San Jose Sharks General Manager Fined $100,000 For Public Criticism Of Torres Suspension: Violates 48-Hour Rule, Says NHL

Doug Wilson, the San Jose Sharks General Manager was fined $100,000 for his criticisms of the suspension of Raffi Torres. It’s a dual combination that doesn’t bode well for the remainder of the series it has with Los Angeles Kings.

Torres was suspended by the NHL for a vicious hit on Kings center Jarrett Stoll during Game 1, and Sharks general manager Doug Wilson took exception to the decision and cost the organization a $100,000 in fines, according to CBS Sports.

Wilson’s comment on the situation prompted the league to issue the fine. He said of the suspension, “Comparing the facts of this incident against the actual wording of Rule 48.1, it appears that the NHL has not only made an inappropriate application of this rule but is trying to make an example out of a player who is being judged on past events, one who has changed his game dramatically this season and taken only six minor penalties in 39 games.”

The San Jose Sharks general manager also said, "It is abundantly clear that this was a clean hockey hit. As noted by the NHL, Raffi's initial point of contact was a shoulder-to-shoulder hit on an opponent who was playing the puck. He did not leave his feet or elevate, he kept his shoulder tucked and elbow down at his side, and he was gliding -- not skating or charging."

The NHL said that Wilson was in violation of the league rules that bar teams from making official statements in the 48-hour window after a disciplinary ruling has been made. The violation carries a $25,000, but the team was fined an additional $75,000 because of the “inappropriate nature” of the general manager’s comments.

NHL senior vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan explained that Torres was suspended because the principle point of contact on his hit was Stoll’s head. Shanahan did not make note of Torres’s status as a repeat offender, as defined by the league’s collective bargaining agreement, because it is his fourth suspension.