Apparently in Montreal 911 (or whatever their equivalent is) is not just for real emergencies. The Montreal Police's emergency line was flooded with phone calls on Wednesday afternoon from delusional Montreal Canadiens fans calling for Zdeno Chara's arrest after the league decided not to fine or suspend the Bruins captain after his hit during last night's game left Montreal forward Max Pacioretty with a fractured fourth vertebra and a concussion.
Do Habs fans really have nothing better to do than to tie up police phone lines because Zdeno Chara did not get suspended?
The outcome of this hit was horrible and I sincerely hope that Max Pacioretty can fully recover from his injuries. Nobody wants to see a young, promising player get seriously hurt. As a hockey fan who has witnessed serious head and spinal cord injuries to Travis Roy, Patrice Bergeron, and Marc Savard, I can relate to how Habs fans are feeling right now.
What I cannot relate to is the lack of logic by Montreal fans to pick up a telephone and call an emergency hotline for something that happened in an NHL game. Is this a normal thing up there? Do the cops get inundated with calls every time an opponent challenges a Hab to fight?
There are rare incidences when actions on the ice can cross over into the court room. This was not one of those times. This was not an assault. It was a marginally late hit on a player that was unfortunately in a vulnerable position on the ice. This was simply a play that happened fast between to two grown men playing an extremely fast collision sport. This was not Todd Bertuzzi jumping Steve Moore from behind or Marty McSorley slashing Donald Brashear in the head. If the league wanted to send a message about dangerous hits and suspended Chara for a few games I would not have had a problem with it, but to paint this incident as an assault that warrants the attention of law enforcement is ridiculous. If this turns out to be a life-altering injury for Max Pacioretty, the guilt that Zdeno Chara will feel everyday is far worse than any punishment that could be handed down from the league or a court of law.
The 25th caller to the Montreal Police Department gets a free pair of Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge-tinted glasses!
Thanks to reader SAM Z for the tip on this story.