Report: Sharks' Raffi Torres won't appeal 41-game suspension

San Jose Sharks forward Raffi Torres has declined the opportunity to appeal and will accept the whopping 41-game suspension handed down by the league for his headshot on Anaheim Ducks forward Jakob Slifverberg last weekend, reports TSN's Bob McKenzie.

Torres will forfeit nearly $441,000 as a result of the ban, his fifth since joining the NHL and the third-longest in league history.

He'll begin serving his suspension Wednesday as the Sharks open their regular-season schedule against the Los Angeles Kings, and won't be eligible to return until mid-January.

Had Torres chosen to appeal, his plea would have been heard first by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. From there, Torres and the Players' Association could have brought in an independent arbitrator.