Shelley handed 10 games

The NHL has handed Philadelphia Flyers forward Jody Shelley a 10-game suspension for his hit from behind on Darryl Boyce of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos first reported the discipline, which will have Shelley sit the remainder of the pre-season and five regular-season games. He was also fined $67,073.15 in salary.

It was the second instance during this pre-season that the NHL has enforced disciplinary action; Calgary Flames forward Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond was given a five-game suspension earlier on Thursday.

The Shelley incident occurred in Philadelphia's 4-2 loss to Toronto on Tuesday night. Shelley received a five-minute boarding penalty midway through the second period for hitting Boyce when the Leafs forward had his back turned to the end boards.

Immediately after the hit, Toronto's Jay Rosehill and Shelley engaged in a lengthy fight. Shelley left the ice with the right side of his face bloodied. Both players received fighting majors, and Shelley was also given a game misconduct.

Shelley was considered a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement after being suspended twice last season for a total of four games. As a result, he forfeits his salary based on the number of games in the season (82), rather than the number of days (185).

Boyce left the game after the hit, only to return in the third period, when he garnered a 10-minute misconduct for engaging with Philadelphia's Scott Hartnell.

As he did when announcing the Letourneau-Leblond suspension, National Hockey League senior vice-president of player safety Brendan Shanahan released a video explaining the decision on Shelley. "Shelley’s two suspensions last season weighed heavily in this decision," Shanahan said.

Shelley waived his right to an in-person hearing with the NHL on Wednesday night.

After the discipline was announced, Shelley told CSNPhilly.com he was "still a little shocked."