NHL Players Need to be Aware of Their Strength

As Stephen Butler pointed out, I've been pretty outspoken when it comes to headshots in the NHL. So how exactly do I feel about Zdeno Chara's hit on Max Pacioretty (which incidentally wasn't a "head shot" per se, but did result in a player sustaining a concussion)?

I'm trying to look at this from an objective stand point (and not as a Boston Bruins fan), but the thing that makes this most difficult is remembering that Matt Cooke's hit on Marc Savard got him ZERO games. Even if there wasn't a rule specifically geared to head shots, he still should have gotten something. I don't want to always use this as a reference point, but I can't bring myself to forgive Colin Campbell for not coming down hard on him. Anyhow, putting all that aside, I have come up with one sentence to sum up my feelings on the new, stronger NHL: Players need to be aware of their strength, regardless of the intention.

I don't believe there was malice behind the hit; it just occurred in the worst possible place on the ice. The partition is known to be dangerous, but as per usual, the NHL hasn't done anything to fix it (why am I not surprised?). The NHL seems to wait until after the fact to do something. Personally, I'd suggest padding the partitions. It won't prevent all possible injuries, but it could lessen the blow. You can view the hit here:



Folks have pointed out that there may be a bit of a history between the pair. In my opinion, Zdeno is a solid, tough player. He definitely finishes his checks. But at the same time, he definitely doesn't play dirty. He's the captain of the Boston Bruins, and he's a player that leads by example. Also, look at it this way: if the partition wasn't there, Pacioretty may have ended up on the bench, but that's about it. No concussion, no serious injury. The NHL needs to wake up and figure out how to keep the players safe from something similar happening again.

Hopefully Chara's good standing will come into play when he talks to NHL vice-president of hockey operations Mike Murphy in about an hour. I wouldn't be surprised if he got a handful of games, but I'd be very surprised (and disappointed) if they came down hard on him. Anything more than four games will obviously suck for the Bruins chances at catching up to the Flyers in first place.

Lastly, huge slops to the Montreal Canadiens fans who were more concerned with starting a "F*** YOU CHARA!" chant, than giving Max silence. Absolutely classless reaction. They should be ashamed.