We’ve had a ton of questionable and dangerous hits this year, but here’s something completely different. Here’s the hit that earned Chara a 5-minute major and a game-misconduct:
Watching the play at live at full speed, the play looked like a normal hit where the defenseman rides an attacking player into the boards a little late. But watching the questionable play a few times, it certainly appears that Zdeno Chara extends his arms at the worst possible time. It wouldn’t be all that bad, but these players have some history:
The best news of the night is that Pacioretty was conscious and moving all of his extremities at a local Montreal hospital. Still doesn’t change the fact that it was a scary situation for anyone who saw him lying motionless on the ice.
Now that we know Pacioretty is going to be OK (relatively speaking), the hockey question that will come of this is if Chara deserves any further punishment for his actions. Obviously, the league will look at any play that earns a 5-minute major, a game misconduct, and sees an injury of this magnitude.
What do you think? Was it just a hard hit that had an unfortunate result? Or was this a hit with the worst of intentions that the NHL needs to punish severely?
Matt Reitz is the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com and former NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports. When he’s not shoving a mic in the face of NHLers or explaining why home teams should wear white, he’s usually trying to figure out what song to play next on his iPod. It’s a never-ending job.
