Anyone who saw the Zdeno Chara – Max Pacioretty incident agrees that it was an unpleasant sight. While attempting to angle Pacioretty off and prevent him from getting to a lose puck Chara checked Pacioretty into the glass between the benches also known as the turnbuckle. This resulted in Pacioretty flying head long into the glass leaving him with a concussion and a fractured vertebrae. Obviously everyone in and around the NHL is concerned for Pacioretty, a promising young forward with a bright career in front of him. However I believe that Chara’s play since this “incident” has spoken volumes to who he is as a player, a leader, and a person.
Since that day in Montreal Chara has taken his game to another level. He was having a solid season before but since then he has elevated play back to the level that saw him take home the Norris Trophy in 2009, possibly even higher. This has been a testament to Zdeno Chara’s character. The message that he has delivered to the league is simple “I am who I am. I will not change. I will not apologize.” Chara is a player who plays hard, plays physical, and plays clean. It is not easy to be Zdeno Chara. While being his size is clearly something he uses to his advantage he is also repeatedly penalized for nothing more than being bigger and stronger than his opponents. He wears a disproportionally large target on the back of his sweater simply for being the size that his is. Yet in the face of all this adversity not only has he maintained his level of play, he has actually enhanced it.
I haven’t always been entirely happy with Chara’s leadership as captain of the Boston Bruins, multiple times favoring Patrice Bergeron, but I am more impressed with Chara now than I have ever been. The way Chara has responded in the month since this unfortunate incident shows exactly the type of leadership every team wants out of their captain. Not only has Chara been arguably the Bruins best player over the stretch run, but the Bruins have rallied around him in a manner that Montreal has failed to rally around Pacioretty.
Speaking of Montreal I believe this incident has also spoken volumes about who the Canadiens are as an organization. The Canadiens have always been the team that slashes guys in the back of the legs and then tries to look innocent. The team that punches players in head when the refs aren’t looking then turtles when they turn around and respond and tries to get them sent of with a game misconduct. The team that only wants to fight when the referees are holding them back. While I have always seen this kind of play as dishonorable Montreal’s response to the Chara-Pacioretty incident has been downright disgraceful.
The NHL reviewed the footage of Chara’s hit and concluded that it did not merit a suspension. The entire NHL outside of Montreal agreed that the collision, while unfortunate, was not a dirty play. It was a hockey play that resulted in an injury. It’s hard luck for the Canadiens but it happens. Pacioretty is not the first person to get checked into the turnbuckle and he probably wont be the last. It happens. So what was Montreal’s response? Not only did they continually complain to the league but the Montreal Police began a criminal investigation on Chara.
First off this is downright ridiculous; Chara has played 13 seasons in the NHL without being suspended. You don’t just play 13 years then one day wake up a criminal. Pacioretty has missed a month and could be back for the playoffs. The Bruins Marc Savard essentially hasn’t played in two years. Were the Bruins upset that Matt Cooke wasn’t suspended? Yes. Did they start a criminal investigation into the player who, unlike Chara, is widely considered to be the dirtiest in the NHL? No. Were they upset that the league only gave Randy Jones 2 games for his hit that cost Patrice Bergeron an entire season? Yes. Did they do anything other than voice their displeasure? No. However this is not only an absurd idea, it is also a disgraceful and disingenuous attempt to gain a competitive advantage out of a player’s misfortune.
When a player gets injured in a nasty incident naturally people are concerned and subsequently have sympathy for the player and the team. But when a team attempts to use that sympathy to gain a competitive advantage all sympathy goes out the window and a lot of bad karma takes its’ place. It is one thing to go to bat for your player, that is entirely acceptable. However it is another thing to attempt to use that players injury to elevate your team’s status. Montreal acted in this fashion in an attempt to not only get Chara suspended but to get Chara and the Bruins away from their style of play. For the Bruins to be at their best they need have an attack mentality and, while certainly some of Montreal’s actions were motivated by genuine concern for their player, more was aimed at getting the Bruins off their game. It actually worked for a while as the Bruins, noticeably out of sync despite Chara’s valiant efforts, went into a two week funk that allowed Montreal to climb within a point of them in the division. Taking advantage of people who were showing legitimate concern is simply bad manners. Yes it is unfortunate that their player got injured. But attempting to use that as leverage is a slap in the face to the game of hockey and the world of sports. Again there is no greater disgrace in the world of sport than demanding that which is not earned.
Anyone who doesn’t believe the Canadiens are willing to use injuries to benefit their cause watch Mike Ribeiro robbing the Bruins of a late odd man rush in the 2004 Bruins-Canadiens playoff series. He recovered from that devastating injury to score two goals in the series. This sort of thing should not be tolerated yet it is the kind of thing Montreal is famous for. It speaks volumes to who the Montreal Canadiens are and the fact the Zdeno Chara has been able to rise above it speaks volumes to who he is. Don’t let manipulative people change who you are. Rest assured I don’t feel sorry for the Canadiens anymore and if they meet the Bruins in the playoffs they will get what they deserve.
Willy
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