Raffi Torres of the Vancouver Canucks made his return
tonight following a four game suspension for a blindside hit to Edmonton Oilers
rookie Jordan Eberle. Midway through the
second period tonight, Torres went high and on the blindside of Brent Seabrook
with a hit that immediately led to talk of him being right back on the shelf
with another suspension:
The referees on the ice gave Torres only two minutes for interference, but the question for the league will be whether it was a hit to the head that violated Rule 48. There is no doubt that Torres hit will be viewed in the shadows of his previous hit on Eberle and any disciplinary action the league takes will have that in mind when assessing punishment to Torres.
The fact that Torres could not go half a game in his return from a suspension without putting himself in the position to be up for review again says a lot and means while Seabrook spent part of tonight’s game in “the quiet room,” it will Torres that a some time to sit and think about the way he is hitting people before stepping back on the ice during these playoffs.
