General Hockey Talk - Injuries, signings, factoids + other news from around the league

shabbs wrote:Possible fracture for Max - not confirmed yet...

http://twitter.com/#!/renhockey/status/45491278787518464

Yikes.

NECK fracture. Yikes is right.

That's a play that is made like 10 times a game and 1000's of time a season, this one just happened to end with horrific results it seems. I don't know how much blame you can lay on Chara here.

NEELY wrote:That's a play that is made like 10 times a game and 1000's of time a season, this one just happened to end with horrific results it seems. I don't know how much blame you can lay on Chara here.

Nope, that's not true. You don't see guys get run face-first into the stanchion that often.

You see guys get rubbed out all the time. Hitting the end of the glass happens all too often as well but again, this one ended badly. Unless the structure of the boards and glass changes that will happen again at some point. You have two huge bodies going full speed at stationary object with no give... people have been hurt before, will be hurt again.

It sucks to see but that's the reality of it.

So a professional athlete didn't know exactly what he was doing and exactly where he was on the ice? I don't buy it for a second.

2 or 3 games is a cop out. This should be 0 or 20 - he did it or he didn't. But I'm expecting 2.

dennycrane wrote:So a professional athlete didn't know exactly what he was doing and exactly where he was on the ice? I don't buy it for a second.

2 or 3 games is a cop out. This should be 0 or 20 - he did it or he didn't. But I'm expecting 2.

That goes for both players though. If you question whether Chara knew where he was on the ice you have to question MP as well. Call me a Front Bum but if I know Im going streaking up the ice against Chara and the end of the glass is coming up, perhaps I put the breaks on or take another route to chase the puck.

That's dumb. You can't wuss out because you think you might get your face smashed into the stanchion.

Chara has to take some responsibility for a hit that could have ended Max Pac's career and possibly his ability to walk/move, regardless of intent.

Kind of like you don't hit a player from behind who is a few feet away from the boards you shouldn't try to rub out a player at high speed heading toward the stanchion.

tim1_2 wrote:That's dumb. You can't wuss out because you think you might get your face smashed into the stanchion.

Maybe, but I wouldn't be the one with a broken neck either. If it's Brian Lee, I'm going the same route, if it's Chara I might reconsider. Either way, it was shocking to see that happen with such a horrfic outcome, but I'm not shocked it actually happened. It's impossible for that play to be premeditated so people saying that (not in this forum) are out to lunch. It was a hockey player that went badly because of the rink is set up. I still have no idea why that glass is there other than to seperate the players and protect Pierre McGuire.

Hoags wrote:Chara has to take some responsibility for a hit that could have ended Max Pac's career and possibly his ability to walk/move, regardless of intent.

Kind of like you don't hit a player from behind who is a few feet away from the boards you shouldn't try to rub out a player at high speed heading toward the stanchion.

I agree with all of that. That said, if I'm facing a guy and then turn my back to him 2 feets away from the boards to protect the puck, who is to blame?

Everything is so touchy in hockey right now because of two things. 1) Players don't respect the other players on the ice. 2) Players expect the rules to protect them.

If you get hammered from behind because you turned your back to protect the puck and expect it to be called because it's "against the rules" to hit from behind and get paralyzed, ya, your team might get a 5 min PP, but your paralyzed. Same thing in this case. What Chara did was against the rules as it was interfearance, but the rules didn't protect MP from having a broken neck.

NEELY wrote:

tim1_2 wrote:That's dumb. You can't wuss out because you think you might get your face smashed into the stanchion.

Maybe, but I wouldn't be the one with a broken neck either. If it's Brian Lee, I'm going the same route, if it's Chara I might reconsider. Either way, it was shocking to see that happen with such a horrfic outcome, but I'm not shocked it actually happened. It's impossible for that play to be premeditated so people saying that (not in this forum) are out to lunch. It was a hockey player that went badly because of the rink is set up. I still have no idea why that glass is there other than to seperate the players and protect Pierre McGuire.

Isn't it to protect the players and separate Pierre McGuire?

In all seriousness there will come a point in time where players should be penalized for putting themselves in vulnerable positions. If the rules are truly put in place to protect the players then it should be a no brainer. Turn your back on a forchecker, 2 min unsportsmanlike. Duck to avoid a hit, 2 min unsportsmanlike. Carrying the puck behind you with your head down, 2 min unsportsmanlike.

Having a glass partition there begs for someone to be decapitated, let alone be severely injured. It's so dumb that Chara has to go before a disciplinary hearing, but uh...whatever.

I wonder when The NHL is going to take responsibility for anything?

NEELY wrote:I wonder when The NHL is going to take responsibility for anything?

How about never? More likely they will point the finger at the NHLPA and the NHLPA will point the finger at the NHL and around and around it will go.

The NHL is turning into that movie Roller Ball and just wants ratings. The only reason they are looking into a way to reduce concussions is because their golden goose is out for the rest of the year, that's it.

There is nothing being discussed to prevent plays where a person puts themselfe in a vulnerable position. If your kid is playing with matches, you punish him, why? Because he may hurt himself. It's the same principal.

One thing I think we can all agree on: Pacioretty will think twice before Cussing with Chara again (in the OT game).

SpezDispenser wrote:One thing I think we can all agree on: Pacioretty will think twice before Cussing with Chara again (in the OT game).

That's the other thing. If a dog bites you and it ends up ripping your arm apart, ya the dog gets put down, but you were pretty stupid to poke that dog with a stick while it was agitated... you're still bleeding and going to the hospital though.