Kerry on Chara: ‘that’s a hit that happens all the time’ (Daily Caller)

Sen. John Kerry, a Democrat from Massachusetts, the home of the Boston Bruins, said a controversial hockey check by Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara that put a player in the hospital and even provoked a criminal investigation was not dirty and did not warrant additional sanctions.

“That’s a hit that happens all the time,” Kerry said in an interview. “What was really unfortunate about it was the post. It wasn’t till his head hit the post that it became dangerous.”

Chara’s hit to Montreal Canadiens player Max Pacioretty enraged Canadian hockey fans, and the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper called on the National Hockey League to investigate the “growing number” of head injuries in hockey.

WATCH: Chara’s big hit

Pacioretty was released from the hospital Thursday, having suffered a broken vertebra, and Montreal police are even investigating whether a crime occurred on the ice, Canada’s CBC New reported. Pacioretty said he did not want Chara prosecuted.

Kerry said the NHL made “the right decision” in declining to suspend or further punish Chara.

“You might have called interference,” a penalty given for checking a player who does not have possession of the puck, Kerry said, “but it wasn’t

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