Chara's Hit on Pacioretty

[PoliticalNick]

I have played hockey all my life including 2 years with the old Tri-City Americans. I don't believe there are too many players out there that would ever believe that much intention to cause harm. Given Chara's record over his carreer I have to be on his side here. There have been no prior instances of intent to injure or even any 'dirty' hits that I can recall.

What actually really pisses me off is the 'new age' attitude toward a sport that is built on speed and heavy physical contact. I'm sorry for all you fans of Sid and all that but if you are going to pursue a carreer in a violent sport you have to assume some risk. I hate all this bull**** about not hitting a guy in open ice just because he wants to look at the puck instead of the players defending against him. I am certaianly not advocating a free-for-all of boarding or hitting from behind but really, handing out major penalties and suspensions for what were clean hits up until a year ago is bastardizing the game I love. And let's be real about it, the owners do not care about the player, they care about protecting their investment and revenue streams.

Pretty soon the only equipment the players will need is a stick and skates with toe-picks (for those of you that know what these are) and it will be a penalty to skate within 3 feeet of another player.

 

[Avro]

Chara got zero games for potentially ending the career of Max Pacioretty.

The rest of the NHL goons just got the green light.

 

[talloola]

Sorry for the incorrect earlier information, as I heard an announcement on one of the radio stations
about the five game suspension, which really confused me because I didn't see anything but a borderline
interference penalty, SO, i'm happy to know now, that there is no suspension, there was no intent to
injure him, as I saw it, it was a pure hockey hit, although a tad late, but many of them are a tad
late, and some that are not a tad are also given penalties, hence very confusing to the players, as to
'just' how much time a player has after the puck goes by that they are allowed to finish their check.
People can talk all they want about 'bad' blood between those two teams, but the
hit has to be judged on it's own merit, without anything else, especially emotionally
charged opinions, as it was a legal body check, and nothing more.
There was no elbow, no hit to the head by chara, not a high hit at all, just a good
rub out along the boards, which is done all the time.

If that hit had happened anywhere else in the rink, it would not have caused any problem at all, but might
still have been an interference call. It was the stanchion that caused the problem, and the NHL must
come forward and take responsibility for all of those stanchions in any of the buildings that have them
as that one is, and make sure they are changed. I'm surprised this hasn't happened before, but as in
most incidents, (just as it was when they changed the goals after mark howe was gashed by the steel),
something awful has to happen before anything is done about it.

To say that chara intentionally hit him that hard into the stancion on purpose must give their heads a
shake, because that is saying something very very serious about another person, as 'if' he did hit him
into that stanchion intentionally, he would have been a completely different player than chara, and
also a different kind of person indeed. He is a clean player, a very very big player, and has had no
previous suspensions and has 'no' reputation of being mean or nasty at all.

Most people have no clue how big they are, or how fast they are going, and that includes the montreal
player who was going very fast as well, and when the hit happened, (and it was a rub out along the
boards type of hit), not a hit where he came from another direction, they were both going in the same
direction.

The NHL must be very careful here, because if pacioretty does not heal from this incident, and becomes
permanately affected from this hit, they could be liable because of this stancion, and it is clear to
me that such a structure should not be open to the players being able to run into it, either from a
body check or any other means, it seems it is there to protect those on the other side, hockey
analysts watching the play etc.

Yes, I agree Karrie, I could design a stanchion that would not be dangerous too, it doesn't take
a brain surgeon, but maybe a brain surgeon will talk to them about it, because a serious concussion
has happened now, because of it.

 

[PoliticalNick]

As I said before, I played for years, including semi-pro, and it is quite often not possible to notice where the glass stops/starts around the benches. It is a very fast game at the level I played and even faster at the top.

I have thought many times the worst thing that ever happened to hockey was adding the glass. Back when there was only boards you never saw the high sticks you see today and it was very very rare for someone to take a puck in the face. The game was played below waist level.

 

[Avro]

Sorry for the incorrect earlier information, as I heard an announcement on one of the radio stations
about the five game suspension, which really confused me because I didn't see anything but a borderline
interference penalty, SO, i'm happy to know now, that there is no suspension, there was no intent to
injure him, as I saw it, it was a pure hockey hit, although a tad late, but many of them are a tad
late, and some that are not a tad are also given penalties, hence very confusing to the players, as to
'just' how much time a player has after the puck goes by that they are allowed to finish their check.
People can talk all they want about 'bad' blood between those two teams, but the
hit has to be judged on it's own merit, without anything else, especially emotionally
charged opinions, as it was a legal body check, and nothing more.
There was no elbow, no hit to the head by chara, not a high hit at all, just a good
rub out along the boards, which is done all the time.

If that hit had happened anywhere else in the rink, it would not have caused any problem at all, but might
still have been an interference call. It was the stanchion that caused the problem, and the NHL must
come forward and take responsibility for all of those stanchions in any of the buildings that have them
as that one is, and make sure they are changed. I'm surprised this hasn't happened before, but as in
most incidents, (just as it was when they changed the goals after mark howe was gashed by the steel),
something awful has to happen before anything is done about it.

To say that chara intentionally hit him that hard into the stancion on purpose must give their heads a
shake, because that is saying something very very serious about another person, as 'if' he did hit him
into that stanchion intentionally, he would have been a completely different player than chara, and
also a different kind of person indeed. He is a clean player, a very very big player, and has had no
previous suspensions and has 'no' reputation of being mean or nasty at all.

Most people have no clue how big they are, or how fast they are going, and that includes the montreal
player who was going very fast as well, and when the hit happened, (and it was a rub out along the
boards type of hit), not a hit where he came from another direction, they were both going in the same
direction.

The NHL must be very careful here, because if pacioretty does not heal from this incident, and becomes
permanately affected from this hit, they could be liable because of this stancion, and it is clear to
me that such a structure should not be open to the players being able to run into it, either from a
body check or any other means, it seems it is there to protect those on the other side, hockey
analysts watching the play etc.

Yes, I agree Karrie, I could design a stanchion that would not be dangerous too, it doesn't take
a brain surgeon, but maybe a brain surgeon will talk to them about it, because a serious concussion
has happened now, because of it.

You can write the longest post in history defending that shaved gorilla but it dosen't fly with me.

I've heard some turds blaming Max for this....seriously crazy.

As I have said, their is no way Chara did not know where he was as he was clearly out of position at center ice as the puck went into the Bruins zone. He angled in on Max and shoved his head into the stancion, an avoidable play. It's not as if the ice surfaces are different, they are all the same....it's not like playing at Fenway and then Rogers center where the differences are clear.

These two have a history this year, Max gave Chara a little shove after a game winning goal and in Slovakia that is akin to raping a mans goat, Chara went after him like a crazed animal.

Chara knew what he was doing and will have to live with it, as will Max.

Hope he gets better, but to me, it does not look good for him.

I wonder what the call would have been if it were Campells son laid out like that?

 

[PoliticalNick]

As I have said, their is no way Chara did not know where he was as he was clearly out of position at center ice as the puck went into the Bruins zone. He angled in on Max and shoved his head into the stancion, an avoidable play. It's not as if the ice surfaces are different, they are all the same....it's not like playing at Fenway and then Rogers center where the differences are clear.

Well as someone who has played for 37 years (damn I'm getting old) let me tell you...

There are many differences in all the rinks, sure the dimensions of the ice surface are the same, but some rinks have no glass on the boards between benches and some do. It starts and stops at different places too, some have 4 feet after the gate, some it is 6 inches and everywhere in between. Seamless glass, semi-seamless, full stanchion. Home ice advantage is not just about fans you know. There are so many differences that you don't notice watching on TV.

I'm just glad it wasn't the seamless stuff....that s h i t would have split him wide open too!

 

[Cannuck]

I wonder what the call would have been if it were Campells son laid out like that?

The same decision would have been made. Unlike you, the NHL looks at these types of things logically instead of emotionally.

I've seen this same play 100's of times. Chara was most likely looking at the player and not the boards. I never looked at the boards while I was delivering hits. (You'll notice I said most likely as I'm not the Amazing Kreskin)

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

Man, it was a really ugly thing to watch. I hope he recovers.

In other news relating:

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff is going to have his hands full in the next little while, but he took time out of bashing the Conservatives Wednesday to send a warning to the NHL. He said that if the league doesn’t take action to protect its players from concussions, Parliament might have to intervene.

It is now quite apparent that Michael Ignatieff is a highly educated moron.

 

[captain morgan]

I'm a little curious if Ignatieff will be reading the riot act to the sports of boxing and MMA in the near future as well.

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

I'm a little curious if Ignatieff will be reading the riot act to the sports of boxing and MMA in the near future as well.

No doubt this would strike terror into their hearts.

 

[karrie]

Man, it was a really ugly thing to watch. I hope he recovers.

In other news relating:



It is now quite apparent that Michael Ignatieff is a highly educated moron.

moron? Who are our largest tax payers? Think of what the government pulls in from each highly paid NHL'er. Think what a hit it is for them if they suddenly are no long earning, and instead are sitting in a hospital a vegetable somewhere. It's just good business to demand the sport get incramentally safer. *jaded*

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

moron? Who are our largest tax payers? Think of what the government pulls in from each highly paid NHL'er. Think what a hit it is for them if they suddenly are no long earning, and instead are sitting in a hospital a vegetable somewhere. It's just good business to demand the sport get incramentally safer. *jaded*

You know I'd take you far more serious if you weren't girl.:lol:

Go back to your easy bake oven, this is man talk.:lol:

 

[captain morgan]

There is an easy solution... Get all the MMAers and boxers to wear sumo suits with motorcycle helmets... At very least, the paying fans will get their money's worth as the matches will potentially go on for weeks

 

[karrie]

You know I'd take you far more serious if you weren't girl.:lol:

Go back to your easy bake oven, this is man talk.:lol:

Of course it's man talk. Only man talk would ask for an engineer to fix something like the stanchions, when the women are shaking their heads and can already tell you exactly how to fix the problem. Only something male dominated would leave such a hazard there to rip someone's head off. You just sit and listen while the 'wymenfolk' solve your problems, then you can chest thump and pretend you all solved them yourselves.

Yes, I agree Karrie, I could design a stanchion that would not be dangerous too, it doesn't take
a brain surgeon,

Totally! I keep staring at the design and shaking my head. Why wouldn't they 45 (or even more gradual) the corner, and wrap it around behind the benches so that there's nothing for a head to 'snag' on. yeah, it would still be a worse blow than if you hit the boards parallel, but your neck couldn't catch on it and break. Pad a blade up all you want, all you'll do is prevent a bruise for someone moving slow. For anything moving fast, it's still a freaking blade, as his neck discovered.

it's essentially a larger version of the problem school buses and paygrounds were running into with kids hoodie ties catching in equipment. You need to create angles, etc., on the equipment that discourage anything from snagging.

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

Of course it's man talk. Only man talk would ask for an engineer to fix something like the stanchions, when the women are shaking their heads and can already tell you exactly how to fix the problem. Only something male dominated would leave such a hazard there to rip someone's head off. You just sit and listen while the 'wymenfolk' solve your problems, then you can chest thump and pretend you all solved them yourselves.

Good Grief! You managed to come up with all that, and didn't even make me a sandwich? Get your hiney back into that kitchen. And now I want it toasted. A glass of milk to go with that sangy will put you back in my good books.

 

[karrie]

You know how most women kill their husbands right?

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

You know how most women kill their husbands right?

LOL

Danger is my business.

 

[karrie]

LOL

Danger is my business.

It\'s like Russian roulette with a sandwich.... "How bad did I piss her off?"

 

[Kreskin]

As much as the league doesn't want players getting hurt they don't want their assets sitting out with suspensions. Chara is a fairly significant asset to not only the Bruins but to the entire league when it comes to television viewership and game attendance. It isn't like the owners want to teach lessons, they want a return on investment. The only person who knows whether this was an accident or intentional is Chara, and unless he admits to an attempt at running him into the stanchion there would be little interest in the league taking action against him.

 

[Avro]

Well as someone who has played for 37 years (damn I'm getting old) let me tell you...

There are many differences in all the rinks, sure the dimensions of the ice surface are the same, but some rinks have no glass on the boards between benches and some do. It starts and stops at different places too, some have 4 feet after the gate, some it is 6 inches and everywhere in between. Seamless glass, semi-seamless, full stanchion. Home ice advantage is not just about fans you know. There are so many differences that you don't notice watching on TV.

I'm just glad it wasn't the seamless stuff....that s h i t would have split him wide open too!

Chara has played about 32 games at the Bell.

Any more excuses?

I'm a little curious if Ignatieff will be reading the riot act to the sports of boxing and MMA in the near future as well.

No, but the Tory government might.

Or perhaps the Quebec Liberal government might.

Heck, even major sponsors might.