It was the day after one of the Canadiens' most dominating and complete performances this season - a time when the players' spirits should have been soaring. But, instead, they were preoccupied contemplating the severity of an injury suffered to Max Pacioretty.

"What I remember about it was the sound; it sounded like a gun - bang!" said Scott Gomez, the centre on Pacioretty's line. "Stuff like that is tough to look at."

After a 45-minute practice yesterday at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard, Montreal players were told by general manager Pierre Gauthier that Pacioretty, a 22-year-old left-winger in his third season with the team, was at the Montreal General Hospital with a severe concussion and a fracture of the fourth cervical vertebra which, fortunately, wasn't displaced. The media later were informed of the player's condition by head coach Jacques Martin.

The team was en route to St. Louis and tonight's game against the Blues (8 p.m., RDS, TSN-HABS, CJAD Radio-800) when the National Hockey League decided there would be no suspension or fine against Boston's Zdeno Chara.

Last night, Pacioretty told TSN's Bob McKenzie: "I am upset and disgusted that the league didn't think enough of (the hit) to suspend him. I'm not mad for myself, I'm mad because if other players see a hit like that and think it's okay, they won't be suspended, then other players will get hurt like I got hurt.

"It's been an emotional day," Pacioretty added. "I saw the video for the first time this morning. You see the hit, I've got a fractured vertebra, I'm in hospital and I thought the league would do something, a little something."

"I'm not talking a big number, I don't know, one game, two games, three games ... whatever, but something to show that it's not right," Pacioretty said.

"I heard (Chara) said he didn't mean to do it. I felt he did mean to do it. I would feel better if he said he made a mistake and that he was sorry for doing that, I could forgive that, but I guess he's talking about how I jumped up or something. I believe he was trying to guide my head into the turnbuckle. We all know where the turnbuckle is. It wasn't a head shot like a lot of head shots we see, but I do feel he targeted my head into the turnbuckle."

The Bruins' defenceman and captain put Pacioretty in this tenuous state after running his head into the glass that divides the players' benches late in the second period of Montreal's 4-1 win. Pacioretty had chipped the puck past Chara, but no longer had it in his possession, when the left front portion of his head collided violently with the end of the glass, which is lightly padded.

Pacioretty lost consciousness and was removed on a stretcher. Chara received a major for interference along with a game misconduct.

Mike Murphy, NHL's vicepresident (hockey operations), announced no supplemental disciplinary action would be taken against Chara. Murphy said he could find no basis to act otherwise.

However, Canadiens players, hours before learning the league's decision, didn't quite see things the same as did Murphy.

"It makes your guts hurt," goaltender Carey Price said. "I'm pretty sure (Chara) was aware. If you look at the replay, it happened kind of slowly. He took three or four strides for it to happen. That's a lot of time to see what's going to happen. It's pretty wild when you can put someone else's livelihood in your own hands."

Added rookie defenceman P.K. Subban: "I saw it once and I couldn't see it again."

Canadiens captain Brian Gionta said he had difficulty sleeping after the game.

"Everybody saw it, just like we did," Gionta said. "To be a part of it, with someone you're close with, to see them go through that, it's scary. You could tell it was severe."

There has been much debate whether Pacioretty was a marked man. There's no denying he and Chara, a 6-foot-9, 255-pounder, have a history dating to early January. That night, they had a shoving match after Pacioretty, a 6-foot-2, 208-pounder, pushed the defenceman after scoring the overtime winner.

What's indisputable, however, is the growing lack of respect among NHLers, especially when a skater appears to be in a vulnerable position.

"It's not my role to accuse," Martin said. "But it's important to understand the severity of the incident and act accordingly. ... There are incidents that have had serious repercussions."

hzurkowsky@montrealgazette.com