Montreal police said on Thursday they were probing a check by Boston’s Zdeno Chara in an NHL game that left Montreal’s Max Pacioretty with a broken vertebra and concussion.
Criminal charges could be brought against Boston’s Chara, who slammed Pacioretty into a glass partition between the team benches late in the second period of the Canadiens’ 4-1 victory on Tuesday.
Montreal police said they were collecting evidence at the behest of Louis Dionne, Quebec’s director of criminal and penal prosecutions, for possible criminal charges.
Chara was given an interference penalty and a game misconduct for the blow, but the NHL said it would not suspend Chara, the Bruins captain, who turns 34 next week.
Pacioretty, a 22-year-old American left wing, broke his fourth cervical vertebra and was carried off on a stretcher. He remained in hospital under observation, but in a statement said he did not want to see Chara prosecuted.
“I was disappointed that the NHL did not suspend Zdeno Chara,” Pacioretty said. “However, I have no desire for him to be prosecuted legally. I feel that the incident, as ugly as it was, was part of a hockey game. I understand that this is not my decision. I have respect and admiration for the authorities in Quebec. I simply wanted to make my opinion clear.”
Chara called Pacioretty’s comments “a nice gesture. It’s something that, for sure, shouldn’t go that far.”
Bruins coach Claude Julien said Chara did not deliberately inflict the severe blow upon Pacioretty.
“We know he didn’t do it on purpose. It wasn’t intentional,” Julien said. “But at the same time, I understand their frustration at the other end because we’ve been on the other side of the coin and it’s normal to be frustrated. It’s not an easy situation because we -understand there’s a player that’s injured at the other end.”
Chara said he regretted that Pacioretty was hurt.
“I understand,” Chara said. “He’s in the hospital. He has a right to be emotional and I respect that. I obviously feel bad that he got hurt. As a hockey player, we all feel bad that something like that happened. I’m wishing him a fast recovery and hopefully he can be back on the ice soon.”
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, speaking to US lawmakers in Washington, defended the lack of a suspension on Chara, while at the same time describing the injury to Pacioretty as “horrific.”
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