Shawn Thornton Appealing 15-Game Suspension From NHL
BOSTON (CBS) -- Bruins winger Shawn Thornton will appeal his 15-game NHL suspension.
Thornton was handed the suspension on Saturday afternoon for his actions a week earlier against Pittsburgh's Brooks Orpik. He had a hearing with Brendan Shanahan and the department of player safety on Friday, and the decision came the following day.
The NHLPA announced via Twitter that Thornton would be appealing the ban.
"Shawn Thornton has decided to appeal the League's decision to suspend him for 15 games, and on his behalf the NHLPA has notified the NHL," the NHLPA tweeted.
The 15-game suspension stands to take more than $84,000 off Thornton's salary of $1.1 million.
USA Today's Mike Brehm noted that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will hold a hearing. If Shanahan's decision is upheld, Thornton will have the option of appealing to a neutral arbitrator.
Thornton has already sat out four games since the incident, while Orpik remains out for the Penguins with a concussion.
Thornton's 15-game suspension is the longest handed out in the regular season during Shanahan's tenure at the department of player safety. Previously, Shanahan had not issued a regular-season suspension of more than 10 games, though Raffi Torres was suspended for 25 games during the 2012 playoffs, a ban that was dropped to 21 games after an appeal.
Earlier this season, Buffalo's Patrick Kaleta appealed his 10-game suspension, but he dropped the appeal after Bettman upheld the ruling.
