Image via WikipediaThe injury ninja has bitten Zdeno Chara and it's unknown how long he will be out of the line up. Sounds like he is day-to-day but out for tomorrow's game against the Kings in Los Angeles. Chara is an important cog in the Bruins line up and if he is gone for any amount of time it would be bad for the Boston Bruins. WILMINGTON -- Although he sat out today's practice at Ristuccia Arena in preparation for Tuesday night's game against the Los Angeles Kings at TD Garden, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, speaking to media for the first time since he sustained a left lower-leg injury in Saturday night's win at Columbus, said he "was feeling better than I expected."It also looks like Gregory Campbell is questionable as well as the Bruins Blog is reporting that he was hurt blocking a shot in the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Asked about whether the plan was to take the next week off, Chara replied, "No, the plan is to take it a day at a time, really. You can't really put a time frame on it. You basically have to see how it feels and it feels better than expected.''
Chara, who suffered the injury during a power play in the second period of Saturday's 5-3 road victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena, said he wasn't certain how long he would be out of the lineup.
Staff report, AOL.COM --- Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara returns to Montreal on Saturday night, still facing legal uncertainty regarding his on-ice hit of Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty last March.
Quebec’s director of criminal prosecutions says that no decision has been made on whether or not to bring Chara up on criminal charges regarding the hit.
Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara returns to Montreal on Saturday night, still facing legal uncertainty regarding his on-ice hit of Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty last March. (AP Photo)
“For the case of Mr. Chara, there are no developments for now and the case is under review,” Crown prosecutor Jean-Pascal Boucher said.
Chara’s hit on Pacioretty ended the Montreal forward’s season last year, breaking a vertebra. Chara was not suspended by the league and following public outcry, an investigation was opened by the Quebec director of criminal prosecutions.
James Murphy, ESPN --- Montreal police have concluded their investigation into Bruins captain Zdeno Chara’s controversial hit on Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty on March 8 and forwarded their report to Crown prosecutors. It is now their decision whether to prosecute Chara.
Amid public outcry from Canadiens and NHL fans in Montreal after Chara was not suspended by the NHL for the hit that left Pacioretty with a cracked vertebrae and concussion, the police launched an investigation in March and just recently questioned Chara.
MONTREAL -- Zdeno Chara hoisted the Stanley Cup as captain of the Boston Bruins two weeks ago. Now the big defenceman will have something else on his hands: a meeting with Montreal police.
Montreal cops have announced they intend to question Chara soon -- but they won't say when or where they'll do it.
A probe into Chara's hit last March that sidelined Montreal forward Max Pacioretty and sparked demands for a crackdown on hockey violence is nearing completion.
A police spokesman says Chara is the final person they need to speak with to complete their investigation; after that, the Crown will decide whether to press charges.
"The last person to meet is the person targeted by the investigation and that will be done in the coming weeks or months," Lafreniere said.
"In terms of whether or not it's going to happen in Boston or whether it will happen here (in Montreal), we don't discuss those details and we never publicize the fact that we're meeting a suspect."
Chara's profile and the hockey-mad culture of Montreal have made for an unusual case.
When Chara shoved his rival into a stanchion, breaking a vertebra and ending his season on March 8, he received a game misconduct.
Steve Silva, Boston.com --- When all was said and done, the Black and Gold racked up a four-hour bar tab that according to Shrine totaled $156,679.74, and included the now-famous $100,000.00 bottle of Ace of Spades "Midas" champagne, which was a gift according to Bruins players Shawn Thornton and Zdeno Chara.
The tab also lists a built-in tip of $24,869.80 for Danielle (the server whose name is on top of the tab below), which we imagine she had to split up with a few other servers at Shrine.
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| Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America |
The Hockey News --- Speaking of room for improvement, another burr in the sides of B’s fans has been blueliner Tomas Kaberle. Since coming over in a much-ballyhooed trade from Toronto, the stoic Czech has underwhelmed. That same Boston power play floundered under his influence, which is strange, since that was so much of his game with the Maple Leafs.
But don’t complain, Bruins faithful. Kaberle may not have been remarkable so far in the playoffs, but he too has room for improvement and his ceiling is higher than any of the other options. Think about it: you have a No. 1 defenseman playing the fifth-most minutes (18:06 per game) among Boston blueliners. If he can up his game, all of a sudden the pressure is alleviated from minute-munchers Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg, both of whom are dangerously close to playing 29 minutes per contest.
As for the price Kaberle came at - specifically big prospect center Joe Colborne and a first round draft pick, plus a conditional pick - it will all be worth it if Boston wins the Stanley Cup. Yes, Colborne is starting to round into form as a dangerous pivot in the Toronto organization, but the Bruins aren’t starved for young talent (Brad Marchand being the latest breakout star). Plus, that draft pick will be in the No. 27-30 range thanks to the Bruins’ march to the conference final and potentially beyond.
Ending nearly 40 years of Stanley Cup starvation is worth paying a high price for. Kaberle is an unrestricted free agent this summer, but if his presence in any way helps the Bruins lift the chalice, Boston can say “see ya” on July 1 with a clear conscience
