The entire Hockey Wilderness crew took last night off, so we are late arriving to the party on this, but it seems all it takes to get a hearing from Brendan Shanahan for making a dirty hit on a Wild player is for you to already have made two dirty hits in your previous two games. We'll keep this simple, since it appears to already be in the process.

When you get done reading this post, ask yourself one question... why does this hit warrant a suspension, but the others in the past three weeks did not? If you have an answer, please let us know, because we can't quite figure it out.

The system has grown so irritating that it makes little sense to ponder such questions, but for your sake, and the sake of the debate, we continue to ask for the input of fans. Even if Mr. Shanahan explicitly says he doesn't care what you think. Wait, sorry... he "doesn't have time" for what you think. We're certain he cares, or would say so if asked. After all, hockey fans are what make the game great, right?

Here is the video:

The video isn't great, since the hit happened just as the camera was panning away, but it does show Torres get there late, and hit Prosser up high. How this isn't just a prototypical "heel pick" escapes me. (That was dripping with sarcasm, folks.)

And from NHL.com:

Coyotes' forward Raffi Torres faces a disciplinary hearing Monday morning for his hit on Wild defenseman Nate Prosser during Saturday's game. There was no penalty assessed on the play.

With the hearing already scheduled, and Torres having just been fined (that $2500 is a real deterrent) for a dirty hit in his last game, and escaping punishment the game before that, it is clear the league wants to send Mr. Torres a message. Our bet? If Torres had not just been fined, this doesn't get a second look.

Nice to see a dirty hit get punished, and yet at the same time, offers little comfort or clarity to the process.