Boston Bruins forward Shawn Thornton was given a 15-game suspension by the NHL for attacking Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik during a Dec. 7 game at TD Garden, TSN reported Saturday.

Because Thornton was assessed a match penalty for the incident, he by rule has missed the Bruins' past three games while he awaited Friday's in-person disciplinary hearing with the NHL in New York. The suspension is the first of Thornton's career.

Thornton had originally attempted to get Orpik to drop the gloves after his hit on Loui Eriksson resulted in a concussion, but Orpik would not oblige. During a stoppage in play at 11:06 of the first period, Thornton grabbed Orpik from behind, slew-footing him to the ice and punching him twice in the head. Orpik suffered a concussion and was taken off the ice on a stretcher and transported to the hospital. Orpik was released shortly after and cleared to return with the team to Pittsburgh, but he says he does not remember anything from the game.
rest - http://espn.go.com/boston/nhl/story/...orpik-incident