Zdeno Chara‘s hit on Max Pacioretty has drawn the ire of Quebec and the attention of the league, as the Bruins’ captain is set for a phone hearing with the NHL on Wednesday, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger. The hearing is set for 12 p.m.
The hearing will be with Mike Murphy, the league’s VP of hockey operations, as league disciplinarian Colin Campbell is recused from all matters involving the Bruins, the team for which his son plays.
While much of the hockey world has debated the hit and how much punishment Chara should receive, a phone hearing means that he will be given at most a five-game suspension. Any suspension longer than five games requires an in-person meeting. The hearing does not indicate that he will definitely receive a suspension.
Chara, at 6-foot-9, 255 pounds, is a physical player, but he doesn’t have a history of discipline with the league. He was facing a possible suspension in last year’s playoffs for instigating a fight late in a loss to the Buffalo Sabres, but the penalty was rescinded and the automatic suspension was lifted.
