Oh, certainly... No one wants to see someone get sucker punched and have their career ended.
I'm not suggesting that Hockey is Boxing. People want to see a good game played, but part of good Hockey is a certain level of "enthusiasm". Hockey is a rough sport. People love to see a good check thrown or someone put into the boards and even fights.
Just think, when a fight breaks out, the crowd stands up and gets pretty excited, you would rarely hear the crowd "Boo" a fight.
I'm assuming he never intended to put the guy down that hard. I'm sure he was just starting another fight. I would not forgive him if he intended for it to have this outcome, but I've got to believe he would have never wanted to break his neck.
Like I said though, hopefully this has impacted his life just as much as the other guy. I'm sure others will now think twice before nailing someone like that.