Steve Chamberlain

Steve Chamberlain

A sparsely-attended “anti-headshot” demonstration held outside of the Bell Centre on Tuesday, March 15 demonstrated little aside from pettiness and partisan fanhood.

The rally, held before a game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Washington Capitals was organized in response to the year’s rash of head injuries in the NHL and the league office’s inadequate response.

Montreal fans in particular have been up in arms over a March 8 hit on Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty by the NHL’s biggest player: 6’9″ Norris Trophy-winning defenceman Zdeno Chara. On the play, Pacioretty, age 22, chipped the puck past Chara and was checked into the boards as he attempted to chase it into the offensive zone. The play would have been an uncontroversial two-minute minor penalty for interference, but the angle of the hit sent Pacioretty’s head directly into a stanchion between the player benches, leaving him with a grade three concussion and fractured vertebrae. The young forward is still out indefinitely, but the Canadiens have speculated he will make a full recovery and may even return within five weeks.

Chara received a 5-minute major and a game misconduct on the play, but the NHL handed out no supplemental fine or suspension, which hasn’t sat well with Habs fans. This injury, adding to headshot concerns raised by serious concussions to Sidney Crosby and other stars, prompted three Montrealers, Victor Henriquez, Jean-Francois Dubé, and Arcadio Marcuzzi to organize the Bell Centre rally through Facebook.

In a week where GQ Magazine listed Habs fans as the 11th worst in sports—citing the infamous riots and looting that followed Canadiens’ playoff victories in 2008 and 2010—the event was criticized by media and prominent hockey personalities. Bruce Boudreau, coach of the visiting Capitals, wondered aloud at a Tuesday press conference, “What if that was Hal Gill that hit David Krejci? I don’t think there would be a protest going on here today … if you don’t like it, don’t come to the games.” Montreal fans were also attacked in national newspapers and online blogs, with Deadspin posing the question, “Really, Montreal Fans?”

Despite substantial attention in the national media, and over 1,600 “attending” on the protest’s Facebook page, the actual turnout was significantly lower. At any one time, between two to three hundred people milled around, a large percentage of whom either belonged to the media or were trying to get on TSN by standing behind John Lu. The meagre crowd quickly dispersed as spectators filed into the arena long before puck drop.

Even in the face of criticism and low turnout organizer Henriquez called the event a “success.”

“We had one main objective, to get the opinion of the fans,” said Henriquez. “[And to that end] we received 1,100 signatures on our petition.” The petition demands that the NHL institute new regulations and measures against violent hits on hockey rinks.

Ryan Thorpe, a Westmount resident who attended the protest carrying a double-sided sign reading, “Should Bettman’s Arrogance Bodycheck Player Safety?” and “NHL Staunch-On Ignoring Player Safety,” hoped the rally would serve to convince NHL executives that the fans are truly concerned about player safety.

“I still play at 61, and love the game,” said Thorpe. “I don’t think it should degenerate into a violence-filled affair where great players like Crosby get their careers ended prematurely.”