As many who have watched hockey on Tuesday night know already, there was a hit by Boston's Zdeno Chara on Montreal's Max Pacioretty. I won't put a link to the hit, since even that turned my stomach after seeing it...and you know it's serious when I show my limits. Chara was given a penalty and ejected for the hit, which left Pacioretty unconscious for a few minutes and with a concussion and broken vertebrae (according to a source close to the Canadiens). However, Chara was not given any additional suspension or fine for the hit, as it wasn't deemed an intent to injure. Looking at the hit itself, it clearly looks worse in slow motion, but if I was in charge, I would at the very least, give Chara a couple of games off, intent or not. I say this because it did leave a player injured and there is a need to at the very least, keep the rulings consistent as far as injuries go. Do I understand why the NHL hasn't gone further with the punishment? Yes. They also looked at Chara's track record, which until that point, was rather clean. Clearly, the hit was an unfortunate incident, but there does have to be some other form of punishment for Chara. I'm not saying rest of the season or anything too severe, just a game or two.
We watched this last night and it took us a few watches to realize the impact of the hit. OH, he hit the side wall! We didn't see this at first, then we felt awful after seeing it. Such a brutal hit!! I too think even though Chara may not have meant to do THAT, he should indeed still be given a couple of games off.
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