Montreal Canadiens Fans: Max Pacioretty Should Be Arrested

Montreal Canadiens fans and residents of Montreal have spoken, and the whole country is taking notice.

And their message is loud a clear: Max Pacioretty should be arrested.

Immediately after Zdeno Chara’s devastating hit on Pacioretty Tuesday night, Montreal Police began receiving calls demanding they arrest the Bruins’ defenseman for delivering what they believe was an illegal hit.

You’ve got to give these Montrealers credit, they don’t want to see anybody get hurt.

Which is why they’re also calling for Pacioretty to be arrested for this vicious hit from behind on Islanders’ defenseman Mark Eaton: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1IDI1lTrBc

Wait a minute, what’s that?

They’re not calling for his arrest?

Oh, you’re right. It happened in the United States. As Canadians, there’s nothing they can do about that one.

Well then they’re surely flooding the phone lines about this play that happened in Quebec City: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH3bqxNiJSo

An attempted spear to the face and then a slash to the back of the legs. You can’t do that in hockey, right Habs fans? Call the cops!

Wait, are you kidding me? No calls? Not a single one?

Well then, can somebody please explain to me why Montrealers are all of a sudden so concerned about player safety?

It seems odd to me that fans who claim to be so passionate about this issue are willing to turn a blind eye when their very own player rails someone into the boards from behind or swings his stick at someone’s head.

Click here for the definition of hypocrisy.

It doesn’t happen very often, but the NHL actually got this one right.

To add to the embarrassment, on Thursday, Canadiens’ owner Geoff Molson wrote an open letter to fans, thanking them for their support and calling for the other 29 teams in the league to join them in the fight for player safety.

That’s funny—I must have missed the open letter he wrote after his player safety poster boy, Max Pacioretty, drove Mark Eaton into the boards from behind or when his best player swung his stick at the face of an 18-year-old kid.

Hey Geoff, actions, or in this case, inaction, speaks louder than words.

For somebody who is so concerned about player safety, you've picked a very convenient time to let the world know.

There would have been no problem if you came out and said that’s my player and I want to protect him. But to try and pass it off like you really give a crap about the safety of other players is just shameful.

Not even Mario Lemieux was able to get away with that one.

A guy has a broke vertebrae. I get it, it's sad.

But would anybody have been surprised if Mark Eaton had broken his neck?

Pacioretty takes out Eaton on what was clearly a dirty and illegal play and there's not a peep coming out of Montreal. Yet, somebody takes out one of their players and all of a sudden, the city is full of crusaders fighting against a perceived violence in hockey.

When I was five years old, a bully at school was stealing toys. I never said anything because it didn’t affect me.

But then one day he stole my favorite action figure. I cried like a baby, but I learned my lesson.

Time to grow up, Montreal.

Show some class.