Does hockey need a death before violence stops?

[Warden]

One of these days, the National Hockey League will finally get it.

That will be the day one of its goons kills another player on the ice.

Don't think it can't happen. It almost did Monday night in Vancouver.

Repeated with predictable regularity on all the highlight shows, the sickening replays are hard to miss -- and even harder to take.

The sight of Vancouver's Todd Bertuzzi sucker punching and then slamming Colorado's Steve Moore to the ice face first was startling enough. Watching Moore lie there unconscious in a pool of his own blood was horrifying.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBpdDcyMnNwBF9TAzk1ODYxODgzBHNlYwN0 bQ--?slug=ap-timdahlberg&prov=ap&type=lgns

[bonham1963]

I agree Warden.

Hockey doesn't need fighting to be entertaining. It is understandable that players get injured, as with any other high risk job. In my work place, you don't settle things with fists, so why should hockey be any different.

Suspensions for every fight should be the rule, along with fines. There would be alot more skill players, if they made this change.

[OrangeAndBlack]

It's scary to think that a death on the ice may be what it takes for the NHL to wake up! I REALLY hope it never comes to that!!!!!

[Prowler24x]

Fighting is a big part of hockey, it would be stupid for them to stop fights. I agree that incidents like this should be avoided though.

[Mario66]

The fracture is minor, the guy will make a full recovery in a matter of two weeks. These FRACTURES (NOT A BROKEN NECK, as reported by the DRAMA SAVVY MEDIA) can happen very easily, and mostlikely it is a HAIRLINE FRACTURE. They can occur from a car accidnent where the head is snapped back.

Don't make the inccident happened on Monday night seem like a NEAR DEATH accident.

[Sleepwalkers]

What Bertuzzi did was sick and morally wrong. It's one of those things that makes me wonder how he can feel okay about that, you know? Maybe he doesn't feel okay, I don't know.
When I watched the replays I just was stunned that someone could do that in the name of a game.

[g-unit80744]

They dont need fighting to be entertaining. Basketball baseball football etc, dont have fights often and they are still more popular. They also get fined or suspended for fighting.

[StarsMarklar]

Bertuzi's hit was a dirty cheap shot......nothing more. Cheap shots happen on a weekly basis, yes this was severe, but so was his penalty. I am not saying he doesn't deserve to be out till next year. But lets not blow this out of proportion. There was a lot of trash talking going on for both teams before this game. Something was going to happen. I would have preferred a bench clearing brawl. There have been situations like this before. In '99 Modano separated his shoulder in Phoenix. In the days before their next meeting, there was a lot of trash talking. In the first five minutes Hatcher shattered Roenick's jaw, ending his season. There was another situation like that between Colorado and Detroit. THIS IS WHY FIGHTING NEEDS TO REMAIN IN THE GAME. Last week, Morrow was trying to negate an icing call and accidentally tripped a San Blowse player sending him hard into the boards. This was just a couple of days after either Blake or Foote ended Marco Sturm's season in a similar fashion. Morrow stayed on the ice for the next shift. At the drop of the puck, he had to fight someone. That is how situations like that need to be handled. Let the players police the game. If you cheap shot someone, you deserve to be beaten up, and suspended. The fight instagator penalty needs to go also. If you get an istagator penalty, you get a game misconduct, you get three, you get suspended. You should not be suspended for sticking up for your teammates. I also think they should leave the red line and icing alone. But I like moving the net back a few feet. Oh and by the way. Bill Masterton was killed on the ice while playing for the Minnesota North Stars. Not from a cheap shot, but from a skate blade to the neck. Sorry this is so long, I guess I had something to say. Go Stars!

[Sleepwalkers]

They can occur from a car accidnent where the head is snapped back.
Don't make the inccident happened on Monday night seem like a NEAR DEATH accident.
You just compared the injury to a car accident, then said "Don't make [it] seem like a near death incident." :lol:
Nah, I keed. I get what you're saying.

[Mario66]

ya... a car accidentally hit your car from behind at 50km an hr.. snaps your head back against the headrest, that can cause the same kind of fracture steve moore suffered too...even the airbag isn't inflated... ya..that's a near death experiance :roll:

[StrikeThree]

Wasn't even close to near death.

Stop listening to the Media

[NYR29]

To knowingly or recklessly touch a person in a rude, insolent or angry manner is by definition Battery (A misdemeanor) in Indiana. To cause bodily injury to that person is a Felony.
To do so with the intent of causing bodily injury can be held as premedited a higher Class felony. The Fx to the neck is bodily injury, even pain is bodily injury.Does not matter how close you are to death.
Fighting happens in Hockey, but this was a Crime!

[Champ]

It was unfortunate but it wasn't a crime.

[Warden]

It was unfortunate but it wasn't a crime.

Unfortunate is when the girl got killed by the puck. That is unfortunate and is not a crime. Its Something that you got no intention to do while shooting the puck..

Bert smaked him with intention to hurt - may be not as much as it turned but still - he wanted to hurt him. And if he hurt him even more than he planed - only bad for him self.

He is lucky that he is famous player and a lot of people will back him up.

Imagine me in subway station smaking some dude for stomping on my foot. Imagine me smaking him from behind in front of hundreds eyewitnesses, breacking his neck and geting away with it.

It will be a miracle if I end up with probation - and its 100% that I will spend next 24 hours in central booking.

[~Xojito~]

Yeah man i have to disagree unfortunate is a bit of an understatment, it was dirty and uncalled for. Its just good to hear thet Mr. Moore will recover and be able to play again.

[Lucretia]

If Marty McSorley got prosecuted, so should Bertuzzi. It wasn't a hockey fight; it was an ambush with the intent to injure.

[NYR29]

It was unfortunate but it wasn't a crime.

If this was not criminal behavior, I will give you my badge. If someone punched you from behind( or in front) causing a fractured neck and other injuries it would be a crime. But if you make Millions to play a game it's not. The game is hockey, if Bertuzzi wants to TKFO people he needs to go to the UFC. It's unfortunate yes, and it was criminal. Unfortunate that Bertuzzi could find no other way to express himself than to sucker punch someone. and just because Moore was not as close to death as some thought doesn't make it alright either. Don't undestate the crime, this was criminal and should be dealt with as such. If the NHL sweeps this under the rug, then I guess you will have to wait for a on ice death before they tackle the real issue of fighting, it's getting out of hand.