Club De Hockey Canadien

[GeneralGeeWhiz 0]

so breaking someones neck is fine? as long as its a sport? thats what you're saying.

[Dubey 1,035]

That's a good letter. I would LOVE it if another team's executive wrote, or said something similar. Unfortunately, it just isn't going to have the same impact coming from an executive of the team of the injured player.

[JubilantLankyLad 1,957]

"No. It was the faceoff and we tried to set up a play," Chara said. "Basically, the puck went to the other side and we were racing for the puck. I had no idea he was on the ice."I believe Chara when he says he didn't intend to "hurt" Pacioretty, but I believe he did intend to crunch him good. Saying he didn't even know he was on the ice is a load of crap and leads me to question other things he says.

I took that to mean that he didn't realize that he left him laid out unconscious on the ice, not that he didn't know Max was skating that shift.

[digitalmonkey 929]

That's a good letter. I would LOVE it if another team's executive wrote, or said something similar. Unfortunately, it just isn't going to have the same impact coming from an executive of the team of the injured player.

I think it carries decent weight because owners have rarely taken a stance against Bettman and the NHL.

[digitalmonkey 929]

I took that to mean that he didn't realize that he left him laid out unconscious on the ice, not that he didn't know Max was skating that shift.

That's not what I get at all. Perhaps it's bad journalism (or good journalism that will later be labeled bad by Chara's PR people), but the lead in to his quote says, "Chara claims he did not know it was Pacioretty on the play."

[mrdannyg 274]

I can't even imagine how horrible that must have been for them..

Probably better than if they were watching it on TV. One of the only times in life it might really have been better to only be able to guess, as what we saw was vomit-inducing.

I think Gomez's comments carry a lot of weight, simply in regards to awareness of where you are on the ice. I'm pretty sure that every player in the league would agree about bench awareness, door awareness etc. I never played 1000 NHL games like Chara, but I always knew where I was around the benches. And when you hit someone near the bench, you definately hit more with your hands high instead of your shoulder to try to push the player you were hitting over the boards. Even skating down the boards in the neutral zone, you'd always skate a step further away from the boards by the benches to keep away from the danger zone. As an aside, I've spent a little time around Chara, specifically with charity work with Right To Play. I thought he was an extremely intelligent (he speaks a BUNCH of languages) good hearted human being. I don't believe for a second he wanted the outcome that he got. But I believe he wanted an outcome..

You guys have done a good job in convincing me on this. The first couple times I watched it, I thought it was just a regular hit. But now I'm convinced that Chara had to know where the turnbuckle was. And after watching the replay a few more times with that knowledge, it really does look like Chara adds something extra to the hit at the end, which by then, is way way after the play.I think the league really made itself look stupid by confirming it was interference. It's only interference if it is not during the play. And if it is not during the play, you have to ignore that Chara would have known where the boards ended to pretend it is not attempt to injure. Chris really put this one deep when he points out that Chara has played over 1000 games. 1000. That is a shitload of hockey. He knows where the goddamn boards are.I don't believe Chara intended to crush his verterbrae. He isn't Chris Simon. But he clearly meant to give his face an unpleasant introduction to the boards. That's attempt to injure.

Letter from Geoff Molson to Canadiens fansThursday, 10.03.2011 / 4:15 PM / NewsMontreal CanadiensDear Fans,

That's a good letter. I would LOVE it if another team's executive wrote, or said something similar. Unfortunately, it just isn't going to have the same impact coming from an executive of the team of the injured player.

I think this carries a lot of weight, much more than Mario's. Mario made comments, specific to one incident, right after. This is a letter, explicitly promising to address the issue in a general meeting. This letter screams accountability. It leaves me with no doubt the Habs management will push this issue, without considering if they might end up with a player getting suspended. I just hope others will follow this lead, and push over the George McPhee's of the world. Kudos to Mr Molson.

[JubilantLankyLad 1,957]

That's not what I get at all. Perhaps it's bad journalism (or good journalism that will later be labeled bad by Chara's PR people), but the lead in to his quote says, "Chara claims he did not know it was Pacioretty on the play."

For sure it's been presented in that way. I'm just saying, when I first read the quote (which was out of the context of the lead in as written in the article), I assumed Chara was saying he didn't realize he had knocked Max out. As that's really the only logical way to read it - how could he not know who he was skating against? He's not an idiot.

[gruven 530]

Probably better than if they were watching it on TV. One of the only times in life it might really have been better to only be able to guess, as what we saw was vomit-inducing.You guys have done a good job in convincing me on this. The first couple times I watched it, I thought it was just a regular hit. But now I'm convinced that Chara had to know where the turnbuckle was. And after watching the replay a few more times with that knowledge, it really does look like Chara adds something extra to the hit at the end, which by then, is way way after the play.I think the league really made itself look stupid by confirming it was interference. It's only interference if it is not during the play. And if it is not during the play, you have to ignore that Chara would have known where the boards ended to pretend it is not attempt to injure. Chris really put this one deep when he points out that Chara has played over 1000 games. 1000. That is a shitload of hockey. He knows where the goddamn boards are.I don't believe Chara intended to crush his verterbrae. He isn't Chris Simon. But he clearly meant to give his face an unpleasant introduction to the boards. That's attempt to injure.I think this carries a lot of weight, much more than Mario's. Mario made comments, specific to one incident, right after. This is a letter, explicitly promising to address the issue in a general meeting. This letter screams accountability. It leaves me with no doubt the Habs management will push this issue, without considering if they might end up with a player getting suspended. I just hope others will follow this lead, and push over the George McPhee's of the world. Kudos to Mr Molson.

Lets not forget practice. You spend 6 and sometimes 7 days a week on the ice practicing, for anywhere between 45-90 minutes, every second of which is on the ice. And a LOT of that time is spent screwing around by the player benches, in between drills, getting water, etc. Watch a practice and notice how much fooling around goes on there, with guys pushing each other over the boards, etc. Add in playoffs, junior, international, etc etc etc and it's easy to say that a guy like Chara has probably spend actual years of his life on the ice. Now tell me you were surprised that there was a stanchion there..

[GeneralGeeWhiz 0]

ive watched the hit about six hundred times by now, and i can see how chara didnt mean to shove pacioretty into the turnbuckle. he should of gotten a suspension at the least.

[serge 904]

I got a lot of texts about this and I figured you guys would be a great source to get the real story.Read through the last 3 pages and finally saw the hit today.I am surprised you guys havent touched on the ridicolous outcry from outside of hockey.-police involvement ? and now Air Canada is threatening to pull out sponsorship money..Is this serious??The hit was bad..However I am sure we all agree we have seen much worse...Chara is a freak of nature, he is maybe too big for the game, combine that with the unfortunate location of the hit and the result, we maybe over reacting.What got me was the fact the parents were there..I cant imagine what they must have gone through.The result is horrific , and you never hope to see something like that again. However I am surprised there isnt at least a 2 or 3 game suspension which would be appropriate.FWIW in a game last month agaisnt the Leafs Chara hit Grabovski twice from behind , which might be considered just as bad as this hit, however Grabovksi happened to get up and scored the game winning goal.Bottom line:- careless hit- terrible result- 2 game suspension deserved- no need for the stupid outside hockey involvement.

[Dubey 1,035]

Serge, the outside stuff was discussed at some point, either here or in Random Hockey Observations.I think we all agree the police involvement is a little ridiculous. The Air Canada thing I feel less strongly about. Their outrage was more against the NHL (I think) for not suspending the act. I think the NHL brought on about 95% of the bad press themselves by not suspending or fining Chara.

[serge 904]

Serge, the outside stuff was discussed at some point, either here or in Random Hockey Observations.I think we all agree the police involvement is a little ridiculous. The Air Canada thing I feel less strongly about. Their outrage was more against the NHL (I think) for not suspending the act. I think the NHL brought on about 95% of the bad press themselves by not suspending or fining Chara.

Thanks I guess I missed some stuff.The NHL has gotten things wrong many many times and you are totally correct.Why not a 3 game suspension?

[coesillian 0]

I think this huge outcry might actually lead to some change, so I fully support it whereas normally I wouldn't. Getting the police in on it will bring more attention to the matter.The messed up thing is that if they would have given 2-3 games people wouldn't be outraged. Having given none has pushed us, hockey fans everywhere, past the critical point. I think we know realize that giving 2-3 game for action like that will not deter players from making plays like that. The punishment has to become way more sever to start to have an impact on the play on the ice. And the way suspensions are dealt out has to change.We are used to it not changing and have become complacent towards the NHL, I think this is the point where real change has to be demanded. Egypt did it, so can we. WHO'S WITH ME!No but seriously, the league is a joke. The owners and GM's have to stand up and do something because the NHL obviously won't.

[doox 15]

Looking at his profile, I saw this: 2005/12/03 Suspended by the NHL for one game.One of my wishes was that he would at least get suspended so that there was a precedent for any further incidents, as the NHL puts a lot of emphasis on whether or not someone is a repeat offender. I was surprised to see he was already suspended in the past, though, and I have no idea why he got away without one this time around.

[digitalmonkey 929]

Looking at his profile, I saw this: 2005/12/03 Suspended by the NHL for one game.One of my wishes was that he would at least get suspended so that there was a precedent for any further incidents, as the NHL puts a lot of emphasis on whether or not someone is a repeat offender. I was surprised to see he was already suspended in the past, though, and I have no idea why he got away without one this time around.

Especially considering Mike Murphy made sure to mention Chara's supposed clean history in the NHL's official statement.I believe that 1-game suspension was for a stick to the head of an opponent when he was with the Islanders.

[digitalmonkey 929]

I got a lot of texts about this and I figured you guys would be a great source to get the real story.Read through the last 3 pages and finally saw the hit today.I am surprised you guys havent touched on the ridicolous outcry from outside of hockey.-police involvement ? and now Air Canada is threatening to pull out sponsorship money..Is this serious??The hit was bad..However I am sure we all agree we have seen much worse...Chara is a freak of nature, he is maybe too big for the game, combine that with the unfortunate location of the hit and the result, we maybe over reacting.What got me was the fact the parents were there..I cant imagine what they must have gone through.The result is horrific , and you never hope to see something like that again. However I am surprised there isnt at least a 2 or 3 game suspension which would be appropriate.FWIW in a game last month agaisnt the Leafs Chara hit Grabovski twice from behind , which might be considered just as bad as this hit, however Grabovksi happened to get up and scored the game winning goal.Bottom line:- careless hit- terrible result- 2 game suspension deserved- no need for the stupid outside hockey involvement.

How would you feel if Grabovski had broken his neck on that play and had to listen to people talk about how Chara plays hard, but isn't a dirty player and that he never meant to hurt Grabovski and that Grabovski wouldn't have been injured if the boards hadn't been there and that Grabovski should have protected himself against the giant?

[serge 904]

How would you feel if Grabovski had broken his neck on that play and had to listen to people talk about how Chara plays hard, but isn't a dirty player and that he never meant to hurt Grabovski and that Grabovski wouldn't have been injured if the boards hadn't been there and that Grabovski should have protected himself against the giant?

I would be upset probably, but I am a biased Leafs fan and I understand your anger..I just saw a clip of Coaches Corner and Cherry makes some great points.http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Sports/1221284063/ID=1839616999He has a montage of several hits in the area where Pacioretty got hit..Its a disgrace that there isnt a protective cover in most arenas...Ton of very dangerous hits and ton of injuries that resulted.He goes on to show the arena in Philadelphia..There is a huge protective cover on the edge where it would be impossible to get hurt..Then he attacks Molson the owner of the Habs for being a hypocrite as the Forum has the most dangerous boards and glass in the league. Air Canada and Via Rail are also attacked as ironically the headquarters are in Montreal.I have been listening to Cherry a long time and he has been saying this forever..You spend millions on these rinks but there isnt enough protection for the players..Its a shame Pacioretty got hurt, but lets blame the teams that dont have protective covers on the edge of the glass, not so much Chara...Pacioretty wouldnt even have a scratch on him if there was the protection on those boards like the ones they have in Philly.

[digitalmonkey 929]

I would be upset probably, but I am a biased Leafs fan and I understand your anger..I just saw a clip of Coaches Corner and Cherry makes some great points.http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Sports/1221284063/ID=1839616999He has a montage of several hits in the area where Pacioretty got hit..Its a disgrace that there isnt a protective cover in most arenas...Ton of very dangerous hits and ton of injuries that resulted.He goes on to show the arena in Philadelphia..There is a huge protective cover on the edge where it would be impossible to get hurt..Then he attacks Molson the owner of the Habs for being a hypocrite as the Forum has the most dangerous boards and glass in the league. Air Canada and Via Rail are also attacked as ironically the headquarters are in Montreal.I have been listening to Cherry a long time and he has been saying this forever..You spend millions on these rinks but there isnt enough protection for the players..Its a shame Pacioretty got hurt, but lets blame the teams that dont have protective covers on the edge of the glass, not so much Chara...Pacioretty wouldnt even have a scratch on him if there was the protection on those boards like the ones they have in Philly.

I'm not sure why Kubina was suspended 3 games...the hard elbow pad is clearly the problem.

[serge 904]

I'm not sure why Kubina was suspended 3 games...the hard elbow pad is clearly the problem.

What does the Kubina hit have to with all this?

[digitalmonkey 929]

What does the Kubina hit have to with all this?

Blaming the stanchion is like blaming the boards after someone is shoved head first into them.Should the stanchion be padded more: yes!Would it be best if the stanchion wasn't even there: yes!Do players know the stanchion is there: yes!The fact that the stanchion is there when it shouldn't be or that it should have more padding does not give anyone free reign to shove someone else into it.

[serge 904]

Blaming the stanchion is like blaming the boards after someone is shoved head first into them.Should the stanchion be padded more: yes!Would it be best if the stanchion wasn't even there: yes!Do players know the stanchion is there: yes!The fact that the stanchion is there when it shouldn't be or that it should have more padding does not give anyone free reign to shove someone else into it.

The argument is Chara's hit was a legal hockey hit...What I learned from your post:I now know what stanchion is.

[digitalmonkey 929]

The argument is Chara's hit was a legal hockey hit...What I learned from your post:I now know what stanchion is.

It was interference. He received a 5 minute major for interference. How is that a legal hit?

[Zach6668 513]

The argument is Chara's hit was a legal hockey hit...

IT WASN'T!Which is exactly why he should have been suspended. If Pacioretty had the puck, THEN it would have been (arguably) a legal hockey hit.

[MapleLeafpoker 1,462]

I think, maybe, that Serge meant it was not a suspendable hit, only illegal as a penalty on the ice.

[Zach6668 513]

I think, maybe, that Serge meant it was not a suspendable hit, only illegal as a penalty on the ice.

Is there a definition of a suspendable hit? The NHL just seems to punish illegal actions that result in injury. How wouldn't this one apply? I'm certain I've seen interference penalties result in suspensions, maybe?