Chara's Hit on Pacioretty, and all the Drama that is going along w

Benz · March 12, 2011

First, the hit in question:

The NHL determined it was a clean check/hit, and undeserving of a suspension...

Then the Canadian Mayhem began...

Montreal Police Swamped With Complaints About Zdeno Chara's Hit on Max Pacioretty
by Jill Seward on Wed, Mar 9, 2011 at 8:53PM

The Montreal police department has been swamped with complaints from Habs fans, asking to file a criminal complaint against the Bruins' defenseman, The Globe and Mail reports.

Chara delivered a crushing hit on Pacioretty during Tuesday night's matchup, sending the Habs' forward headfirst into the divider between benches. Pacioretty suffered a severe concussion and a fractured vertebrae as a result of the hit.

The complaints started flooding in on Wednesday afternoon, after the NHL announced that Chara would not receive a suspension or a fine for the hit. According to the report, a Montreal media outlet suggested the idea, and fans started calling the police station nonstop with complaints.

The Montreal police are now requesting that fans stop calling in with their grievances, as it is blocking actual emergency calls from getting through to the police department.

"Someone in the media has been telling people to call the police to complain," Sgt. Ian Lafreniere said. "This shows a serious lack of responsibility."

Oh, but it gets better...

Air Canada threatens NHL
Major sponsor says it will pull money if headshots aren't addressed

By BRUCE GARRIOCH, OTTAWA SUN

Last Updated: March 10, 2011 9:33am

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Air Canada, one of the NHL's largest financial corporate backers, is threatening to withdraw its sponsorship if the league doesn't take "immediate" and "serious" action on headshots, QMI Agency has learned.

In a strongly worded letter addressed to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Wednesday, Denis Vandal, Air Canada's director of marketing/communications, expressed concern over recent incidents of headshots and concussions.

The letter came in the wake of Tuesday night's controversial hit by Boston Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara on Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty at the Bell Centre. Following a telephone hearing Wednesday with NHL VP Mike Murphy, there was no punishment for Chara.

"We are contacting you (Wednesday) to voice our concern over (Tuesday night's) incident involving Max Pacioretty and Zdeno Chara at the Bell Centre in Montreal," wrote Vandal. "This is following several other incidents involving career-threatening and life-threatening headshots in the NHL recently."

Vandal noted the controversial issue is becoming bad for Air Canada's brand.

"From a corporate social responsibility standpoint, it is becoming increasingly difficult to associate our brand with sports events which could lead to serious and irresponsible accidents; action must be taken by the NHL before we are encountered with a fatality.

"Unless the NHL takes immediate action with serious suspension to the players in question to curtail these life-threatening injuries, Air Canada will withdraw its sponsorship of hockey."

Not only does Air Canada own the naming rights to Toronto's Air Canada Centre, it's believed they're a major corporate sponsor behind all six Canadian teams. Air Canada's head office is also located in Montreal.

Vandal copied all six Canadian NHL governors with his letter.

"As a strong supporter and sponsor of NHL Hockey in Canada and several U.S. cities, Air Canada is very concerned with the state of hockey today," Vandal noted.

"While we support countless sports, arts and community events, we are having difficulty rationalizing our sponsorship of hockey unless the NHL takes responsibility to protect both the players and the integrity of the game."

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told QMI Agency in an email Thursday morning the league will not get into a war of words with the airline.

"We referred them to our public statement," wrote Daly. "We have no intention of engaging with them further at this point."

Airline officials have not responded to either emails or phone calls.

Meanwhile, NHL GMs will meet next week in Boca Raton, Fla. to discuss headshots. They're trying to find a solution to cut down on the number of concussions and bring more respect to the game.

Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby, the NHL's poster boy, hasn't played in more than two months after suffering a concussion in the Winter Classic on Jan. 1.

A league source said several teams were upset Chara wasn't suspended. The Bruins carry a lot of weight at the league level -- owner Jeremy Jacobs is the chairman of the board.

Murphy wrote in his explanation for letting Chara off that he couldn't find sufficient evidence to call the incident intentional.

"After a thorough review of the video, I can find no basis to impose supplemental discipline. This hit resulted from a play that evolved and then happened very quickly -- with both players skating in the same direction and with Chara attempting to angle his opponent into the boards," said Murphy.

"I could not find any evidence to suggest that, beyond this being a correct call for interference, that Chara targeted the head of his opponent, left his feet or delivered the check in any other manner that could be deemed to be dangerous.

"This was a hockey play that resulted in an injury because of the player colliding with the stanchion and then the ice surface."

And better...

Montreal Police Launch Criminal Investigation for Zdeno Chara's Hit on Max Pacioretty
by Associated Press on Thu, Mar 10, 2011 at 6:32PM

QUEBEC CITY -- Montreal police say they have started a criminal investigation into the on-ice hit by Boston's Zdeno Chara that left the Canadiens' Max Pacioretty with a severe concussion and cracked verterbra.

Police say Thursday they're acting on a request by Quebec's director of criminal and penal prosecutions. Police add that after evidence is collected it will be determined if there are grounds for prosecution.

The NHL said a day earlier it would not suspend Chara for Tuesday night's hit, when he slammed Pacioretty into a glass partition.

There has been strong debate this season over injuries from hits to the head. Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby is among those sidelined with such an injury.

I feel bad for the Hab that got hurt. So does Chara. But this is a level of ridiculous that I can barely believe.

Thoughts?

Benz · March 13, 2011

*bump* Really? Maybe I shoulda posted this in News because it does fit there too...

APANCHALYPSE RETURNS · March 13, 2011

I tried to watch it on my phone, but no luck. Kinda curious. I hate NHL, but I like the violence. Reason I left it so long is cause I thought it was a Politics topic from the title. Lots of words I can't understand.

Mr. Hakujin · March 13, 2011

Video didn't work for me either, Greyskull

Also, you forgot the "I don't give a shit about Hockey, but fuck Canada anyway," option on your poll.

Benz · March 13, 2011

Here's a Youtube vid that should work...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jimZ1tSdPY0

Mr. Hakujin · March 13, 2011

Huh, well, the video "works" in that I could see the hit and hear the commentary (nice to know hockey commentators are as idiotic & insipid as football commentators), but it unfortunately didn't "work" in that I still couldn't care less about hockey. Bottom line: looks to me like the guy in red was just a pussy that couldn't take a hit.*

*I keed. I keed! I'm sure he is a very tough dude and I would never say such a thing w/in a mile radius of him IRL.

Thelogan · June 21, 2011

Like Haku, I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about. I watched the vids, and it looks like he certainly meant to shove the guy into the wall, but I don't think he meant for him to slam into that turnbuckle thing. He pretty much caught up with him and slammed him at the first logical opportunity, and it just happened to be right where there was a board.

And FUCK Canada.

Benz · June 22, 2011

Like Haku, I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about. I watched the vids, and it looks like he certainly meant to shove the guy into the wall, but I don't think he meant for him to slam into that turnbuckle thing. He pretty much caught up with him and slammed him at the first logical opportunity, and it just happened to be right where there was a board.

And FUCK Canada.

Exactly. On both counts.

Not since 1993...

Benz · June 29, 2011

So, I thought this was all over with. That Montreal had given this up, and realized how dumb and petty they were being. Apparently I was wrong...

Jun 28, 2011

Montreal police will interview Zdeno Chara about his controversial hit on Max Pacioretty on March 8.

Pacioretty suffered a fractured vertebra and a severe concussion when the Bruins captain smashed him into the stanchion, sidelining the Canadien for the rest of the season.

Shortly after the incident, the police stated that they were lauching an investigation. The investigation had been delayed because the majority of the witnesses were hockey players still involved with the Stanley Cup playoffs, according to CBC News.

Now that the Bruins have hoisted the Stanley Cup, the police are ready to gather the rest of the information they will need to proceed with the case.

"We haven't met Chara, we don't have his version of the facts, and also at the end of it, [a report is] gonna be presented to a crown prosecutor, and this is the person who will decide whether there will be some accusations," said Sgt. Ian Lafrenière.

The police have not released when or where the interview will take place.

Meanwhile... the guy that got hit? Max Pachioretty? He says enough already.

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