I Doubt you don’t know what happened to Max Pacioretty. It was all over the news. So unless you live under a rock, Il tell you what happened. Pacioretty suffered a severe concussion and a non-displaced fractured fourth cervical vertebra in his neck after being hit into a glass partition between the benches by Boston Giant Zdeno Chara. Chara recieved a game misconduct, but that was the last disciplinary action taken against Chara. He was not suspended, and Pacs spent the rest of the season on the sidelines.
Pacorietty did recently return to the ice, and has looked very good so far. His recovery is on schedule, and should be ready by the start of the 2011-2012 season. He has been hitting the gym hard and looks in better shape then he was before the injury. Erik Cole was brought in for scoring reasons, but he was also brought in to help mentor Pacioretty. On March 4, 2006, Cole suffered a fractured vertebra in his neck after getting hit by Pittsburgh’s defenceman Brooks Orpik. The injury kept him out of the lineup until Game 6 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, where the Hurricanes won the 2006 Stanley Cup in Game 7. He clearly knows what its like to have a major injury, and can help with the recovery with Max.
Zdeno Chara\’s major interference penalty on Max Pacioretty 3/8/11
It’s hard to believe that he is ok after that major hit. Zdeno Chara is 6’9. Do you think it would hurt if 255 pounds of brutal force shoved you into a non-moving glass object at full speed? Clearly. It was one of the ugliest hits ever seen in professional hockey. He missed the remainder of the season, and his career was on standstill. Was he finished? That wasn’t the biggest question, though. How would his injuries be? Would he have brain damage?
Let’s look at some other major injuries and how their careers took a turn for the worse.
Scott Stevens Hit On Eric Lindros
Scott Stevens completely demolished Lindros on this hit, which was only one of 8 concussions that ruined him for good. He never was the same. He missed the first few months of the 2000-2001 season, but then when he was cleared back to action, he refused to play, due to the fact the team wanted to send him to the minors for conditioning. After he returned to play, he only played 50+ games twice.
David Steckel Hit On Sidney Crosby
During the 2011 Winter Classic, Steckel targeted Crosby’s head, which finished his season. He played a few more games with the injury, but then decided to heal for what was supposed to be a week. But the news got worse from there: He missed the rest of the regular season, and the entire playoffs. His absence was one of the reasons the team blew a 3-1 lead in their first round series to Tampa Bay. He may never return to the superstar status he used to be. It was found out that he had some concussions that went unnoticed in junior, so this wasn’t the first time he had a bad injury.
On March 11, 2000, while Berard was playing for the Leafs in a game against the Senators in Ottawa, the stick of Marian Hossa clipped Berard in the right eye, severely injuring it. The eye was severely slashed on the sclera which resulted in a retinal tear and a detached retina. He was told he may lose his eye. Well, that wasn’t the case. With only 20/400 vision, he returned back to hockey with the New York Rangers in 2002-2003. He struggled to get the point totals that the former first overall pick was used to getting. He currently is a free agent.
Bobby Orr Career Ending Injury
One of the greatest defenceman to ever suit up in the NHL had a knee injury that ruined his stellar career. After 10 years with Boston, Orr signed with Chicago, but his injuries limited him to only 26 games over the next three seasons. He sat out the entire 1977-1978. By 1978, Orr had undergone over a dozen knee surgeries and was having trouble walking and barely skated any more. His playing career was finished.
So how will Patches play this season? He hasn’t played a game since March 8th, and an injury of this magnitude could easily spell the end of the 22 year old’s 3 year long career. The Bobby Orr hit ended his career, but with the equipment and the trainers and doctors, would he be finished in the current NHL? Quite possibly yes, but there would be a better chance he would have been fine.Pacioretty got hit with an impact that no human should ever take. If he returns to form, his story could be one of the most incredible the NHL has ever seen. If all goes well, 20 goals is not a wild expectation out of the forward.
Another big to the hit could be the end of the talented young forwards career.
And who knows?
Life.