Jarret Stoll harbors no ill will towards Raffi Torres, or the hit that put him on the shelf.
Stoll, the Kings center that’s been out of action Game 1 of the L.A.-San Jose series, says the Torres hit was a “hockey play” -- interesting, given that Torres was suspended for the remainder of the series because of it.
“It was a hockey play and a hit that did what it did,” Stoll told the LA Times on Sunday. “It’s over now.
“It’s a game. You play the game, there’s hitting and physical play involved. You take that chance.”
Stoll -- who, it should be mentioned, is good friends with Torres and was in Torres’ wedding party -- said it took a week to get rid of the headaches that plagued him after the hit, and noted that his former Oilers teammate reached out to him following the incident.
(He did not get into what was said, though.)
Stoll skated for the first time since the injury on Friday, and has done so since without setback.
“It’s fine. Obviously, I’m skating so there’s no setbacks,” he said. “I’m taking it slow. I’ve done this before, earlier on in my career, so I know how it feels and what’s right and what’s not, if I’m off or back to normal or not.
“So just day by day.”
Stoll’s comments will likely draw a lot of response, given not only the severity of Torres’ suspension but the equally severe punishment handed to Sharks GM Doug Wilson for challenging the ruling.
The Sharks were fined $100,000 by the league after Wilson called the Torres suspension “grossly unfair,” adding that the organization “strongly disagreed” with the decision.