It is arguably the most-talked subject in the country: the debate over player safety in hockey in the aftermath of the Zdeno Chara hit on Max Paciorettty Tuesday night in Montreal.
Within 48 hours of the incident the story has moved from the hockey arena to the business and political arenas with Air Canada, the Montreal police and Prime Minister Stephen Harper adding their respective voices to the issue.
Below we’ve compiled a running a timeline of all the related news, opinions and videos to help you sort through the mountain of information on this subject that will continue to come in over the coming days.
March 10, 2011
Story: Habs lose first game since incident
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS _ Jaroslav Halak made 27 saves in his first game against his former Montreal teammates to help the St. Louis Blues beat the Canadiens 4-1 on Thursday night.
Montreal was playing its first game without left-winger Max Pacioretty, out indefinitely with a severe concussion and fractured fourth vertebrae as a result of a check Tuesday night at the hands of Boston defenceman Zdeno Chara.
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Connected Video: Brunt on Molson’s comments
Prime Time Sports co-host Stephen Brunt tells Martine Gaillard you can’t overstate the significance of Geoff Molson’s statement criticizing the National Hockey League.
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Story: Habs’ owner Molson speaks out
THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL — Montreal Canadiens chairman Geoff Molson has asked his fellow NHL team owners to join him in takng steps against violence in hockey.
In an unprecedented letter to fans released Thursday, the head of the team’s ownership group said the Canadiens do not agree with the NHL’s decision not to suspend Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara for a hit that left Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty seriously injured.
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Video: Chara speaks about Pacioretty hit
Boston Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara talks to reporters and says he feels bad that Pacioretty is in the hospital and that he has every right to be emotional.
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Story: Police open Chara investigation
THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL — Montreal police confirmed they opened a criminal investigation Thursday into the devastating hit that placed Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty in the hospital with a cracked vertebra.
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Mark Spector column: Poking the bear
TAMPA, FLA — With the National Hockey League’s general managers set to meet across state in Boca Raton next Monday, the Zdeno Chara hit just altered the agenda.
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Story: Air Canada in lonely fight
THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL — Air Canada’s threat to hit the NHL where it hurts — in its wallet — proved to be a lonely battle Thursday.
Other sponsors refrained from jumping aboard a public push from the country’s leading airline against hockey violence.
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Story: Harper concerned about NHL violence
THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO — Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he is concerned about the growing number of serious injuries in the NHL.
An avid hockey fan, Harper says the league needs to take a serious look at the issue.
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March 9, 2011
Story: Pacioretty has fractured vertebra
THE CANADIAN PRESS
BROSSARD, Que. — Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty has a severe concussion and a fractured vertebra from a frightening hit from Boston’s Zdeno Chara.
Canadiens coach Jacques Martin says Pacioretty fractured the fourth cervical vertebra, which is not displaced.
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Story: No suspension for Chara
THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL — Boston’s Zdeno Chara will face no further league discipline for the hit that hospitalized Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty.
NHL senior vice-president Mike Murphy called the Chara hit “a hockey play that resulted in an injury because of the player colliding with the stanchion and then the ice surface.”
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Mike Brophy column: Chara not a dirty player
Zdeno Chara has never done anything in his career that would suggest he intended to injure Pacioretty.
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Louis Jean blog: Where’s the respect?
There is no respect amongst players anymore.
You hear that all the time in the NHL and last night at the Bell Centre, we got yet another glaring example when Zdeno Chara finished his check on Max Pacioretty.
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Story: Montreal police tired of complaints
THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL — Montreal police are asking hockey-mad Canadiens fans to stop calling them to file complaints against Zdeno Chara.
Police say they have been inundated with calls from people seeking to file a criminal complaint against the Boston Bruins defenceman.
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March 8, 2011
Hockeycentral Video: Bad hit or bad luck?
Doug Maclean, Nick Kypreos and R.J. Broadhead discuss whether or not Zdeno Chara’s hit on Max Pacioretty was a dirty play.
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Story: Pacioretty stretchered off after hit
THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL — Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty was taken from the ice on a stretcher after a scary hit from Boston’s Zdeno Chara late in the second period of their game Tuesday.
Pacioretty was trying to get past the six-foot-nine defenceman when he was hit hard and went head-first into the glass partition between the benches with 15.8 seconds left in the period.
