Dirty?

Big rivalry, big eastern conference clash ... big collision.

Last night at the Montreal/Boston game, as I'm sure you're well aware, Zdeno Chara nearly obliterated Max Pacioretty as he checked him into the glass between the team benches at the Bell Centre, and Pacioretty was taken off the ice on a stretcher.

Here is a link to the hit here. In case you're wondering, yes, I did pick this clip specifically because I liked the commentator's accent haha What can I say, I'm a sucker!

I'm sure Montrealers are all in an outrage, Boston fans are likely defending their captain ... and me, who is fairly impartial ... While I will side with those who say the hit was late (it was) I do not think Chara intended to injure Pacioretty the way he did.

Was the the hit dirty? A late hit is always dirty in my books. Chara didn't need to paste Pacioretty regardless of where on the ice it happened, as the Canadien player had already chipped the puck away and was no longer in posession of it. 

I just looked, and as of seven minutes ago, the Toronto Star reported there has been no fine or suspension. (Omg, I'm a blog loser, stealing info from a reporter. Sorry!!!!!! Oh. It's a Canadian Press story. Those are meant to be stolen.) Chara walks and Pacioretty is lying in a hospital bed with a severe concussion and fractured vertebrae. Nice. Way to go, NHL.

The fact of the matter is that it's a dangerous area of the rink, and maybe this is time for the NHL to look at changing the way the rink is set up? Not sure how they could do this, but potentially eliminating that little plexiglass box between the benches where Pierre McGuire hangs out (hey, maybe we could get rid of him, too!) that could get rid of two hard corners ... leaving only the two, one at the end of either bench.

Concussions are a REAL problem. My favourite kid from my team had to leave at the end of last season, and missed most of the start of this season with post-concussion symptoms. When he was finally cleared to play in December, he played in only a couple of games before he sustained a hit to the head, and is done for the year. He's too old to play next year, so there went his hockey career.

It is due time the National Hockey League steps up and does something about these types of injuries. They do not need to be a part of hockey, and should be stopped. I'm not against hitting, fighitng, or any of that. But I am against players being needlessly injured in a way that will affect their brain for the rest of their lives. THAT is not okay.