Marshall turnovers that were converted

The NHL has suspended Bruins forward Shawn Thornton for 15 games for his attack on Penguins defenceman Brooks Orpik. Norm Cash Jersey . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. Orpik suffered a concussion and was taken off the ice on a stretcher and sent to hospital. "This cannot be described as a hockey play that went bad, nor do we consider this a spontaneous reaction to an incident that just occurred," NHL director of player safety Brendan Shanahan said. The NHL described it as an "act of retribution." After he was suspended, his people, which include the NHLPA and his lawyer/agent, issued the following statement: "I am aware of todays ruling by the NHL department of player safety. I will be consulting with the Bruins, my representation and the NHLPA about next steps, and will be in a position to address the matter publicly after speaking with those parties." Translation: Thornton and the NHLPA are assessing the merits of an appeal and whether he stands a reasonable chance of getting his suspension reduced. Bruins president Cam Neely believes that the suspension is too long. "Higher than I expected and higher than I think is warranted…Weve had our fair share of players hurt badly by concussions. I dont think anyones gotten a 15-game suspension out of those. Thornton is a guy who plays the role he plays and has never had any suspensions or issues. It comes down a little harsh for me" Neely declared. Timeline Thornton has 48 hours to appeal his suspension as per the collective bargaining agreement. That takes us to Monday. That appeal goes to the Commissioner Gary Bettman. Since the suspension is over five games, Bettman will need to conduct an in-person hearing. Assuming Bettman upholds Thorntons suspension, which is a near certainty, Thornton will have seven days to appeal the decision to an independent arbitrator. The arbitrator will also have to hold an in-person hearing. If Thornton does appeal, the NHLPA will argue that the length of the suspension is not in keeping with the leagues practice for similar incidents. Effectively, it will be argued that the punishment is disproportionately long. Could Thornton Win An Appeal? Should the case be appealed to an arbitrator, Thornton will have a difficult time getting the suspension reduced. Ultimately, the appeal is unlikely to meet with success. Why? The league should be able to demonstrate that the length of the suspension is aligned with its past practice when it comes to incidents where one player intentionally targets and assaults another player in a manner that cannot be considered contact that is incidental to the game. Heres just a sample of suspensions dating back to 1978 that the NHL could rely on to show that the Thornton suspension makes sense: Chris Simon (2007): 30 games for stomping on the leg of Jarko RuutuJesse Boulerice (2007): 25 games for a cross-check to the face of Ryan KeslerRaffi Torres (2012): 25 games for his hit on Marian HossaMarty McSorley (2000): 23 games for swinging his stick at Donald Brashears headDale Hunter (1993): 21 games for his hit on Pierre TurgeonBrad May (2000): 20 games for a slash to the head of Steve HeinzeSteve Downie (2007): 20 games for launching himself at the head of Dean McAmmondTodd Bertuzzi (2004): 20 games for his assault on Steve MooreDave Brown (1987): 15 games for his cross-check to Tomas Sandstroms faceTony Granato (1994): 15 games for slashing Pittsburghs Neil WilkinsonWilf Paiement (1978): 15 games for swinging his stick and hitting Dennis Polonich in the face There are certainly arguments that could be relied on to distinguish certain of these incidents from the Thornton incident. That being said, however, all share a common element: an intent to harm together with contact that falls squarely outside the scope of what is considered acceptable contact in the game of hockey. In these cases, the length of suspensions has ranged from 15 to 30 games. The league will also be able to rely on an extensive history of lengthy suspensions. The NHL has been suspending players for long stretches for decades. Thornton suspension, the league will argue, is by no means unique. Rather, the length fits in nicely with previous cases and is wholly supported by precedent. In fact, based upon the leagues history of suspensions and the egregious nature of the incident, the NHL may well be in a position to argue that it exercised restraint in suspending Thornton. The suspension, the league may contend, could have been longer but was reduced on account of Thornton having no priors. One more thing: the league could argue that times have changed. It is now generally accepted that players can suffer irreversible brain damage as a result of blows to the head, and as a result, the league must take active and decisive steps to safeguard the brains of its players. Part of that is imposing sanctions that are designed to strongly discourage behavior that threatens the long-term health of its players. Failing to firmly discipline players in these circumstances puts all players at risk at a most sensitive time for sports. So relying, in part, on deterrence may assist the NHLs position. Merits aside, we may still see an appeal. The option to appeal a suspension to an independent arbitrator is brand new having been introduced in the latest CBA. So far, no case has been appealed to an arbitrator. The NHLPA may want to appeal the decision to start building case law and precedents for future cases. So while this case does not present a high likelihood of success for Thornton, the NHLPA may want a decision from an arbitrator to help guide it on future cases. Indeed, there is value in precedents. Ultimately, given the NHLs past practice when it comes to assault on the ice, Thorntons suspension is on the lighter side or at the very least eminently reasonable. So I dont see an appeal unless the NHLPA wants to start building precedents. The problem with that, however, is that this isnt a great case to test the independent arbitrator waters since Thornton is very likely on the losing side of the case. Stitched Tigers Jerseys .The Los Angeles Lakers star passed Michael Jordan for third on the NBAs career scoring list Sunday night in a 100-94 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Detroit Tigers Pro Shop .com) - His team lost in the round of 16 of the FCS playoffs, yet Northern Iowa football coach Mark Farley says his team has made a strong case to be voted to the top 5 in the final rankings. https://www.cheaptigers.com/ . Dwyane Wade followed a few days later.Louisville, KY - Chris Jones paced five Louisville players in double figures with 18 points as the seventh-ranked Cardinals posted an 85-67 victory over Marshall at the KFC Yum! Center. Terry Rozier added 17 points and Wayne Blackshear had 16 for Louisville (3-0), which overcame a slow start and a troublesome shooting effort to prevail. The Cardinals hit on just 38.6 percent of their field goal attempts and went 3-of-22 from 3-point range, but forced 21 Marshall turnovers that were converted into 24 points. Montrezl Harrell contributed 12 points to the win, with Chinanu Onuaku recording a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds for Louisville. Marshall (3-1), which had won its first three games -- albeit against far lesser competition -- by an average of 20 points, was led by Shawn Smiths 16 points and an impressive 15-point, 18-rebound, eight-assist effort from Ryan Taylor. Louisvilles shooting woes enabled the Thundering Herd to hang around through much of the first half, with Marshall owning a slim 20-18 edge following DeVince Boykins slam with 8:35 remaining in the opening period. The Cardinals then began to assume control, putting forth an 11-0 run that featured three dunks. Cheikh Sane converted a 3-point play to temporarily give Marshall some momentum, but Louisville answered with eight consecutive points to claim a 37-23 lead with three minutes to go in the half. Johnny Pesky Jersey. Blackshear hit two free throws in the final minute to put Louisville up 41-27 at the break, with 14 of those points coming off 14 Marshall turnovers. Louisville kept up its defensive effectiveness in the second half to make sure the Herd never threatened after the intermission. Marshall continued to struggle making shots, and the Cardinals effectively put the game away with an 11-2 run that was capped by a Jones 3-pointer, which staked Louisville to a commanding 58-36 lead with 13 minutes left. The Cardinals maintained a comfortable differential the rest of the way, with Marshall never cutting the deficit under 13 points. Game Notes Marshall has lost seven straight to the Cardinals and fell to 0-8 all-time in Louisville ... The game was part of the 2014 Global Sports Showcase, a five- time, round-robin event that also contains Cleveland State, Jacksonville State and Savannah State as participants ... The Thundering Herd won their first two games of the tournament, opening the season with wins over Jacksonville State and Savannah State ... The win was the 698th of Louisville head coach Rick Pitinos career. ' ' '