There are two sides to every story, with the truth lying in between. If you talk to a Bruins fan, you would hear an entirely different outtake in regards to Zdeno Chara’s body check than you would if you spoke to a Canadiens supporter. As bad blood boiled over from the Canadiens’ overtime victory on January 8th and a fight filled affair on February 9th, the Bruins were in desperate need of a spark, for they spotted the Canadiens a three goal lead as play was nearing the end of the second period. In the earlier matchup, Habs forward Max Pacioretty gave Chara a good shove in the back as he scored the game winner in overtime. Chara immediately confronted Pacioretty and a skirmish ensued. While nothing major occurred at the end of that game, there is no doubt that it provided fuel to the fire the next time these two teams faced off. The February contest induced a tremendous amount of fisticuffs, as the Original Six members put the Yankees and Red Sox rivalry to shame. With all of the hatred manifesting itself to epic proportions, it is important to note that an athlete does not forget any past transgressions. Instead, he waits until the right moment presents itself to enact revenge, which is exactly what happened last night.
As play approached the final seconds of the second period, Max Pacioretty had a step on Zdeno Chara, racing to the outside of the ice, trying to create a two-on-one situation. Chara immediately decided to prevent this from happening, so his intention was to rub Pacioretty along the boards, effectively taking him out of the play. More than likely, Chara would have received a two minute minor interference penalty, but he deemed it as a necessary evil, for a guaranteed odd man rush was something the Bruins could not afford to risk at that moment. As he was being checked along the players’ bench side of the rink, Pacioretty violently collided with the glass sanction that separates the opposing teams. As the play around him continued, Pacioretty lie face down and motionless on the ice. It was highly evident that the Canadiens player was unconscious and serious injury was a definite possibility. Due to the extent of his actions, Chara was issued a five minute major and a game misconduct. While it was unsure if any other suspension would take shape, the issue was brought to league officials for their review and diagnosis. While Pacioretty was conscious and could move his extremities at the hospital, it is also important to note that he does have fractured vertebrae in his neck and suffered a severe concussion.
If you look at the situation from a third party’s point of view, you quickly realize that this can be compared to a People’s Court episode. Sitting at one table, you have the Montreal Canadiens and its die hard fans, foaming at the mouth and demanding the book to be thrown at Zdeno Chara. They would claim he intentionally targeted Max Pacioretty and wanted to take his anger out at that exact moment and time. On the other side, you have the Boston Bruins and its supporters, pointing at Chara’s exemplary record, noting that this is his first offense of any kind. Not known as a dirty player, Chara certainly did not mean to inflict this level of injury on his opponent. They would further argue that hard body checks like this, while unfortunate, are a part of the game. The issued penalty that Chara sustained during the game was more than ample for his actions. Judge Wapner would have his hands full dealing with these enraged groups appearing in his courtroom. I can almost hear the television show’s theme music playing as the two sides are announced by host Doug Llewelyn.
Unfortunately, I will be forced to give you my take on this case, due to the high financial demands that Judge Wapner desires. So without further ado, since the courtroom is now silent, I can commence my decision. While I hold Mr. Chara’s previous record in high regard, I will make sure to note that this is his first time ever being associated with negligence. However, that is the term that I cannot allow myself to get past. I believe that Zdeno Chara did not intend to inflict an injury of this magnitude on Max Pacioretty, but the fact remains that his actions did create them. Furthermore, even though hockey is played at a tremendous amount of speed, an athlete of professional caliber certainly knows the nuances that appear around the playing surface. Hence, Chara fully understood that he and Pacioretty were skating towards the players’ benches and that those glass partitions could come into play. Instead of letting up on the impact, he maintained his pressure and the end result came to fruition. While the five minute major and game misconduct was only due to the injury, I will also keep that in mind in regards to my final judgement. I would not strike this against the clean record of Zdeno Chara, for it was not deemed malicious. While the body check would have normally derived in a two minute minor for interference, the old saying, “Wrong place, wrong time” applies to this case. After reviewing all the material given to me, I would suspend Chara for 1 or 2 games, primarily for his negligence of his actions.
UPDATE: The NHL has ruled that no further disciplinary actions would be taken on Zdeno Chara.
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