The NHL has suspended Bruins forward Shawn Thornton for 15 games for his attack on Penguins defenceman Brooks Orpik. Jerami Grant 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. Detlef Schrempf Jersey . -- The Phoenix Coyotes have won three in a row for the first time in 4 1/2 months, and theyve done it just in time for the stretch run to the playoffs. Paul George Jersey . Browns owner Jimmy Haslam announced the move with Young on Monday during a speech at a Pro Football Hall of Fame luncheon. http://www.authenticthunderauthority.com/raymond-felton-thunder-jersey-c-24/ . He made another correct read. The Browns, who have been shuttling quarterbacks on and off the field all season, finally got some good news on that front: Campbells ribs are only bruised.DALLAS -- Dirk Nowitzki passed Jerry West on the NBA scoring list from a familiar spot: behind the 3-point line. Nowitzki had 19 points, including consecutive shots from long range in the third quarter to move up to 16th in career scoring, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Washington Wizards 105-95 Tuesday night. The 7-foot German will go down as the best-shooting big man in league history whenever he retires, so it was fitting that the 35-year-old was 26 feet from the basket when he supplanted the man whose silhouette serves the NBA logo. "Jerry is the man," said Nowitzki, who finished the night with 25,197 points and now goes after Reggie Miller for 15th at 25,279 points. "He is the logo and that says it all. It has been a great ride." Trevor Ariza led the Wizards with 27 points, including five 3-pointers. He also had seven rebounds and four steals. Monta Ellis started slowly from the field before scoring 10 in the fourth quarter to help the Mavericks improve to 4-0 at home this season. Ellis matched Nowitzki with 19. The Nowitzki was struggling from the field before a loose ball bounced to him above the key. The 11-time All-Star and 2007 MVP grabbed it, turned and hit a shot to get within a point of Wests record. On Dallas next possession, Gal Mekel passed to Nowitzki a few feet left of the previous spot, and Nowitzki pulled up and hit another from long range with 59.9 seconds left in the third. That bucket gave him 16 points for the game and put him ahead of West, who scored 25,192 in 14 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers from 1960-74. He went on to become their general manager and later a Memphis Grizzlies executive. Nowitzki, who is in his 16th season, ended up 8 of 19 from the field with eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. "Yeah, I suppose it was (fitting), although Jerry West never shot a 3," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "If there had been a 3-point line back then, this milestone would have come later. Hes going to pass more big names in the weeks and months to come." Vince Carter scored 16, and Samuel Dalembert led Dallas with 13 points in the first half and finished with 15. DeJuan Blair had nine points and 11 rebounds. Marcin Gortat had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Washington. The Wizards had their last lead early in the second quarter, but were down just 89-84 when Ellis hit a pull-up jumper and was fouled by Bradley Beal, who was held to nine points on 2-of-10 shooting two nights after scoring a career-high 34 in an overtime loss at Oklahoma City. Steven Adams Jersey. "Thats the confusing part," Beal said. "We played so aggressively and so hard against OKC. It was like Game 7 of the finals or something. Then now, we come out tonight and not have that same mentality." Ellis bucket over Beal was his first shot of the fourth quarter after he had gone 3 of 10 through the first three. Ellis missed the free throw, but the Wizards couldnt convert on three chances at the other end. After Nene lost the ball out of bounds trying to make a post move, Shawn Marion hit a runner to put Dallas back up by nine. "Hes going to keep attacking," Nowitzki said of Ellis. "All good scorers in this league are like that. He was phenomenal in the fourth quarter. He kept that cushion for us." Nowitzki hit a runner to give the Mavericks their biggest lead at 71-56, but the Wizards went on an 18-6 run to make it a game again. Ariza had 11 points during the run, including a 3-pointer and a dunk on consecutive possessions. John Wall had assists on five straight buckets during the spurt and finished with 10. Wall and Nene scored 14 apiece. Carter started a 16-2 Dallas run in the second quarter with a 3-pointer, and Ellis finished it with a nifty reverse layup to put the Mavericks up 49-38. After the Wizards got within four, Jose Calderon made a 3-pointer and Carter hit another 3 at the shot clock buzzer to give Dallas a 59-49 lead in the final minute of the first half. Carter was 4 of 9 from long range. The Mavericks scored seven points in one trip late in the first quarter to turn a 29-23 deficit into a 30-29 lead. Jae Crowder was fouled on a driving bank shot and missed the free throw, but DeJuan Blair grabbed the rebound before hitting a shot and getting fouled. His missed free throw was tipped by Carter to Mekel, who passed back to Carter for a 3-pointer from the left wing. "Thats just commitment to rebounding," Washington coach Randy Wittman said. "Just not ready. I dont know what to say about that. Inexcusable." NOTES: The teams combined to shoot 60 per cent in a 67-point first quarter, which ended with the Wizards in front 34-33. ... Mavericks G Wayne Ellington sat out with a right thigh contusion. ... Mavericks G Devin Harris says hes targeting a mid-December return from off-season toe surgery. China Jerseys Cheap Wholesale Authentic Jerseys NFL Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys From China ' ' '