By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Friday, March 11, 2011
TAMPA — Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier was careful to say no one knows what was in the mind of Boston's Zdeno Chara on Wednesday when he checked Montreal's Max Pacioretty head-first into an arena stanchion. But in his experience, Lecavalier said, Chara is not a dirty player.
"I don't think he's a guy who tries to hurt guys," Lecavalier said Friday. "He plays hard on them. He finishes his checks, but he's actually a pretty honest, clean player."
Lecavalier's perception is relevant because in April 2006 he fought Chara, then with the Senators. The 6-foot-9 260-pound defenseman had Lecavalier down and his fist cocked but did not throw what might have been a devastating punch.
There has been speculation that Chara, because he recently tangled with Pacioretty, intentionally checked him into the padded stanchion that holds the glass between the benches. Pacioretty sustained a concussion and fractured vertebra.
"That was one hit, and you don't know what can happen in that one second what he was thinking," Lecavalier said. "(Chara is) not a dirty player. … He plays really hard, but he plays fair."
Everton Sevilla Ann Widdecombe Family finances BBC International criminal justice
No comments:
Post a Comment