, CLEAR message. It hurt the Jackets immensely. SO what is different from this happening to any other player at any other time in this league? It will hurt more than the player. They should know they play on a team. The ones that make the big money couldn't do it without the guys around them.
If the NHL wants this fixed and to look silly two things need to happen: 1)The commissioner needs to had out the suspensions like in every other league. 2) They need to have specific guidelines that are an automatic minimum. Thus if I were a player I would know if I elbow a player the minimum is this and I could get more. If I have ever been suspended before I and I elbow someone it is this and I could get up to this unless it is beyond reckless and I could this.
Otherwise whether it the ball-less Bettman or SHannahan making the call there needs to be a guideline that everyone knows. This way no one slips below a minimum and there isn't misunderstanding. Thus Weber would have received such and such and it doesn't matter what Shannahan or Bettman said or did b/c there would be a minimum penalty.
As a side note penalties at the end of games should still be punished to the team in a future game. It's like own finding courage when you're drinking alcohol.
First Suspendable offense- 1 game
2nd- 3 games
3rd - 7 games
4th - 15 games
5th - 25 games
6+ - super serious meeting regarding whether you'll ever play again.
maybe going a season or 2 without an offense knocks one off.
Playoffs - No matter what if it's a suspendable offense you're out for the series or until the other guy comes(or at least 1 game if they're not injured)