After missing most of the last two seasons with ACL issues, Raffi Torres hit Jakob Silfverberg in the head and has been suspended indefinitely pending a hearing; he declined an in-person hearing, meaning he will probably face upwards of 5 games as a repeat offender. Here's a video of the hit in question:
I, for one, think he absolutely intended to rock Silfverberg and knock him on his ass with a huge hit to impress his coaches and show the team that a year off hasn't deterred him from being able to play a physical game; I don't think he intended on giving the Anaheim Ducks rising star an elbow to the head, but that in the thick of the action and as Silfverberg got rid of the puck and attempted to protect himself by dodging the hit, Torres' reflexes got the best of him. Notice he had to swerve to avoid a Duck on his way to him...
A lot of people no longer give him the benefit of the doubt and are not only calling for a long suspension, but many are also clamoring for a ban from the NHL; I'm not jumping on that bandwagon, but it's getting harder and harder to convince people to give him another chance, especially since he's had four or five ''second chances'' already.
The guy can play hockey; he's had two 20-goal seasons (with a high of 27 post-lockout in 2005-06) and four more of 15 and more; he's had 30 or more points four times. He's coming back from a very severe injury. You hope he can make it work. He just can't seem to put himself in a position where that's possible, and that's too bad.
Here he is in happier days, with the Edmonton Oilers, wearing the team's turn-of-the-millennium white (then-home) uniform, twice:
Notice how his facial hair changed - and the cool Oilers' 25th Anniversary patch on the first one.
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