MONTREAL – Almost one week later, many Canadiens fans are still furious about the infamous hit that left Max Pacioretty unconscious during an NHL game last Tuesday at Montreal’s Bell Centre.
And now one fan is trying to do something about it.
Victor Henriquez is organizing a fan demonstration Tuesday night before the Canadiens’ next game, against the Washington Capitals.
"It scared me; I thought he had been killed or seriously injured and maybe paralyzed," the Montreal public relations consultant said on Sunday.
Like many fans, Henriquez said he is fed up with the increasing number of severe injuries suffered by National Hockey League players because of hits to the head
"Too often, when we hear about those hits, we hear the owners and head of the league saying fans want that, that it’s part of the game and that’s what fans like," he said. "We want them to understand that we like physical contact, we like a physical game, but we don’t want anyone to get killed on the ice."
Pacioretty has a fractured vertebra and suffered a severe concussion after being thrown into a stanchion by Boston Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara, who received a game misconduct from the referees but no further sanction by the NHL.
Protest organizers will circulate a petition asking the NHL to adopt new rules aimed at outlawing hits to the head, Henriquez said. Other sports, such as football and soccer, already have such rules.
Organizers want hockey fans in other NHL cities to join them because, Henriquez said, Tuesday’s demonstration is not a protest against the Bruins or Chara. Too many players, including superstar Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins sniper Marc Savard, have suffered concussions because of violent hits, he said.
Henriquez said he hopes the demonstration will send a message of support to Pacioretty, who was released from hospital Thursday.
"We want to tell the players that we fans support them and we’re not going to accept that one day a player could be killed on the ice," he said.
Montreal Gazette
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