DETROIT?There aren?t many people who can truly understand what Zdeno Chara and Max Pacioretty are going through on the day following the scariest moment in hockey this season.
But two people who do understand sit a few stalls down from each other in the Los Angeles Kings dressing room.
Three years ago, Kings defenseman Jack Johnson hit Ryan Smyth into the glass partition in a game when Smyth was still with the Colorado Avalanche. The hit was very similar to the one Chara delivered on Pacioretty, right down to the stretcher carrying one of the players off the ice.
As we debate whether Chara?s hit was suspension-worthy or exactly what he was thinking in that split-second decision, it?s almost pointless. Nobody knows but Chara.
Johnson, more than anyone, might have an idea.
?I highly doubt as he was coming down he was planning on pushing him into the turnbuckle,? Johnson told Sporting News on Wednesday.
Instead, Johnson thinks the physical play was one of unfortunate timing. He remembers the play in which he sent Smyth to the hospital with a concussion and separated shoulder. There wasn?t any intent to injure. It was one player trying to separate another from the puck.
?It?s one of those things that was unfortunate timing. It could have been anywhere else on the ice,? Johnson said.
Talk to people who aren?t emotionally invested in the Chara hit and that?s immediately the response. Are we having this debate if the hit is made anywhere else on the ice?
While many of us are quick to look for justice, especially as Pacioretty sits in a hospital bed with his playing career in doubt, others see the hit and wonder what exactly Chara should have done differently.
Unless you?re on the ice, it?s hard to gauge just how much responsibility falls on the shoulders of a player who doesn?t have the time to assess just how dangerous a situation the two players are approaching.
That?s a long way of wondering: Should Chara have been more aware of his surroundings before the hit?
Smyth didn?t hold Johnson to that standard and has long forgiven him for the hit.
?We?re playing in different rinks so obviously there?s some awareness out there for both players,? Smyth said. ?It?s a matter of instinct and reading and reacting. The guy chipped the puck in, he was going to get it and the partition was right there. ? I don?t think Chara had the intention of hurting him. He was just finishing his check.?
This is the latest example that not all severe concussions are caused by the blindside hit to the head, the hit specifically banned by Rule 48. In fact, concussions are up across the board in hockey except for blindside hits.
It?s the gray area of finishing the check that continues to cause problems. To some, there?s a fine line between finishing a check and a dirty hit. For others, the line isn?t so fine.
Capitals forward Brooks Laich, speaking in general terms before the Chara hit, doesn?t buy the excuse.
?It?s not a fine line. You?re talking about the 700 best players in the world playing this game. They?ve played it for 20 some years and finished thousands of checks,? Laich said. ?You know when a player is vulnerable. Your instincts at this level are that good. Now, it?s up to the players to make the right decisions.?
We?re not mind-readers. We don?t know if Chara was out for revenge given a recent history with Pacioretty. What we do know is this game is growing increasingly more dangerous.
Nightly, it seems, we?re reminded of that.
Sometimes, there are solutions. Like banning blindside hits to the head. Maybe even banning headshots completely.
Other times, like the Chara hit, it?s not so clear-cut.
Smyth has been through the pain that comes with a recovery from a hit like Pacioretty suffered. He was asked to offer up a fix to prevent similar injuries in the future and took a moment to think.
?Glass around the ice?? teammate Anze Kopitar suggested from the seat next to him.
Smyth didn?t have an answer.
It?s not easy. None of this is.
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