Mar 09 A Rivalry Taken Entirely Too Far

It's been several hours since the incident, or attempted murder if you will, but the sound of Max Pacioretty crashing helplessly into the stanchion separating the glass and the Bruins bench still rings in my ears and probably will for awhile still. To make my view clear right off the bat, you're damn right I thought there was malicious intent on the part of Chara. You're damn right I think Chara wanted to send Pacioretty a message that he is never to touch him again, whether it be after an overtime winner or a goal-mouth scramble.

I've heard the counterpoints but I don't understand them. Chara was going for the puck? The puck was a good 20 feet away from the two at the time Chara was beginning his attempt to decapitate Pacioretty. Chara didn't know where he was on the ice? Chara is staring towards the very obviously unprotected Bruins bench as he approaches Pacioretty. The game moves too fast for Chara to know what he was doing? After 12 years in the NHL, I'd think the game should have slowed down enough by now for Chara to know exactly what he was doing.

Even if I were to give all those counterpoints in Chara's favor, there remains a responsibility on his part. Chara is 6'9", 255 pounds and has been that way long enough where he should know his strength and be aware of his size advantage to the point where if he's in a situation like that, he needs to let off. But he didn't. He squeezed Pacioretty into the boards and when those two finally got to the infamous stanchion at God knows whatever speed they were traveling at, Chara shoved Pacioretty into the unforgiving metal bracket protected by a minimal amount of padding.

For some reason, Chara doesn't recognize that responsibility. In fact, Chara showed absolutely no remorse. The quote is now infamous:

"I'm battling for position and as the puck went by I was riding him out and it's very unfortunate that at the same time I push him a little bit he leaned over and jumped a little bit and just hit the glass extension so it's very unfortunate."

The lack of accountability and remorse repulses me about as much as the original hit does and there's no real sense in analyzing the quote because it pretty much speaks for itself but I'd ask Chara one thing. How would he feel if someone suggested to him that it's "unfortunate" that Marc Savard "leaned" into Matt Cooke's elbow. I see the same amount of intent in both cases.

When the outrage settles in all of this, only one thing will matter however. Just how much has the career of a very promising young player been de-railed by this senseless act? As I write this, reports state that Pacioretty suffered a concussion. Some have deemed it a "mild" concussion but what does that even mean anymore? Sidney Crosby was originally listed as having a "mild" concussion that would keep him out a week. That was over two months ago. Hopefully, Pacioretty doesn't become a long-term victim of a rivalry taken entirely too far.

About Will Martinez

Will Martinez runs the 'Hey, My Name is Will' blog and is a contributor for TheFranchise.ca. You can follow Will on Twitter @heymynameiswill

Tags: Boston Bruins \ Max Pacioretty \ Montreal Canadiens \ Zdeno Chara