New York: The NHL suspended San Jose Sharks forward Raffi Torres for 41 games on Monday for an illegal check to the head and interference in a pre-season game.
Torres was suspended for his hit on Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg in the first period of a game on Saturday. Silfverberg did not return to the game, but coach Bruce Boudreau said he was held out as a precaution.
At the time, Torres was assessed a match penalty for an illegal check to the head.
Torres, 33, had been suspended four times previously in his NHL career.
Most recently he was suspended during the 2012-13 Stanley Cup play-offs, when he was banned for the rest of the Sharks’ second-round series against the Los Angeles Kings for an illegal check to the head of Jarret Stoll.
Torres, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, will be eligible to return for the Sharks’ January 14 game against the Edmonton Oilers.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and based on his average annual salary, the suspension without pay will cost Torres $440,860.29 (Dh1.62 million). The money goes to the players’ emergency assistance fund.
