Chara himself admitted that he knew where he was in relation to the benches and the glass. I also believe him when he says that he did not INTEND to hurt Pacioretty, but that doesn’t matter. For everyone who says it was a “hockey play,” I agree insofar as when a defenseman knows he’s beat he will probably try to prevent his opponent from getting past him, whether it’s a hold, a trip, a hit, whatever. Chara wasn’t FINISHING his check, he was MAKING it.

Bottom line: the penalty he committed caused immediate injury to a player and that should be sufficient grounds for a suspension. I would have given him 4 games and sent a clear message to the players: If you commit a penalty and injure a player in the process, expect to be suspended. If the league got it right in the first place, all this other bullshit that you’re talking about (Air Canada sponsorship and investigations, etc.) never even happens.

Secondly, addressing the issue at hand: It’s your problem, if you don’t have the back of your favorite players. Just sit back and watch the debauchery. Well, I’ve got my guy’s back. No way I’m staying quiet about this. I initially thought Chara was blameless. But the more I look at the hit itself, the rivalry between Chara and Max leading up to it, a 4-0 score, 16 seconds left in the second, Chara’s “clean” record…(When I googled to get news of the suspension, my first hit stated that he avoided suspension…April 24, 2010, after a Boston Bruins loss where he went berserk and racked up 27 minutes in penalties).

Let me introduce you to the New (mike) Murphy’s Law: Chara’s record is clean therefore we don’t suspend. Go for it Chara: you have carte blanche now.

That is the leadership you get from the NHL’s office. And the league president (presiding over a $400,000,000 burial in the desert sun – at taxpayers’ expense no less) telling a sponsor to screw off. He’s to lead our game?

The NHL is not the real world. They have made fantastic use of the notion of INTENT. If I blow a red light and kill someone, it doesn’t matter if I didn’t mean it. Intent can be used to assess the severity of the punishment but it cannot be used to dismiss the action altogether. The NHL is unwilling to regulate themselves.

Well, guess what, the NHL is about to experience the real world. The rules of law are about to kick in their doors. Don’t forget that Pacioretty is American and will not stand for the BS honour code of taking your lumps and being quiet about it. I love the fact that Max is venting his outrage at the lack of a suspension.

The landscape of the NHL will be entirely different in two years. Air Canada is threatening to pull their sponsorship. Money talks. The Quebec government is initiating a criminal investigation. Society and its laws eventually prevail. We all assume that every Quebecker is a hardcore hockey fan: That’s not the case at all. CBC Quebec stopped showing Saturday night hockey games due to low ratings. A variety show (sounds like the 70′s) tripled the ratings in the same spot. RDS didn’t acquire the rights to the Habs, it was given to them. Mark my words: this action has killed the idea of a team for Quebec City (unless it’s all done privately).

You can also laugh at the posturing done by the politicians. But do not forgot this. The entire league is absolutely dependent on the CBC TV contract. CBC is a public institution. The NBC contract is actually a paid promotional announcement paid by the league.

Don’t matter if we think the hit was clean or not. Pandora’s Box has been open.

We can all look forward to Sidney Crosby’s retirement announcement this spring. He plays for the rival Penguins. If he goes, I easily turn my back on the game I love.

Go back to shutting down your 911 system and calling for the head of player. This is lovely I don’t see how this could be bad, if I were a NHL team I would refuse to play a game in Montreal for fear of my players being put in jail.

Chara put someone in the Hospital.
He received 0 games for it.
Patches doesn’t want him to be prosecuted. Just suspended.

You get 2 games for an Air Blow Job, 0 games for a back breaking hit.

Do you not see how idiotic this is?

#habsfan