On Tuesday, March 8, 2011, Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara hit Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty. Pacioretty chipped the puck forward, and Chara hit Pacioretty into the boards, causing Pacioretty’s face to smash into the turnbuckle that separates the two benches. Pacioretty suffered a severe concussion and a fractured vertebra. The video can be seen here.
According to Global Montreal, on Thursday, March 10, 2001, Montreal police launched an investigation to determine whether Chara’s hit is worthy of a criminal charge. It’s ridiculous to think Chara’s hit should be investigated by Montreal police.
Zdeno Chara is not a repeat offender
The biggest reason why the Montreal police should not investigate this matter is because Chara is not a dirty player. He has no record of dirty hits. He simply plays a tough, physical game. Chara stands at 6-foot-9 and 255 pounds. When a player at that size going that fast hits you, it’s going to cause some damage. Pacioretty happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The argument could be made that Chara should not have hit Pacioretty in the first place since he did not have the puck. Chara did get a five-minute interference penalty on the play, which seemed fitting. However, in the heat of the battle, Chara will do just about anything to stop Pacioretty from skating past him, and hitting him was his best option.
NHL does not suspend Zdeno Chara
On Wednesday, March 9, 2011, the NHL investigated the hit and ruled that Chara would not be fined or suspended. Pacioretty, among other people, was outraged.
Any time a player gets severely injured, people want the league to do anything in their power to suspend/fine the culprit. Player safety is a very important issue, but hockey is a dangerous sport.
The players are well aware of this when they sign up for it. Almost everything is done to ensure player safety, but hockey is a game of speed and strength. Unfortunately, severe injuries will occur. There is no way around it.
Since, the NHL decided not to suspend Chara, there is no reason why the Montreal police should launch a formal investigation. The NHL does not have a problem with disciplining players for excessive violence.
As recently as March 4, 2011, New York Islanders forward Trevor Gillies was suspended 10 games by the NHL for his hit to the head of Minnesota Wild’s Cal Clutterbuck.
The Montreal police have gone too far. Chara is not a violent player, and his hit was not done with malicious intent. It is unfortunate Pacioretty suffered a severe injury, but that is the nature of the game.
Tom Mitsos - Tom Mitsos currently works at The Grand Rapids Press as a copy editor for the sports department. Contact Tom at tommitsos@gmail.com.
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