Injured Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty was able to get out of his hospital bed and walk around Thursday, sources told The Montreal Gazette.
Pacioretty, 22, suffered a fractured vertebra and a severe concussion after crashing head-first into the boards Tuesday night. He remains hospitalized at Montreal General.
The Habs' forward was skating at full speed along the boards in pursuit of the puck, when Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara steered him into a glass partition near the Habs' bench. Pacioretty laid motionless on the ice for several minutes and his eyes were closed as he was taken off on a stretcher.
Chara, who received a five-minute major penalty for interference and a game misconduct, was not fined or suspended by the NHL for the incident that took place late in the second period of the Canadiens' 4-1 win.
Montreal police confirmed Thursday they had launched an official investigation into the hit by Chara.
The Bruins captain refused to comment at length on the ongoing investigation.
"I got some media information on that this morning," Chara said following the team's morning practice. "But like I said, right now, I'm focusing on playing my game, and playing hockey."
At 6-foot-9, Chara is the tallest player ever to play in the NHL and weighs in at 255 pounds. The five-time All-Star, originally from Slovakia, won the Norris Trophy in 2009 as the league's best defenseman.
Pacioretty, who is in his third season with Montreal, has 14 goals and 10 assists in 37 games this season.
