2010-2011 NHL season

That was a normal running a guy into the boards, just in an unfortunate place. Suspensionworthy? No, although I fear due to the nastiness between these guys all season, it might get Chara sat down.
Saw the same thing happen to Eric Lindros in Boston years ago when Landon Wilson ran him into that spot the other way. An even more violent collision than this, although Lindros was able to skate off the ice. Wilson got five and a gamer, IIRC, but no suspension.

 

Not looking forward to a possible Habs/Caps matchup. Too many bad memories.

 

I don't think the hit was bad at all. The result was terrible but was was wrong with the hit

 

The hit was boarding and interference. I'm not sure if it was malicious, but it absolutely violated a primary safety rule.

Boarding is all about normal hits gone wrong in dangerous areas. Once Chara decided to make a hit, not only did he commit interference, but he took responsibility for the consequences if Pacioretty hit a very dangerous part of the boards in a violent manner. The rule is there to prevent hits exactly like that because there's no recourse for the guy being hit. It's up to the hitter to know where he is on the ice, if it's a dangerous area and to not make that hit if it's either by a stanchion or in that 3-6 feet from the boards zone where you tend to launch guys.

Given the violence of the boarding and the lateness of the hit, I'd go 3-4 games. You just can't have hits like that around the stanchions, and it's the hitter's responsibility to avoid it.

 

I am back and forth on the Chara hit. At first glance it looks like he is just rubbing him out and they get caught in a bad spot. On a closer look, Chara seems to give him that one last push just before the stanchion as Chara glances up quickly. Now if this was boston and say San Jose -- two teams with no history -- I would want to give Chara the benefit of the doubt, but it is hard to ignore the rivalry. Certainly the play was not thought through and I can understand someone gets caught up in the emotion of a game like this, but it is hard to ignore the optics of it and it was just plain ugly.

 

But as the guy who initiates the hit, isn't it his responsibility to know it was a bad spot even if he's just rubbing him out? Isn't that the entire point of the boarding rule?

I mean, I could see the argument of "a bad spot" being the only problem if it was into an open door or something, but it's not like the stanchion is going away during the game.

 

Chara is too skilled and experienced a player to accept that he did not know what he was doing.

Clearly it was payback.

Chara should get at least 3 games given the history.

 

Meh. There isn't a potential 'easy' first-round matchup out there. Looking like it'll either be the Pens, Bolts or Habs in round 1 unless the Caps somehow get really hot and overtake Philly, which is unlikely after seeing the two teams' schedules down the stretch. Philly's road is considerably easier. And hell, whoever gets the one seed has to potentially joust with Ryan Miller for a seven-game series. Playoffs are going to be epic.

 

http://www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/316296.html

 

Or in English

http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/article/951021--habs-pacioretty-diagnosed-with-concussion-cracked-vertebra?bn=1

 

I'm not sure what's more disgraceful - the hit itself or that nobody in a Canadiens sweater did anything about it.

If I were a Hab and if I'd been on the ice, I'd have chopped Chara down like a Christmas tree.

 

Couple guys came over, but the officials hustled Chara off the ice quickly. Good thing - not much percentage in fighting him.