Last night we played the Bruins. We'll get to the good now: Habs won 4-1. They played a fast, tight game. They looked great. Which is good, because everyone was expecting a physical game based on how the last game went between the two teams. Boston is well known for being a physical team, and the brutes of the NHL and the Habs stepped up their game to out-skate them and out-play them.
And then the bad happened. End of 2nd period. This is what happened, and I warn you its a pretty bad hit:
Chara hit on Pacioretty
Pacioretty was knocked out. And not just for a few seconds, he was knocked out for a good while...several minutes. He lay on the ice motionless and was carried off on a stretcher and taken away by ambulance. The only news by the end of the game was that he was able to move his lower extremities and speak. Which means nothing, only that he is not paralyzed.
There was a 5 minute penalty given to Boston, and Chara was kicked out of the rest of the game with a disciplinary hearing following the next day (today). Big whoop. Everyone knows that Campbell is part of the disciplinary board (whatever you want to call it, whatever the technical title is) and that his son plays for Boston, and therefore Boston is protected. (The NHL is fast getting a record for being a thug league because of politics like this).
The result of the hit on Pacioretty
If you don't want to read it, Pacioretty "suffered a severe concussion and a non-displaced fractured fourth cervical vertebrae in his neck after being hit into a glass partition between the benches by Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara"
The verdict:
Chara gets off with no suspension and no further punishment.
The statement given by the NHL, relealsed by Murphy:
"I conducted a hearing with Boston Bruins' defenseman Zdeno Chara with respect to the major penalty for interference and game misconduct that he was assessed at 19:44 of the second period for a hit on Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens.
"After a thorough review of the video I can find no basis to impose supplemental discipline. This hit resulted from a play that evolved and then happened very quickly -- with both players skating in the same direction and with Chara attempting to angle his opponent into the boards. I could not find any evidence to suggest that, beyond this being a correct call for interference, that Chara targeted the head of his opponent, left his feet or delivered the check in any other manner that could be deemed to be dangerous.
"This was a hockey play that resulted in an injury because of the player colliding with the stanchion and then the ice surface. In reviewing this play, I also took into consideration that Chara has not been involved in a supplemental discipline incident during his 13-year NHL career."
MY OPINOIN:
You can argue whether the hit was with malicious intent or not, we will never really know. You can also argue that Chara had no bad record before this hit But that doesn't matter. What matters is what happened now, in this current moment.
And in that current moment, an illegal hit was performed by Chara when the puck was not in play resulting in a major head injury to another player. That in itself is worth a suspension. How long, who knows? He finished his check, made contact with the players head which was than knocked into the partition. No, he didn't mean to hurt him. But the fact is that he did. It doesn't matter if he meant to.
Many are arguing this point and I argue the same. If a person causes a car accident on the road and injures someone, even though they had a perfect record prior to this accident do they get off? No, they are charged and held responsible.
Many argue that Chara didn't know where he was in relation to the parition. Even some NHL players say you know where you are on the ice at all times, you have to at this level because you need to know where you are. Are you going to seriously tell me that Chara didn't see all his teammates sitting there on the bench and realize he was nearing the partition?
It is also a fact that the NHL is still the only sports league that has lax rules on head injuries, and are already facing extreme precious for more serious consequences regarding these kind of injuries to be set in place. The fact that they haven't is another reason they are being given the label of a "thug" league.
I did some research on the injury, and the cervical vertebrae are right under the skull. The non-displaced means that the bone, although fractured, is still in place. I did some further research on what this could mean and found out that although he can move his limbs now this injury is still serious enough that any disruption in that area could STILL result in a spinal cord injury - paralysis. It will always be unstable, even if he has a complete recovery and comes back to play, every time he steps on the ice he will risk death or brain injury or paralysis if he ever gets another head injury again.
The fact is that Pacioretty is out for the season. His career may very well be over. He is 22 years old, and one of the most promising Rookies on the Habs. Or was.
You decide for yourself if Chara's lack of punishment was right.
I am personally disgusted enough to stop watching the NHL.
I end with extending my wishes and prayers to Patches and his family, that he recovers fully and that there are no further complications.
What a shame that night was. Forever etched in my memory. And not for a good reason.
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