On Tuesday night during a matchup between the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins, Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara sent Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty head first into the space where the glass starts again after a break from the boards. Pacioretty left the game on a stretcher and suffered a severe concussion and a fractured fourth cervical vertebrate. Chara received a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct. The NHL further reviewed the hit and deemed that Chara should receive no further punishment because they didn't feel it was intentional. To anyone watching they could see that the hit was wrong. Personally, I feel that it was intentional. The way Chara shoved his arm into Pacioretty's head it was like he made sure to finish him off. One of the excuses was that Chara didn't exactly know that he was that close to that area. Chara is a 12 year NHL veteran and has been playing hockey numerous years before the NHL, he should know the rink and see not to hit Pacioretty like that in that area. He should also take responsibility for it. Chara expressed in the postgame that the hit was"unfortunate" and that Pacioretty "jumped a lttle bit." The irony in this hit was that it was on the anniversary of the infamous Todd Bertuzzi and Steve Moore incident. That was where Bertuzzi sucker punched Moore in the neck which ended Moore's career.
Chara's hit on Pacioretty
The bigger question is not whether the hit is right or wrong but the NHL's policy on head shots. It seems that they don't really care about their players. They do have a rule that punishes players for intentional head shots but unless you are in the offender's head, how do you know whether it's intentional or not. In a season where numerous players have suffered concussions, including star players Sidney Crosby (missed 27 games and counting) and Brad Richards (missed 10 games), it is time for the NHL to have a rule banning all head shots. What will it take for them to change it? Will someone have to die before they do something? Penguins GM Ray Shero in an interview with the USA Today said this:
"We are a league where you can accidentally hit a guy in the head with your shoulder and not be penalized. But if you clear a puck out of your zone and it accidentally goes into the stands, they give you two minutes. Does that make sense?"
That does not make sense which is why the NHL needs to change the rule. Now Chara is an all-star player who doesn't have a history of cheap shots but what about the goons some NHL teams employ who specialize in harming others. A classic example is the New York Islanders Trevor Gillies. Gillies, 32, has played 48 NHL games with one goal and one assist. In February in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Gillies elbowed penguins forward Eric Tangradi and then proceeded to punch him multiple times while Tangradi was on the ice. Afterwards Gillies taunted Tangradi before leaving to the locker room. Tangradi suffered a concussion from the hit and is currently still out of action. The NHL suspended Gillies for nine games. The game that Gillies came back he checked and punched Minnesota Wild forward Cal Clutterbuck from behind. Gillies was suspended ten games for that incident.
Eric Tangradi after being attacked by Trevor Gillies
The Chara hit has raised questions about change for the NHL. Montreal Canadiens fans tried to take it into their own hands by calling the police to file a criminal complaint against Zdeno Chara. Well no one can say that Canadiens fans aren't passionate. Although that is extreme for fans to do something must be done to stop this. Lets face it, people pay big money to see star players work their magic. If the star players aren't there due to concussions people won't come and thus there will be fewer fans of hockey. Critics worry that it will make the game less tough. This almost seems eerily similar to football. Safety for the players needs to be the number one thing. Players are bigger, faster and stronger than ever before. Shouldn't we better protect them? Anyways, players will adjust to the rules just like they did after the lockout when there was a crackdown on holding and hooking other players.
To see the video for yourself you can click here:http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Max-Pacioretty-stretchered-off-after-devastating?urn=nhl-331549
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