Bruins Chara Could Face Suspension For Hit
MONTREAL (AP) -- A dangerous hit and a scary injury to one of their teammates had the Montreal Canadiens more concerned than excited after their latest victory.
Max Pacioretty was hospitalized after being checked into the glass headfirst by Boston's Zdeno Chara late in the second period of Montreal's 4-1 victory against the Bruins on Tuesday night.
Pacioretty lay on the ice and remained motionless when he was taken off on a stretcher after the hit by Chara, which sent him flying into the glass partition at the end of the Bruins' bench.
Zdeno Chara On Max Pacioretty Hit
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"I knew we were somewhere close to our bench but obviously that wasn't my intention to push him into the post," said Chara, who was given an interference major and a game misconduct with 15.8 seconds left in the period. "It's very unfortunate. In that situation everything's happening fast and even planning to do that, that's not my style to hurt somebody. I always play hard. I play physical but I never try to hurt anybody so I'm hoping he's O.K."
A Canadiens spokesman said Pacioretty was conscious and moving his extremities when he was taken to hospital for precautions.
"Things happen quickly," Canadiens center Lars Eller said. "You make decisions out there. Unfortunately, Chara made a bad one. I think he knew the glass was starting there. Hopefuly he won't do that again. We just hope Max will be all right."
Canadiens coach Jacques Martin said Pacioretty would remain in hospital overnight. Martin believed the penalties called against Chara were "adjusted when they saw how serious the injury is."
"The league has to deal with these issues," Martin said. "It's not the first time. It seems to be getting worse and worse. It was a dangerous hit."
There is a good chance Chara could be suspended for the hit.
Bruins coach Claude Julien said he had sought out information on Pacioretty's condition from Dr. David Mulder, the Canadiens' team doctor who attended to the Montreal forward on the ice immediately after the hit.
"I've seen those kind of things before as far as hitting partitions and I even played with a teammate that had a severe injury because of the same thing," said Julien, who got his NHL coaching debut with the Canadiens. "Sometimes it's riding your check and that part of the ice is so dangerous between the two benches because they've got those little partitions. It's not Zdeno's shoulder, elbow, or anything that hit him in the head, it's the partition.
Claude Julien On Max Pacioretty Hit
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"When you see those kind of things it's very unfortunate and you hope that the player gets better quickly. I know that it's a pretty serious injury and we're going to keep our fingers crossed that he gets better."
(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
