Bettman Turns Hunter Into $150,000 Example : Hockey: Commissioner suspends him for 21 games, costing the Capital center one-fourth of his salary, for late hit on Turgeon.

Dale Hunter of the Washington Capitals received a record 21-game suspension without pay by the NHL on Tuesday, a move designed to punish him and send a message across the league.

The suspension, the longest for an on-ice incident in NHL history, takes effect at the start of next season. Hunter cannot play in exhibition games or practice until two weeks before the suspension ends.

The suspension will cost Hunter one-fourth of his salary, which is about $150,000. The Capitals will pay that $150,000 to the league’s emergency assistance fund for needy former players.

Hunter was penalized for a blindside check on Pierre Turgeon of the New York Islanders in a playoff game April 28. Turgeon had just given New York a 5-1 third-period lead and was raising his arms in celebration when Hunter rammed him into the boards.

Turgeon, the Islanders’ leading scorer, suffered a separated shoulder that has sidelined him for the Patrick Division finals against Pittsburgh.

“No punishment can undo Hunter’s actions or erase the competitive loss by the Islanders,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said.

Bettman added that 21 games is symbolic because:

--It is one more game than the previous worst suspension.

--It represents one-quarter of a regular season.

--It is the maximum number of playoff games the Islanders could play in the last three rounds.

David Poile, Capital general manager, said the club will not appeal. “We feel the suspension is very, very harsh,” he said. “Obviously, this is not what we were expecting. I’m not sure what I expected--certainly not that.”

Hunter said he regrets his actions, but he does not believe they merited such a penalty.

“Deep down, I do not believe it was warranted,” he said. “I have spoken to Commissioner Bettman, and he has outlined and explained his decision. While I am unhappy with it, I will accept his judgment.”

Turgeon said Hunter called him last week to apologize.

“The first thing he said was, ‘You don’t have to say anything,’ ” Turgeon said. “He apologized and said he really didn’t see the goal. That was about it. It was about 30 seconds, that’s all.”

Turgeon said he has trouble with Hunter’s explanation.

“I don’t believe that,” he said. “You can see on the replay it was four or five seconds later. We don’t need that kind of stuff in hockey. We can’t have that kind of stuff. We can’t have that stuff on TV.

“I do take into consideration it is the biggest suspension made in the National Hockey League, but I’d love to be out there against the Pittsburgh Penguins and I can’t do it.”

Before Hunter’s penalty, the longest suspension for an on-ice incident was 20 games against Chicago’s Tom Lysiak for intentionally tripping a linesman in 1983.

NHL’s Reaction to Violent Acts Largest suspensions for violent acts in NHL: * 21 games--Dale Hunter (Washington) in 1993 for a blindside check of Pierre Turgeon of the N.Y. Islanders after a goal in a playoff game. * 20 games--Tom Lysiak of Chicago in 1983 for intentionally tripping a linesman. * 16 games--Eddie Shore of Boston in 1933 for hitting Toronto’s Ace Bailey over the head with his stick. * 15 games--Maurice Richard of Montreal in 1955 for leveling linesman Cliff Thompson during a scuffle with Boston’s Hal Laycoe. * 15 games--Wilf Paiement of Colorado in 1978 for swinging his stick and hitting Detroit’s Dennis Polonich in the face. * 15 games--Dave Brown of Philadelphia in 1987 for cross-checking Tomas Sandstrom of the New York Rangers across the face. * 12 games--Ron Hextall of Philadelphia in 1989 for attacking Montreal defenseman Chris Chelios in a playoff game.