Patrice Cormier, former captain of Canada’s world junior hockey team, will face criminal charges for a hit on Mikael Tam on January 25.
According to CBC Sports, Cormier will be charged with assault with intent to injure, after his hit sent Tam into convulsions on the ice. It was a brutal, highly illegal hit that landed Cormier a suspension for rest of the QMJHL season and the playoffs.
The New Jersey Devils prospect was initially supported by GM Jacques Lemaire, but was then subsequently traded to the Atlanta Thrashers in the Ilya Kovalchuk trade.
According to the CBC, if convicted Cormier will face up to 18 months in jail. It’s a dangerous precedent to set, but one that might prevent further illegal hits of this nature. This wasn’t just a bad boarding hit, this was a blatant elbow to the head of Tam.