The Talk Around The Rink

[Telvin]

Have you ever body checked a guy on the ice before? Have you ever anticipated a check, prepared yourself for it, and then the other guy lost balance and was only able to provide half the resistance to that check he'd normally be able to? That is exactly what happened here. Chara pushed harder than he needed to, not knowing Pacioretty was off balance, and as a result he went into the glass head first. It was an accident.

The thing that kills me about this is that most people who offer an opinion about this had to watch an instant replay to even see what happened. It all happened too fast in real time for them to even see what happened yet Chara somehow managed to plan, orchestrate, time, and deliver this malicious and intentional check in that same time frame.

There is not a thing about this check that does not have a reasonable explanation to disprove that this was an intentional hit.

Yes, I played hockey right up to the midget level, so yes I have.

The guys who decided whether there should be further punishment also watched those same replays. How the hell they could have missed the INTENTIONAL push of Pacioretty`s head into that turn buckle is beyond me.

Professional hockey players know exactly where they are and can make those split second decisions faster than we can. If Chara does not and cannot, he would not be playing at the level he is playing at.

Oh, and before you even accuse me of it, I am not and have never been a Montreal fan. I fact, before my home town got an NHL team, I was a Boston/Toronto fan.

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[ATTACH]14770[/ATTACH]

I saw the game when it aired. Chara was fully aware of his position on the ice. He had time to let up on his check but did not. Now please explain to me what Chara is doing with his hand around Max's face like that.

Nice work Rant, these pictures definitely prove the point better than to one I had.

[greep]

I completely agree. I don't know why people keep arguing about hockey plays like the Chara hit instead of being outraged at the lack of punishment for completely unacceptable hits. Take a look at these two head shots that happened this week after the Chara check. Aren't these the types of hits we should be trying to get out of the game? Here is Heatley's elbow (only two game suspension)

But at least it's some something (2 games). I agree the Chara hit is borderline, but it WAS a hit (contact). My point was the league could have sent a strong message to the players about contact near the boards that they are not fooling around about their resolve to eliminate dangerous contact. I believe a 3-5 game suspension for Chare would make players think twice about such contact.

BTW Im sure Heatley and others who delivered these elbows didnt meant to hurt the other player, Just like Chara didnt mean to hurt that MTL player. I believe Heatley and Chara's hits are both examples of players too lax when making contact. The league has to start dropping the fucking hammer even on moderate hits -then the players will get the message.

[Guest]

Take away his computer access!! That'll teach him not to hit others.

Hi,

I fail to see a real "solution" if all it is, is to not let the guy play in a few games. BIG Frikken DEAL!! That's like taking away his "ice cream rights" or his "computer access" for a few nights.

I doubt a guy who earns millions of dollars per year will suffer if he can't play in a few games. Awww. I'm sure that REALLY hurts...maybe like having your face pushed into a wall at 40 Km per hour...NOT!

You want to send a REAL message to ALL the other players? Give the injured guy half of the hitter's yearly salary (the league can figure out how to do that based on the injury) AND THEN don't let the hitter guy play in the PLAY OFFS, at all. HE'S OUT!!
"Strike three! YOU'RE OUT!!"...just like in that other rough game, there, whatever it's called...football or rugby, i think!
Let him play throughout the regular season but NOT IN THE PLAY OFFS. Let's see how many cracked heads there'll be then when that becomes the new no-hitting rule.

Babe,
xoxo

[tommygun]

I saw the game when it aired. Chara was fully aware of his position on the ice. He had time to let up on his check but did not. Now please explain to me what Chara is doing with his hand around Max's face like that.

Yes, I played hockey right up to the midget level, so yes I have.

The guys who decided whether there should be further punishment also watched those same replays. How the hell they could have missed the INTENTIONAL push of Pacioretty`s head into that turn buckle is beyond me.

Professional hockey players know exactly where they are and can make those split second decisions faster than we can. If Chara does not and cannot, he would not be playing at the level he is playing at.

Oh, and before you even accuse me of it, I am not and have never been a Montreal fan. I fact, before my home town got an NHL team, I was a Boston/Toronto fan.

In my 20 years of hockey I can't even count the number of gloves I've had in my face in practice, playing shinney with friends or in hundreds of other scenarios where somebody wasn't trying to hurt me. And I play with a face mask. I don't need to raise my arms up as habitually as the NHL guys to keep my teeth in my mouth. There is nothing that distinguishes this hit from dozens of others that happened during this game, the one before that, and the one after that.

He had time to let up on his check? The elapsed time from when Chara attempted a poke check to Pacioretty hitting the boards was 1.5 seconds. The total time of the check was 0.5 seconds. During this entire time Chara was looking ahead to where the puck was. If he was intentionally trying to drive Macioretty`s head into an object only a few inches wide, he`d be looking at it like he was targeting it. He would have also positioned his legs and feet in a way where he could have actually positioned his feet in a way to deliver a body check.

He knew where he was? Considering less than a second before the check his head was down looking at the puck. Chara said himself that he knew he was "somewhere near our bench". Chara missed the poke check and Pacioretty had a step on him so Chara gave him a shove into the boards to slow him down. A perfectly acceptable strategy used by many hockey players. There is even a phrase for it called "riding out". People are automatically drawing the conclusion that because Chara is a great player and a professional that is must mean is was on purpose because "a professional wouldn't make that mistake". I didn't realize professional was synonamous with perfection. Did Gretzky ever put a pass onto the stick of a guy from the other team? Did Lemieux ever hit a post on a breakway? These guys screwed up and they were two of the best who ever played the game.

I'm kind of worried to be the least bit physical when I play hockey next week. I am worried that if I check a guy and he happens to get hurt, I'll get lead out of the arena in handcuffs because people cannot accept that fact that accidents happen in a sport where physicality is a requirement.

Watch Chara's post game interview when he speaks about the hit. When he is stating that his purpose was not to hurt Pacioretty you'll notice his head shaking as if he is saying "no". Well this is well understood, among those who read body language, as a subconscious truth teller. Unless Chara has taken lessons in how manipulate his subconscious when telling lies, he is telling the truth.

As I stated before, there is a reasonable explanation for everything that happened. This was not an intent to injure.

[Telvin]

In my 20 years of hockey I can't even count the number of gloves I've had in my face in practice, playing shinney with friends or in hundreds of other scenarios where somebody wasn't trying to hurt me. And I play with a face mask. I don't need to raise my arms up as habitually as the NHL guys to keep my teeth in my mouth. There is nothing that distinguishes this hit from dozens of others that happened during this game, the one before that, and the one after that.

He had time to let up on his check? The elapsed time from when Chara attempted a poke check to Pacioretty hitting the boards was 1.5 seconds. The total time of the check was 0.5 seconds. During this entire time Chara was looking ahead to where the puck was. If he was intentionally trying to drive Macioretty`s head into an object only a few inches wide, he`d be looking at it like he was targeting it. He would have also positioned his legs and feet in a way where he could have actually positioned his feet in a way to deliver a body check.

He knew where he was? Considering less than a second before the check his head was down looking at the puck. Chara said himself that he knew he was "somewhere near our bench". Chara missed the poke check and Pacioretty had a step on him so Chara gave him a shove into the boards to slow him down. A perfectly acceptable strategy used by many hockey players. There is even a phrase for it called "riding out". People are automatically drawing the conclusion that because Chara is a great player and a professional that is must mean is was on purpose because "a professional wouldn't make that mistake". I didn't realize professional was synonamous with perfection. Did Gretzky ever put a pass onto the stick of a guy from the other team? Did Lemieux ever hit a post on a breakway? These guys screwed up and they were two of the best who ever played the game.

I'm kind of worried to be the least bit physical when I play hockey next week. I am worried that if I check a guy and he happens to get hurt, I'll get lead out of the arena in handcuffs because people cannot accept that fact that accidents happen in a sport where physicality is a requirement.

Watch Chara's post game interview when he speaks about the hit. When he is stating that his purpose was not to hurt Pacioretty you'll notice his head shaking as if he is saying "no". Well this is well understood, among those who read body language, as a subconscious truth teller. Unless Chara has taken lessons in how manipulate his subconscious when telling lies, he is telling the truth.

As I stated before, there is a reasonable explanation for everything that happened. This was not an intent to injure.

It's people like you that are willing to believe any plausible explanation and excuse that have allowed hockey to plagued with concussions. The league needs to grow a fucking pair of balls and punish these guys.

Heatley getting two games is a joke, Chara getting nothing is a bigger joke. Punishment in the NHL is totally fucked.

I certainly hope the police find reasonable grounds (I believe there is) to charge Chara, seeing how the NHL does not have the guts to send a clear message to the players that enough is enough, and these types of dangerous "plays" will not be tolerated.

Totally done with thread.

[greep]

Hi,




You want to send a REAL message to ALL the other players? Give the injured guy half of the hitter's yearly salary (the league can figure out how to do that based on the injury) AND THEN don't let the hitter guy play in the PLAY OFFS, at all. HE'S OUT!!

The Players Union would never allow this, of coarse.

[Guest]

Union Schmoonion

The Players Union would never allow this, of coarse.

Hi greep,

The Player's Union allows for head shots like the one the kid just got? Maybe they're too busy watching replays.

Hockey is one of the MANY sports i have no connection with at all. As a matter of fact, when i was a little....er..."kid", and i had to watch hockey because my uncles watched it, i never thought of being a player.
Pffft, wanted to be the "zebra" with the whistle.

When i would tell them "I wanna be the zebra.", they ruined any hope i ever had when they said, "That's a referee, not a zebra."

Babe,
xoxo

[greep]

Hi greep,

The Player's Union allows for head shots like the one the kid just got? Maybe they're too busy watching replays.

Hockey is one of the MANY sports i have no connection with at all. As a matter of fact, when i was a little....er..."kid", and i had to watch hockey because my uncles watched it, i never thought of being a player.
Pffft, wanted to be the "zebra" with the whistle.

When i would tell them "I wanna be the zebra.", they ruined any hope i ever had when they said, "That's a referee, not a zebra."

Babe,
xoxo

Hi Babe,

No, the Players Union does not allow head shots. Players getting concussions, missing games, and having their careers cut short is the last thing the Union wants.

And btw, hockey is my LEAST favourite sport of the 4 major leagues. My original thought was Bettman didn't suspend Chara because Chara plays on an American team and Pac***ty played for an Canadian team. Which I truly believe.

I'm surprised you don't believe this since it hints of a conspiracy, lol.

[Guest]

Believe?

Hi greep,

I have no idea who you are talking about. I don't know these guys' names or who they play for. I don't care lol.

When i was a kid in grade 4 or 5, i used to buy the hockey trading cards to try to fit in with the
boys, but i had NO IDEA who the good players were. I used to trade all of my good player cards only because the boys wanted the ones i had. When the boys used to laugh at me for trading all my good players for bad players, i stopped buying those stupid cards.

I believe in conspiracy theories, YES.
The (conspiracy) wheel is VERY big and it covers a lot of ground (and ice).

If you think it's a hockey conspiracy, then i will believe you and agree with you.
You know what you know, like i know what i know.
I know that hockey hit was a crime.
And i know the hockey union should be totally reformed if that's all they care about.

Babe,
xoxo

P.S.
To all the people who think the hit was a legal move, ask yourself this:
Just imagine in a game of football when the runner slides in for a home-run. Imagine the goaltender jumping on the slider's leg as he slides, and he breaks his leg as he jumps on him.
Can ya say that is all part of the game? I suppose the football union will say, "It's ok!"?

[maddplotter]

Well they suspended Matt Cooke of Pittsburgh for the rest of the season and the first round of the playoffs. Guess the NHL finally had to do something. This time they said it was because he was a repeat offender.