Does A High School Hockey Player Deserve Criminal Charges For This Hit?

The parents of a Massachusetts high schooler, who missed most of the season after suffering a concussion in January, wants an assault and battery charge brought against the player who delivered the hit. They might get their wish: the district court clerk magistrate will review the video tomorrow and decide whether to press charges.

According to the attorney representing victim Tucker Hannon, "if this (check) was off the rink, on a public way, that is gross, negligent assault and battery," which doesn't seem particularly relevant. Hannon's parents want justice, even though Alex Way wasn't suspended for the hit, or even penalized. The hit came just after Hannon released the puck, and was to the chest, not the head. Brendan Shanahan would call it a hockey play.

Still, Way's lawyer has a pretty dick defense (though probably a valid legal point): there's no guarantee the hit is what caused Hannon's concussion, because one of Hannon's teammates later knocks another player on top of him.

[ Patriot Ledger, via Barstool]