Longest suspensions in the NHL
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10. Steve Downie (20 games)
Downie had an infamous start to his NHL career. During a preseason game for the 2007-08 campaign, Downie levelled Ottawa Senator left winger Dean McAmmond with a vicious hit, sending McAmmond crashing into the boards. Downie would go on to serve a 20-game suspension.
9. Tom Lysiak (20 games)
The 1980’s was one of the most lenient eras in hockey in terms of tolerating rough plays, but anytime a player messes with the referee, it doesn’t matter what year it is—he’d get suspended for that. Tom Lysiak found that to be true when he was suspended 20 games for intentionally tripping a linesman while playing for the Blackhawks in 1983.
8. Todd Bertuzzi (20 games)
Perhaps the most notorious of all on-ice incidents was Todd Bertuzzi’s sucker punch that ended the career of Steve Moore. Bertuzzi was meted with a 20 game-suspension, which was worth over $500,000 of forfeited salary.
7. Dale Hunter (21 games)
The Capitals are on a nasty win streak right now, but what’s nastier was the blindsided hit laid by their coach, Dale Hunter, on Pierre Turgeon of the New York Islanders back in the 1993 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
6. Raffi Torres (21 games)
Play gets even more intense in the playoffs and intensity sometimes breeds dirty hits. Take for example the hit delivered by Raffi Torres on Marian Hossa during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Torres was originally handed a 25-game suspension but was lowered to 21.
5. Marty McSorley (23 games)
McSorley must be thinking of a different sport when he swung his stick at Donald Brashear’s head during a regular season game in 2000. The league office gave him another thing to think about such as what to for the next several weeks after he was handed with a 23-game suspension.
4. Chris Simon (25 games)
Still in the category of NHL players intentionally using their sticks to hurt people, we have New York Islander Chris Simon, who whacked New York Ranger Ryan Hollweg right in the face during a 2007 regular season game. The league office didn’t like what they saw and punished Simon with a 25-game suspension.
3. Jesse Boulerice (25 games)
Boulerice played for just six seasons in the NHL, finishing his career with only eight goals and two assists. He could be best remembered for applying a cross check that hit Ryan Kesler’s face in 2007.
2. Chris Simon (30 games)
Intentionally stepping on someone else’s limb is never an acceptable gesture, but Chris Simon didn’t know that of course. He even did that while wearing skates. Proving that he’s more evil than what his previous 25-game suspension penalty suggests, Simon went back to his wicked ways by stomping Pittsburgh’s Jarko Ruutu’s leg in December of 2007. What a class act.
1. Raffi Torres (41 games)
Even before Torres illegally checked Jakob Silfverberg in a 2015 preseason game, he already had a track record worthy of a felon. His hit on Silfverberg was the most diabolical, though.
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