John Tortorella suspended 15 days for role in altercation with Flames

John Tortorella tried to enter the Flames' locker room on Saturday during an altercation. (Jeff Vinnick/NHL)

Vancouver Canucks head coach John Tortorella has been suspended 15 days without pay by the NHL for his role in an altercation with members of the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

The league announced the suspension Monday night. Tortorella will miss six games. The suspension means that he cannot have any interaction with his club prior to, during or after games.

"Mr. Tortorella's actions in attempting to enter the Calgary Flames locker room after the first period were both dangerous and an embarrassment to the League,"  NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell said in a statement on Monday. "Coaches in the NHL bear the responsibility of providing leadership, even when emotions run high, and Mr. Tortorella failed in his responsibility to the game."

The NHL also announced it had fined Flames head coach Bob Hartley $25,000 for his role in the fracas. The league said it was holding Hartley responsible for the actions of right wing Kevin Westgarth, who began the game by instigating a fight.

Tortorella had to be restrained on Saturday from going into the Flames' locker room during the first intermission of the Canucks' matchup with the Flames. The two teams had played through a heated first period of action. As soon as the referee dropped the puck to open the game, all 10 skaters on the ice began brawling. That brawl alone led to eight ejections and 152 penalty minutes, and the teams added 18 more penalty minutes before the period ended.

Here's video of Tortorella being restrained on Saturday: