McSorley to be charged criminally

 "The decision to charge Mr. McSorley was made following a thorough review of the available evidence by regional Crown counsel," Crown spokesman Austin Cullen said.

 The decision followed an investigation by Vancouver city police.

 Canucks forward Donald Brashear was struck in the head by a stick Feb. 13 and dropped to the ice, suffering a concussion.

 McSorley was to appear in provincial court April 4 under section 267(a) of the Criminal Code of Canada.

 McSorley was suspended by the NHL for the rest of the season and the playoffs after the slashing. It was the harshest penalty ever imposed by the league.

 The Bruins hockey club had no comment on the decision and said McSorley was likely at his home in Los Angeles.

 His agent, Mike Barnett, was also not immediately available to comment. The NHL Players' Association would not comment, saying the matter is now before the courts.

 When the NHL suspended McSorley, the league said it had co-operated with police, but would prefer to penalize its own players.

 On Tuesday, Bill Daly, the league's chief legal officer, reiterated that stance.

 "As we stated at the time the suspension was imposed, we believe the league dealt with the matter quickly, decisively and appropriately -- and did not feel that any further action was either warranted or necessary.

 "We, therefore, would have preferred that the Crown not take this action.

 "Having said that, the Vancouver authorities have made their decision and we remain committed to offering our full co-operation in any way we can."

 Brashear, who is the Canucks tough guy and one of the league's best fighters, was told he would have to remain inactive for three weeks after the attack.

 His condition would be re-evaluated afterwards.

 Brashear was having his best season ever on the final year of his current contract when he was diagnosed with a Grade 3 concussion.

 It took police just over a week to investigate the slash, which was witnessed by thousands of fans at the game and shown repeatedly on TV highlight clips.

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