MONTREAL – Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty laid motionless on the ice for several minutes before being taken off the ice on a stretcher after taking a hit from Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara and being driven into the corner of the glass that separates the two benches.
The Canadiens announced just after the start of the third period that Pacioretty was conscious and able to move his arms and legs, but was being taken to a hospital for further tests.
Chara was given a five-minute major for interference -- Pacioretty had gotten rid of the puck long before the hit -- and also a game misconduct with 16 seconds to play in the second period of a game the Canadiens were leading 4-0.
Pacioretty laid face-down on the ice with his eyes closed as Canadiens trainers and medical staff immobilized him and placed him on a stretcher with his head secured to take him off the ice.
On the play, Pacioretty was skating up the boards near the Bruins bench and had long since lost the puck when Chara came up beside him and finished his check, riding Pacioretty directly into glass partition between the benches. It appeared as though Pacioretty’s neck took the brunt of the impact, and he looked like he was knocked unconscious by the blow.
Pacioretty and Chara have a history this season, as Pacioretty completed a comeback from 2-0 down by scoring the winner in overtime against Boston on Jan. 8. After scoring the goal, Pacioretty went behind the Bruins' net to celebrate and gave Chara a shove in the back as he passed him. Chara went back at Pacioretty and a scrum ensued.
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