CHICAGO - The NHL suspended Coyotes forward Raffi Torres indefinitely on Wednesday for knocking Chicago's Marian Hossa out of the game - and maybe the playoffs - with a shoulder blow to the head.
Hossa won't play in Game 4 on tonight with the Coyotes leading the series 2-1. He was at home resting, exchanging texts with his Blackhawks teammates less than 24 hours after he was carried off the ice on a stretcher and taken to a hospital.
The hard knock by Torres was the latest in a first round that has been dominated by brawls and violent hits. The NHL scheduled a Friday hearing in New York for a player who has a reputation for big - and some say dirty - hits.
Depending on the locker room, the severity of the blow - one year after Torres did the same thing to Chicago's Brent Seabrook while playing for Vancouver - differed and took the spotlight from a competitive first-round matchup that has seen all three games go to overtime.
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"I've seen a lot of other hits like it in the league. It's a fast game," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said Wednesday. "The thing about TV is you can slow it down, and you can click and click and click it. When you're out there on the ice, it's not slowed down and click, click, click. It's a fast game.'
"I don't think there was any malicious intent on Raffi's part," he added. "He's a hard hitter. That's the way he plays the game. He turned, coming full speed, caught a guy right in the chest. Unfortunately, the player was injured."
Torres' skates were off the ice as he hit Hossa and sent Chicago's regular-season points leader crashing to the ice in the first period. Hossa had just passed the puck when he was hit.
"There's only been one dirty hit in our series, and you saw the same thing from that guy last year in the same series," Chicago's Patrick Sharp said. "You know it's coming. You try to warn your linemates and be aware when he's on the ice. He's got a history of targeting guys' heads and having questionable hits."
Chicago coach Joel Quenneville reiterated that the hit on Hossa was "brutal." He said there was little change in Hossa's condition without being specific, but said he was definitely out for Thursday's game.
Today
• What: Coyotes at Blackhawks, Coyotes lead series 2-1
• When: 5 p.m.
• TV: FSAZ Plus
