Thornton Suspension Upheld, Coach Q Rises on All-Time Wins List

For the NHL, they’ve had a nice Christmas break and will resume play on Friday. One of the few stories coming out of the last few days has included the continued suspension of the Boston Bruins (25-10-2) Shawn Thornton.

Shawn Thornton

On Tuesday, league commissioner Gary Bettman announced that Thornton’s 15-game suspension had been upheld. He said in a statement via ESPN.com,

“I find that there is clear and convincing evidence to support Mr. Shanahan’s conclusion that a suspension of 15 games is appropriate.There is no question that the conduct was improper, intentional and involved the use of excessive and unnecessary force. Simply put, this was a bad act with a bad result, and neither will be tolerated in our game. Again, I note that Mr. Thornton has a reputation for being a ‘good actor’ and a model NHL citizen, but that does not eliminate the need for him to be punished appropriately for his bad act in this case.”

Back on Dec.  7, Thornton had been penalized in the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins (27-11-1) after he attacked Brooks Orpik while a stoppage took place in during its first period. Bettman believed the altercation came as retribution from a previous hit by Orpik on another Bruins player, who received a concussion.

Oprpik subsequently got his own a concussion from the incident and Thornton underwent an NHL disciplinary hearing on Dec. 13. On the following day he received his suspension and subsequently appealed it on Dec. 17.

After upholding the decision on Tuesday, Thornton’s next possible course of action is to make an appeal to independent arbitrator; it will then take seven days to reach a decision.

For the player, he’ll be eligible to return to play on Jan. 11.

On Friday, the Bruins will return to the ice and look for a third straight win. This can come against the Ottawa Senators (15-7-7).

Boston sits at 8-1 to win the 2014 Stanley Cup.

Hawks Quenneville Rising on All-Time Wins List

For Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville, his team keeps winning this season (26-7-6) and he now finds himself climbing the all-time wins list for coaches. He currently sits in the fourth spot with his 686 wins and is only six games behind Hall of Famer coach Dick Irvin to tie him.

Joel Quenneville

Quenneville has the support of his team, as his players enjoy playing for this “players’ coach.” Hawks player Patrick Sharp said of his coach via NBCSports.com, “Playing for Joel is awesome. You know what you’re going to get from him. What I like about him is he’s approachable on and off the ice. You can talk to him about hockey, about personal things, and he’s always there to help out the player.”

It will be a tough climb for Quenneville to reach his next second-place milestone by Al Arbour with his 782 wins; the top spot of 1,244 victories is held by Scotty Bowman.

The Blackhawks will get back to action on Friday against the Colorado Avalanche (23-10-3). Chicago sits in the top spot for the 2014 Stanley Cup win at 11/2.

Should the team win their third one under Quenneville,  he will only be the 10th individual as a coach to do so.

Ericsson Out with Broken Ribs

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson is expected to be out three to five weeks after going down on Monday night with fractured ribs. This came in a game against the New York Islanders, ending in a 3-0 loss.

Ericsson exited the game in the second period after he hit Islanders Matt Martin. He eventually went to the hospital to receive an evaluation.

The player just joined the Red Wings in November with a six-year, $25.5 million deal. The team sits at 25/1 to win this year’s Stanley Cup.