#5 Los Angeles Kings vs. #6 San Jose Sharks - Western semis

[dash]

Torres doesn't leave the ice or launch himself into the hit, but you do seem him rise up to make contact with Stoll's head. He knows exactly what he is doing.

/Sorry, no benefit of the doubt from me when it comes to Torres.

 

[Cmon_WTF]

Torres doesn't leave the ice or launch himself into the hit, but you do seem him rise up to make contact with Stoll's head. He knows exactly what he is doing.

/Sorry, no benefit of the doubt from me when it comes to Torres.

The only reason there is contact to the head is because of the whiplash after the shoulder to shoulder hit and even then the head contact is very minimal. This shouldn't even have been a penalty much less draw enough attention for a hearing.

 

[dash]

Here's Kerry Fraser's take:

Torres was closing in on Stoll in anticipation of making an open-ice hit but in doing so, Torres makes Stoll's head the principle point of contact, causing injury.

As the illegal check to head penalty (Rule 48) states: "A hit resulting in contact with an opponent's head where the head is targeted and the principal point of contact is not permitted."

There appears to be no malicious intent by Torres on the play. Stoll is eligible to be checked on the play and Torres does not extend an elbow or launch into the head of Stoll. However, Torres' route is not correct and he does not make enough of a full body check for this hit not to qualify as an illegal check to the head. In attempting this check, Torres does not hit squarely enough through the body. Stoll's head is the principle point of contact and the subsequent contact to Stoll's right shoulder is secondary.

It is important to note that while receiving a pass or carrying a puck anywhere on the ice, a hockey player bears some responsibility to be aware of an impending check. However, since the inception of the current illegal check to the head penalty, no player should expect that his head will be made the principle point of contact, whether intentionally or as it appears on this play, recklessly.

Taking into account the significant contact to the head, as well as the fact that Torres does not hit Stoll through the body, he does not succeed with his attempt to make a legal check.

• In summary, this was an illegal check to the head
• Stoll was ultimately injured as a result of this hit (did not return for the third period)
• Torres has been suspended during his career

While the circumstance surrounding every play is unique, there are often common threads and similarities that do exist for the purpose of determining suspensions.

 

[mooger_35]

Weak.

Let's just say no hitting is allowed and move on.

Compared to some of the questionable hits that have been let go with NO discipline (or even hearing) this is barely on the radar.

 

[Ties5o11]

Maybe I'm a homer but I just don't see it. What about that is not a hockey hit?

FWIW I didn't think Eller should be suspended either, I really thought that was a clean hit with a nasty and unfortunate outcome.

 

[davnlaguna]

True. Funny thing is the Penner hit on Wingels was a much more blatant head shot than this and we won't hear anything about it beacuse there was no call on the play and Wingels didn't miss a shift.

I didnt see that hit during the game. Getting a soda? I would like to see a video of it because i have heard other people say the same thing.
I dont think that Torres targetted the head. I do think he hit it. Like high sticking they are looking at result more than intent

 

[pixburgher66]

Yeah, not so sure why that hit is getting the publicity it is...then again, it's Torres. Reputation alone gets him a few, but gosh I've seen some worse hits this postseason not even garner a penalty on the ice.

 

[forty_three]

Torres doesn't leave the ice or launch himself into the hit, but you do seem him rise up to make contact with Stoll's head. He knows exactly what he is doing.

/Sorry, no benefit of the doubt from me when it comes to Torres.

But isn't "rising up" part of hitting? You compress leading in and extend at the point of contact. Had Stoll been skating upright, he's not even hurt.

Raffi's done some terrible things, but this just ain't one of 'em. And considering some of the stuff Shanny hasn't even looked at, forgive me but I gotta call bullshit here.

 

[pixburgher66]

But isn't "rising up" part of hitting? You compress leading in and extend at the point of contact. Had Stoll been skating upright, he's not even hurt.

Raffi's done some terrible things, but this just ain't one of 'em. And considering some of the stuff Shanny hasn't even looked at, forgive me but I gotta call bullshit here.

This.

IN PERSON hearing? Isn't that a five game minimum?

 

[Cmon_WTF]

This.

IN PERSON hearing? Isn't that a five game minimum?

Just gives the league the ability to suspend him more than five games. Doesn't mean that it's automatically five games minimum.

 

[dash]

But isn't "rising up" part of hitting? You compress leading in and extend at the point of contact. Had Stoll been skating upright, he's not even hurt.

Raffi's done some terrible things, but this just ain't one of 'em. And considering some of the stuff Shanny hasn't even looked at, forgive me but I gotta call bullshit here.

Well, I guess I can give Torres credit that he could have really punished Stoll (maybe he did learn that from the Hossa hit). I didn't like the hit when I first saw it live and repeated viewings haven't changed my mind.

Looks like we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.

/Nothing wrong with that, message boards would be pretty boring if everybody agreed on every topic

 

[esls79]

If Stoll misses any games, it's just karma paying him back for his hit on Cam Fowler earlier this season.

 

[rares]

Well, I guess Raffi just played his last game as a Shark then, eh? (no way he gets less than 5-10 games and this series might not go 6 games anyway)

Sucks that reputation + injury = illegal hit but oh well.

Here are some more pictures:

Stoll's head hits Raffi in his name plate... not sure how you land a head shot like that but I guess if anyone can do it, he can? /sigh

 

[davnlaguna]

Found this one

 

[rares]

The TSN feed is the only one that has the good angle... see around 39-second mark:


I still don't see anything illegal... and I'm nowhere close to being a Torres fan.

 

[rares]

Someone else described it best, I think:

He checked him through the arm, into the shoulder and followed through, causing the head to whiplash and hit him in the back. You can't have the head as principle point of contact when you're checking through the arm like that. It simply isn't possible.

 

[Cmon_WTF]

Apparently the Sharks are the ones requesting the in person hearing not the league.

 

[dash]

I will say that rares' images/video do indeed bring some ambiguity into the situation. It would be interesting to know if Shanaban has access to all these different views and if they impact his final decision.

 

[Slimpikins]

Shanahan would have had access to the replays but Pittsburgh decided not to show the replay until the ref waived the goal off...

 

[Winged_Wheel88]

100!