Chara/By S. Bradley
WILMINGTON, Mass. — In the hour or so before the NHL announced it would not fine or suspend Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara today for his hit on Montreal’s Max Pacioretty last night, one statement from Boston head coach Claude Julien said it all.
In defending Chara’s actions and overall character, Julien said:
“We’re sensitive to the player [Pacioretty] when it comes to that. At the same time, you have to support your player if you believe that it wasn’t dirty and it wasn’t intentional. And I believe that. …
“You’ve got to understand the other side. If that was one of our players, we would do the same thing. We would go to bat for our player. And that’s what they’re doing. I’m not accusing them of doing anything. They’re doing what they have to do and we’re doing what we have to do. Right now, it’s about belief and it’s about waiting to see what the league is going to decide on that. We have no control over that.”
The Bruins, as Julien acknowledged, have been on the other side of this type of incident a couple times in recent years with Patrice Bergeron and Marc Savard. Back then, it was the Bruins calling for the other players’ heads and the other team defending the honor of their player. The role reversed last month when Daniel Paille hit Dallas’ Ray Sawada.
I won’t bother posting all the comments from Bruins players defending Chara. And I won’t look up links to Montreal quotes on the matter. We know that everything said in public is based on sweater color and in-season hometown. Fact is, no one will ever know what Chara was thinking. And if Pacioretty was unscathed on the play, there would’ve been no controversy and maybe no penalty.
Now we know the league sided with Chara and the Bruins on this matter. No doubt, the Montreal parties will not be satisfied. Such is life in the NHL. Sometimes there’s a measure of justice and sometimes there’s not.
Chara said he’ll reach out to Pacioretty when he has a chance to let him know he did not intend to injure. That’s the expected move from a solid guy off the ice.
Chara will play for the Bruins tomorrow night against Buffalo, and if and when Pacioretty can play again, he will.
We knew there wasn’t going to be an answer to this debate that would satisfy both sides. And nothing can take back what happened to Pacioretty. All we know — and all sides can agree on this — is that the league might want to look into removing a turnbuckle from the middle of a hockey rink.
What the NHL needs is new leadership. It’s obvious the the top Cronies are on too many payrolls.
http://tinyurl.com/46z3jh9
Explain me why his head is holding and aiming Max head and tell me there no intention…
Again, I have to comment on the quality of the posts from David. I don’t like to visit other teams sites or blogs to stir things up, but to see the views and comments from other fans and at times throw in my own two cents. David, you clearly are an intelligent hockey fan. I doubt I would always agree with you, but I think I respect your opinion more than most Boston fans (not meant to disrespect other Boston fans).
Stay objective!
By the way, according to the rulebook ANY hit on a players that doesn’t have the puck is illegal. Any. Textually: the goal of a check is to seperate the player from the puck, not to seperate the head of a player who doesn’t have it. That alone warrants enforcement on most of the cheap shots we’ve seen in the last few years. In this case, Pacioretty was chasing the puck. It’s at best interferrence, but what he did was illegal, and should pay the consequences, but he won’t.
Hell, due to the lack of NHL enforcement, the March 23rd game will most likely be a debacle like the shitfest last time the Habs went to Boston (which wasn’t good hockey on both sides).
Also, according to and espn interview, there has apparently been a major penalty assessed for interference before, though not a single analyst could ever recall it. But they said it had happened.
Just to be clear Frank, I entirely agree with your sentiment, but the hit was late and technically illegal by the rulebook, as that is deemed interference.
As I have already said, the hit mechanics were clean, and that is not what I wish to point out, only that the hit was illegal based on timing.
To ride a guy into a stansion on a hit to the chest is not suspendable by NHL rules as far as I know. Truly sorry for Pacioretti but accidents happen & are part of this game. The severity of an injury should NEVER have an impact on a possible suspension when it happens on a LEGAL hit. Stancions are unfortunately part of ice surface.
It It started last year, but the 2-1-2 is basic offense. Add to that speed and that’s why the Habs seems to have the numbers of very specific teams in the league. Key word: specific. Like Washington or Boston. They can’t do shit against the Flyers for exemple. I think some teams in the West are also doing it. All you need is speed.
Great article Martin, I totally agree with it. Now I have a question, do the canadiens always forecheck so deep and sometimes with 2 guys every game or was it more planned out for the bruins? Because I’m worried more teams will catch on and copy that plan. The bruins cannot handle a 2-1-2 to save their lives.
For the record, I’m a bruins fan who’s happy to call a spade a spade.
Why is it such a big deal now? While quite unfortunate, lets look elsewhere: 2 hits on Savard, I mean c’mon. The HABS fans want to talk about potentially cutting short a budding players career??
Let’s wake up people, there is no consistency. How many dirty hits did Cooke make before discipline was meted out?? This problem is bigger than the Chara hit.
Shame that fellow MTL fans are pouring in, in a very disrespectful matter.
Michael Farber from Sports Illustrated says it best BTW.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/michael_farber/03/09/max.pacioretty.zdeno.chara.hit/index.html
Even as a Habs fan, I always liked the Boston-Montreal rivalry, and there’s a lot of Boston fans up here, some of them my friends. Not one of them nor me expected Chara to escape this unscated. Hockey is sick. Sick as it was when Patrice Bergeron, Marc Savard, Sidney Crosby, David Perron and all the others started being victims of hits that went mostly unpunished. Hell, if there’ s ONE team in the league that should know anything about cheap shots considering these, it’s Boston! And mind you, I’m not talking about intentions, from Chara’s hit to Cooke’s as their different yet they’re all as dangerous.
NHL management is the main problem, for everyone.
I just think the NHL needs stop trying to figure out someones intent in these situations and just have concrete rules. Instead of saying Chara has no track record and no intent can be seen, they need to be able to say this….Chara there may be no intent and you have a clean record but since you rode a guy into a stansion and broke his neck your getting suspended and fined.
By George you’ve done it! You’ve managed to put us all in our respectives places, just like your beloved captain did to our star rookie. Shame on him and shame on anyone who defends that unconscionable hit. Ouvrez les yeux tous. That means open your eyes, if you do, you will see the truth, the play is what it is. It’s done and there is nothing any of us can do except bitch and blog in a feeble attempt to vent and come to terms with the mess. Hats off to anyone of any other culture who speaks up (in broken script or not) to rage against injustice. Do not go gentle into that good night, rage, rage until the dying of the light. I imagine that most Bruins fans would appreciate this sentiment. And on that note, I will bid you all adieu. God bless Pacioretty, despite our differences I can only hope that we can all agree on a full recovery for the native New Englander.
I think Patchioretty should be suspended and fined for causing all that grief to Chara…It’s an outrage and also he should be forced to pay the damages to the bay window.
If stupidity ruled and it does, that would be a great outcome!
Is it possible that Chara was just trying to make a play to stop another teams forward from getting by him and creating another scoring chance? Sure. Is it possible that Chara hates MP and was saw an opportunity to punish him along the boards? Sure it is. The problem here is a league that consistently does not have a rule to mandate a punishment for events that could occur during the game. There was no rule against what Cooke did to Savard and there is no rule against what Chara did to Max P. All of that being said, the energy some people put into trying to bother everyone who’s a fan of a different team is amazing to me. I’ve never had the urge to find a Canadiens blog and struggle to use broken French to talk about how much I hate their team and their organization because they call up a goon for one fight,fans boo our national anthem and the players flop and dive all game. I’d much rather read posts from Canadiens fans about their opinions on the games because I’m sure their knowledge of hockey is superb
http://tinyurl.com/46z3jh9
take a look at that 2min and tell me its aclean elbow hit and that he didt push it just where he know and even hold is head to make sure to hit where he want….If it wasnt non-intentionel he would turnaround and see what he did but he knew what he did
David, from a habs fan, post 14 was well said. 2 games and a slap on the weenie! Chara is usually responsible with his hits. This one was poor judgement. anyone who’s watched Chara is aware of his habits.
I am totally disgusted at this decision! Chara is no more than a goon and a bully and his attitude on and off the ice is deplorable, he even stooped so low as to imply that Pacioretty was to blame! What a good lesson for our kids to learn I don’t think. This young mans career is in jeopardy, not to mention his health and this idiot walks away scot free? What next, give him the keys to the city like Vick???? Sports stars are supposed to be setting good examples, Chara should sit out as many games as Max has to, even if that means never playing again, Chara, at least take some responsibility for your actions!
Chara pleaded mental illness and won his case. That’s all I can think of to explain such an outcome. Now, how do you explain that one to your son? Anyone?
For what it’s worth, Melrose and Barnaby (more significantly Melrose) feel the NHL got the right call.
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6198391
Melrose is one of the few analysts who has a decent perspective, and is therefore worth at least considering.
This wasn’t even a hit. He was about to give up a breakaway and chose to pinch him into the boards to stop that from happening. Was it interference? Yes, of course. He was penalized for this and was actually given a major and misconduct just because of the injury. If this hit took place 1 foot further down the boards this is a non issue. People are acting as if Chara grabbed him by the ankles and swung him into the stantion.
I’m pretty sure that if Chara wanted revenge for the OT shove from Max, He’d rather have punched him in the face and not wait for a perfect storm scenerio to get his head into the stansion…
The argument that says that all hockey players know exactly where they are on the ice is silly. If that were the case and Chara knew about the stantion, then Max should have known too. He could of hit the brakes or put his hands up to brace for the impact. It was a fluke play that caused serious injury. We all as B’s fans want Max to make a full and fast recovery as we know what it’s like to see our guys carted off the ice. It’s not good…
I can’t believe Chara got off so easy. It’s not like if he’s a new player and doesn’t know the ice well. He is Captain of the team. He knows every weak spot of the ice. In his speech to the journalists last night after the game, he even said “I knew we we’re close to that area”. The league should have suspended him for his action. But until someone dies on the ice, they won’t change anything. I’m sure if it had been a Canadian player that had done the same thing to Campbell’s son. The player would have been suspended. Where is the justice?
Amen to that MCK.
manuel, check your sources. We were not going crazy about that hit. I remember the one you were talking about, Marchand was absolutely destroyed! It was clean, it was big, really friggin’ big. Liked it as a hockey fan, and was sad that our guy let it happen to him. no hard feelings for that against PK. most regular readers of this blog would agree I think.
I can tell you this, the NHL does the Bruins no favors. I don’t think there should have been a suspension, and I am blown away that the NHL did not impose one.
Again, watch other hits Chara makes on a nightly basis. It might have been a happy coincidence for him that Max was the kid he could throw a statement hit against, but it was supposed to be a statement hit. The mechanics were nothing special for him. that’s the way he hits. Yes the hit was late, that’s very true, and why I said there should have been a 1-2game suspension, but I can understand why the league would not give him a fine suspension. That’s within reason given how he plays/the motion of this hit compared to his normal hit motion.
Also, this is not like the Cooke hit on Savard. You could draw far more similarity to this hit and the one that set Bergeron out for the season a few years ago, though I feel there was less malice in this play.
Aside from AK46′s profanity, there is actually truth to his comment. Chara was after Pac, I was at the January 8th game and witnessed first hand how enraged Chara was after getting shoved. He was irrate. Check it out. Apart from the established animosity, how else can you explain this gratuitous hit, the puck was long gone. Chara is an excellent veteran who knew exactly what he was doing. This was the ultimate F/U (sorry Ben, but sometimes profanity is called for), especially because it was right in front of the Boston bench. I wonder if Chara and the brilliant NHL decision makers will be haunted by the stills of the hit and the aftermath that are crawling all over the web. I know I am. Will Pacioretty be haunted? Time will tell. What a disgrace.
That’s a pretty sobering image especially now when we’ve all heard the news both that Chara got away with it and that Pacioretty is lying in a hospital bed for God knows how long. The NHL ruling is a joke and a travesty, Chara’s hit was unconscionable. It appears that the majority of idiots are actually NHL brass. Really no suspension? That is just as bad as Cooke getting away with his hit on Savard. Another genius call. What a message to send to our kids, no accountability. Great, just great. Ben, it’s a big world public blogs are forums for all, get used to it.
Thanks for leaving up the site Matt, it’s interesting to see what kind of fans from our most bitter rivals will come on our site.
Would be nice if both sides stopped insulting each other though. Thanks to those Habs fans who actually respected us as other fans and talked about hockey. I hope the rest of you can do the same soon.
I’m actually surprised that no suspension was levied, but as far as I can tell, the hit was not malicious. Ill-advised to be sure, but not malicious. Such hits are usually punished with light suspensions or the in-game penalties he received so that is not so surprising, but I feel the one or two game penalty would have sent a message to the rest of the players in the league about this kind of hit.
Also, remember Savard’s season is over because of a clean hit that had no penalty nor suspension assessed, from Hunwick, and it was deservedly let be. This is definitely not a clean, or at least not a legal hit (timing) but I am glad the league didn’t hand down a 5+ game suspension because that would be suspending based on the injury, not the play. good for the league for not going crazy.
I reiterate though, 1-2 games would not have been crazy, I think that’s what he deserved. 3-4 would be pushing it though.
Ok guys im out
MCK is ur Matt Kalman?
Plzz add this picture on one of ur article http://habsinsideout.com/files/hio/images/chara-hit.jpg
Im over it its finish im juste hoping boston/chara do less cheapshot on choisen opponent
Matt, I love your blog and check it numerous times a day. Your analysis on all things Bruins is refreshing. That being said, there are some fans of other teams that don’t belong here. Not the ones who make sensible and well thought out and coherent rants, just those using derogatory language. Is there any way to filter these people???
Boston fans were going nuts when P.K.Subban threw that major clean hit on i think Marchand a few games ago. Even the players and coaching staff were going nuts. But now your Chara hit is clean? If a hab player would of hit a bruins player like that, you guys would of been crying and moaning about it. I can assure you that a habs player would of been suspended for that. I can tell you that i would take my revenge and through a career ending dirty hit on Chara wether with my body or my stick. Take out his jaw or knees
Gimme a break. Get lost.
http://habsinsideout.com/files/hio/images/chara-hit.jpg
Tell me is not guilty.
Its been a month is chasin MAx he knews it was him wait for the last second not to hit him he pushe it look at the picture hes glove make sur Max hit the pole whit is face…Zdeno deserve a criminal court since NHL dont know shit and one of the boss for sanction hes kid play for the bruins what a league of bullshit
I agree with the NHL. They severity of the injury should not play a role in the decision. You are punishing conduct. This play happens a lot and it sucks that this kid got hurt so badly. The Habs fans can spin this into some sort of conspiracy, but no team is beloved by the NHL more than the Habs. It is amazing that Chara wasn’t suspended by the men in charge.
I am sure the game in a few weeks in Boston will be real interesting on the ice, in the stands and on Causeway
…there are not words to describe the message that NHL is sending out there. I really hope chara is proud of himself and that he is a modl for a fewn UNFORTUNATELY. If you have kids that play hockey be aware that there is NOBODY in the hockey ligue to punish this kind of disgrace for human kind. How unfare this is: Pacioretty wont play for the rest of the season and who knows if he will, and this guy go back on the ice tomorrow!
My guess is that nobody is going to be satisfied with this result-who can be considering the severity of the injury.
I do think the league’s best step would be to consider the design of the boards in this area and that turnbuckle/stanchion in the middle to make it safer when hits are made in this area. That would be a heck of a lot easier and more effective than trying to create some kind of “no checking around the team benches rule.”
Thanks for the updates Matt. Also, thanks for not shuttin’ er down with the influx of trolling and what not.
Mon Dieu! Le Chara eez not suspended! NHL hates Canada!