NHL suspends Bertuzzi through Stanley Cup Playoffs

[Warden]

Vancouver Canucks' forward Todd Bertuzzi has been suspended for the remainder of the 2003-04 season, including the final 12 regular-season games plus the entire 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In addition, Mr. Bertuzzi's eligibility for the 2004-05 NHL season will be determined by Commissioner Gary Bettman prior to the start of training camp. This suspension is the result of a blind-side punch that injured Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore in NHL Game #1028 on March 8.

http://www.nhl.com/onthefly/news/2004/03/206088.html

________________________________________

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20040311/capt.vcrx10103110335.avalanche_moore_mugged_vcrx10 1.jpg

CRY ME A RIVER


Bertuzzi slugged Moore in the side of the head. He hit Moore from behind and drove his head into the ice. Moore landed face-first -- with the 245-pound Bertuzzi on top of him -- and lay in a pool of blood for several minutes before he was removed on a stretcher.

Moore is out for the season with a broken neck. He also sustained a concussion and deep cuts on his face, and remained hospitalized in Vancouver.

When Moore's condition improves, he'll be transferred to Craig Hospital in Denver and evaluated by neurosurgeons, the Avalanche said.

[bonham1963]

Pretty COLD, Warden. I think that Todd Bertuzzi is genuinely sorry for his actions.

The 'Cry me a river' comment was totally inappropriate.

I hope Mr.Moore gets better and has a successful hockey career. It is now NHL's responsibility to clean up the game, something they were negilent in doing after the McSorley/Brashear incident. Removing fighting from hockey wouldn't be a bad thing.

[OrangeAndBlack]

"We here on the board refrain from flaming tems/players....blah blah blah...." - Now where have I read that before????

'Cry me a river'?!??!?!??!?!??!?!?!??!

Warden, This is a blatant flame...and I'm sensing a double standard here....

I agree with you that he deservess what he gets, but to suggest that his sympathies are not sincere???? C'mon man!!!!

[Warden]

wow wow wow
Since when is "CRY ME A RIVER" became a flaming?
What is the definition of flaming?
From Webster: to send an angry, hostile, or abusive electronic message to or about.

Do you consider "CRY ME A RIVER" angry, hostile, or abusive?

What you sensing here is your personal problem.....

I dont see a case here....

You want to say "YOU SUCK" and "CRY ME A RIVER" same thing?

[OrangeAndBlack]

Looks like flaming is what you define it...so I just don't know anymore...so If I were to say that your comments were heartless...then that wouldn't be flaming either. You're mocking the man...are you saying that his sympathies aren't sincere???? Cause in that case you are attacking his credibility and YES it is flaming!

[OrangeAndBlack]

What you sensing here is your personal problem.....



Hostile, maybe Abusive...??? Don't know what your trying to say by this comment but this further proves my point that there is a double standard!!!!

[Prowler24x]

Im with the other guys on Wardens "flaming". But he will get enough for that so I'll go ahead and say what I think about the punishment.

Missing the playoffs is a good punishment for what he did. My hockey teams championship game was a few days ago, and I couldnt play because I was suspended for hitting a guy from behind. The NHL playoffs are like the championship game for my team. He worked the whole season to get this far and now he cant participate in it.

[_43_]

I go with the cry me a river side
a week ago he called Moore "a piece of ****" remember!

[K Bomber]

One additional thing on this whole mess, Marc Crawford should have gotten a large fine and suspension himself

The shots of him smirking while Moore was lying prone on the ice are brutal. He needs to look in the mirror for a good long while.............

[Sleepwalkers]

It doesn't matter if Bertuzzi is sorry or not.
He layed a vicious suckerpunch on a man who wasn't even looking at him. His current punishment isn't enough, I don't think.
I don't want criminal charges pressed against him, but I wouldn't be upset if they were. The definition of assault fits what he did here. This was not part of the game.

[Mario66]

People makes mistakes, and you still have to consider the fact how much frustration and pressure he's under, if you have ever played hockey, in that type of atmosphere, you'd understand.

And, if you watch the clip closely, Bertuzzi isn't the only reason that moore injured his neck, in the clip, you can tell that moores head was straight when only Bert was on top of him, but after 500++ pounds of people starts to pile up on moore, it's hard to think that his neck wouldn't be injured. However, Bert did sucker punch the guy, without that punch, all this wouldn't have happened,
that is why I thought the current suspension is enough.

But the 250,000 fine on the team is bull!

"The shots of him smirking while Moore was lying prone on the ice are brutal. He needs to look in the mirror for a good long while............."

Marc crawford's smirk was about what granato and the colorado bench hollerin at the vancouver bench, please watch the game before you make assumptions.

[Warden]

Looks like flaming is what you define it...so I just don't know anymore...so If I were to say that your comments were heartless...then that wouldn't be flaming either. You're mocking the man...are you saying that his sympathies aren't sincere???? Cause in that case you are attacking his credibility and YES it is flaming!


The contrition seemed genuine -- and North America loves apologies almost as much as it loves those reality TV shows -- but there are only so many ways to parse a brutal shot that landed a man in the hospital with fractured vertebrae in his neck and a concussion. "Sorry" is nice, but it does not mend broken bones.

[Sleepwalkers]

Agreed with Warden.
It doesn't matter if his apology is sincere or not, that doesn't have anything to do with it. The fact is, is that he sucker punched Moore. That is what the NHL is ruling on, not whether he's sorry or not.

[GoYanks016]

Bertuzzi's a liar too

"I'm sorry for what happened"
shouldve said "I wouldn't say this if i werent suspended, but maybe this will make people feel sorry for me... It was an accident when i drove your face into the ice.

"I didn't mean to hurt you"
moore like "I didn't mean to break your neck, i meant to break your nose but you had a visor on. I was so concerned for your well being that i continued to punch you when you were down.


Seriously, you Canuck fans are so biased- watch this, as if bertuzzi were an ave, and moore were a Canuck.

[Mario66]

Canucks fans are biased??
Know the whole story before you make a comment like that.
Bertuzzi sucker punched him so moore would retaliate and fight bert,
he never meant to break his neck. If you saw the reaction of Berts right after he saw moore was still on the ice, you'd know Bert never meant to do that, he looked stoned. Don't tell me you never made mistakes too :roll:

And seriously, if you were given a choice right now, would you rather be in Moores position right now? Or Berts?? I would rather be in moores postion, his injured, sure, but only a fracture and would be out of the hospital in 4 weeks, while bert, not only he feels extremely bad about this, people will constently remind him what he have done for the rest of his life.

[K Bomber]

Canucks fans are biased??
Know the whole story before you make a comment like that.
Bertuzzi sucker punched him so moore would retaliate and fight bert,
he never meant to break his neck. If you saw the reaction of Berts right after he saw moore was still on the ice, you'd know Bert never meant to do that, he looked stoned. Don't tell me you never made mistakes too :roll:

And seriously, if you were given a choice right now, would you rather be in Moores position right now? Or Berts?? I would rather be in moores postion, his injured, sure, but only a fracture and would be out of the hospital in 4 weeks, while bert, not only he feels extremely bad about this, people will constently remind him what he have done for the rest of his life.
I think this entire response highlights someone missing the point

Bertuzzi meant to injure. That was the entire point of his efforts. Moore had injured Naslund with his hit, so Bert was going to get his pound of flesh, like Shylock in a The Merchant of Venice. The only probelm with Bertuzzi was that he was a little too successful in his attempt to injure -- that doesn't excuse the intent

If I hit someone and they die, I killed them, it's that simple. It doesn't matter that my intent was only to hurt them a little bit.

For all your posturing that Moore "didn't break his neck, it's only some fractured bones", I hate to tell you but fractured and broken are interchangeable terms and Bertuzzi can thank his lucky stars that he wasn't able to get the other punches off that he intended for Moore, because in the state Moore was in, killing him wasn't out of the question

Beyond that, Moore had already answered "The Code" and fought earlier in the game and the most compelling thing is that Bertuzzi attacked him from behind in a game that was way out of reach

I'm a big proponent of driving fighting out of the NHL. Do you miss it in the Olympics. Do countries involved in hockey, including Canada, not provide enough skilled players? I hate to tell you but they do. It's been the NHL that has driven the need for the goons since Fred SHero and his Broad Street Bullies changed the way violence was applied to the game in the 70's

If the NHL had the backbone and the leadership in making substantial change in how the game is played at their level, the repercussions would be felt throughout hockey at all levels. If you stop making the goon a necessity, they will be driven out of the game for its betterment

I renounced the NHL this year and I haven't watched a single game because the quality of play is so poor that the entire exercise is unviewable. This episode hasn't done anything to bring me back and until fundamental change is effected in that league, you can count me out.........

[Mario66]

Bertuzzi never meant to injure moore, he just wanted to pick a fight with him, period. If he really wanted to injure moore, you would see him using a stick, instead of "ONE" punch, however, it is still wrong for him to do that, i agree. But, I think it is extremely unfair to that the media is saying that Bert is a villain, especially american medias who are not fans of hockey, he's a dirty player, he's a bad guy. which is all b.s... Bert is a family man, he has a wife, kids, he gives back to the community, he is a nice guy. Everybody, in the NHL will say the samething about bert, that he is a nice guy, and he never meant to injure moore.

http://members.shaw.ca/jennifer_lin/bertkids.JPG

you really think this is the guy that would want to "KILL" a guy on ice?

[K Bomber]

I didn't say the man was a villain. I said the man wanted to get his and lay the hurt on the other guy as much as he could. THat's the problem with a league that allows fighting because any fight includes the possibility of a death

Year's back Brock University had a center on their Men's Basketball team by the name of Gord Wood. Gord was as nasty a piece of business on the court as you would ever want to see, and as a legitimate 7 footer with some skill. The guy had some interest from a bunch of pro leagues in Europe as a result

One night Gord picked the wrong moment to get into it with a much smaller guy who drilled Gord with one of the best punches I ever personally saw in my life. Gord was comatose afterwards and when he came out of it, the guy was flat out never the same again. Not in person, not on the floor, not anywhere. That's what can happen in any fight. That's why it's inexcuseable that it's a revered part of the NHL

Bertuzzi meant to hurt a guy and it went wrong. That doesn't excuse the fact that he still had that malicious intent. He couldn't control what a misguided league allows him to do and he's going to pay the price for it. Like I said in another post, the guy is well-known and beloved in the city where I live and I've seen him play a pile of games in person during his junior years, but what he did was wrong

Relative to that picture, wait until one of those kids steps onto the NHL ice in a few years and has to pay the price for an assumed wrong doing. Guys like Bertuzzi will be lining up to take them out, regardless of the happy-happy, joy-joy moment you've displayed

It's a garage league............

[Mario66]

My point is that, it is unfair for the media to portray bert as a villain, when they have no idea what kind of person he is.
And I didn't say what he did was right, it was wrong, that's why I agree with the suspension, a little harsh, but still just.
And the kids in that picture.....highly unlikely they'll be in the nhl..they're cancer patients

[Prowler24x]

Bertuzzi's a liar too

"I'm sorry for what happened"
shouldve said "I wouldn't say this if i werent suspended, but maybe this will make people feel sorry for me... It was an accident when i drove your face into the ice.

"I didn't mean to hurt you"
moore like "I didn't mean to break your neck, i meant to break your nose but you had a visor on. I was so concerned for your well being that i continued to punch you when you were down.


Seriously, you Canuck fans are so biased- watch this, as if bertuzzi were an ave, and moore were a Canuck.

Who are you to call Bertuzzi a liar? You dont know anything about him.

[Warden]

Bertuzzi's a liar too

"I'm sorry for what happened"
shouldve said "I wouldn't say this if i werent suspended, but maybe this will make people feel sorry for me... It was an accident when i drove your face into the ice.

"I didn't mean to hurt you"
moore like "I didn't mean to break your neck, i meant to break your nose but you had a visor on. I was so concerned for your well being that i continued to punch you when you were down.


Seriously, you Canuck fans are so biased- watch this, as if bertuzzi were an ave, and moore were a Canuck.

Who are you to call Bertuzzi a liar? You dont know anything about him.

Last time I checked you can even call president of USA a liar without being "SOMEBODY".
So, I got question for you - who is Bertuzzi that GoYanks016 cant call him a liar?

[Mario66]

"Somebody" called the president of USA a lier, was because they have facts to prove him wrong. If the president have found nuclear weapons, weapons of mass destruction, maybe then that "somebody" wouldn't call him a lier.

But with Bertuzzi, the guy that called him a lier, was based on nothing.

[Warden]

If anyone proved that president was actualy a liar about WMD - he would be kicked out of House. They only talking - that is what freedom of speach about. But no one proved him worng - they still looking for WMD.

[GoYanks016]

Bertuzzi's a liar too

"I'm sorry for what happened"
shouldve said "I wouldn't say this if i werent suspended, but maybe this will make people feel sorry for me... It was an accident when i drove your face into the ice.

"I didn't mean to hurt you"
moore like "I didn't mean to break your neck, i meant to break your nose but you had a visor on. I was so concerned for your well being that i continued to punch you when you were down.


Seriously, you Canuck fans are so biased- watch this, as if bertuzzi were an ave, and moore were a Canuck.

Who are you to call Bertuzzi a liar? You dont know anything about him.

Last time I checked you can even call president of USA a liar without being "SOMEBODY".
So, I got question for you - who is Bertuzzi that GoYanks016 cant call him a liar?

Did you read the post??

"I Didn't mean to hurt you."
Yeah, he punched him from behind, shoved him to the ice, and continued punching. Look at the tape.. well actually you'vee probly seen it enough already, does Bertuzzi look like he gives a hoot about Moore's health?

"Im sorry for what happened."
If Bertuzzi was really sorry about it, he'd say it in the post game interview, not after he found out he'd been suspended.

Yeah, and who is Low-Class Bertuzzi that I cant call him a liar.

Might as well make it one post
If he really wanted to injure moore, you would see him using a stick, instead of "ONE" punch, however, it is still wrong for him to do that, i agree. But, I think it is extremely unfair to that the media is saying that Bert is a villain

I'm not sure you know how to count seriously... or did you miss the few he threw when Moore was on the ice?

If Jane is walking down the street, and John punches her, jumps on her, shoves her face into the sidewalk, then continues to punch her, is John a villian?(Seriously, everyone answer this;)
a)Yes
b)Yes
c)Yes
d)All of the above
m)No

[Prowler24x]

GoYanks...

Again, who are you to say that he meant to hurt him. He wanted to get in a fight, he tried to get in a fight earlier and Moore woudlnt, so he punched him trying to spark a fight, not to break his neck. And you call Cancucks fans biased...

[Mario66]

Goyanks..
I'm not sure if you're blind or not..
Have you even watched the tape??? Go watch it again, then come back and tell me if he's still punching him on the ice.

And that question you're asking, it just shows that your arrogance.
Why would you refer moore as a female? Everyone know any males who punches females, is a *****,
And in that situation, there is no crowd, there's no score, there isn't any pressure put on John, and Jane, didn't took out his best friend few weeks ago, and after Jane is on the ground, there isn't any 600+ people jumping ontop of Jane.

[Mondo]

Did someone say Warden's a FLAMER?

[Warden]

?????

[NYR29]

:evil: Well, if you or I beat someone we'd be in jail. Just because this happened in a "game" doesn't make it any different. Hockey is violent at times.Bertuzzi lost control and KTFO'd Moore. As for his crying fit, well almost all everyone I've ever arrested has boo hooed. However, I believe that he is sorry. Maybe he should be a stick kid for the avs next season or a personal assistant to Moore.

[GoYanks016]

GoYanks...

Again, who are you to say that he meant to hurt him. He wanted to get in a fight, he tried to get in a fight earlier and Moore woudlnt, so he punched him trying to spark a fight, not to break his neck. And you call Cancucks fans biased...

If he didn't mean to hurt him, why did he push him to the ice? And you dont punch someone from behind to start a fight, you get up in front of them, and push them, if they dont wanna go, then you leave them alone, Moore already had been fought earlier anyways. Yes. I do call Canuck fans biased. If they think Bertuzzi can justify what he did, then they're crazy.


Goyanks..
I'm not sure if you're blind or not..
Have you even watched the tape??? Go watch it again, then come back and tell me if he's still punching him on the ice.

No, you are seriously blind. when Bertuzzi is on top of Moore when they are on the ice, he is punching him with his right hand.

I don't know what the world is coming to :roll:

[SuppaMan]

have you not realized the majority of the population on this planet is mainly ignorant, biased, or lacking in the intelligence department. Sometimes its a combo of those or all 3. The only ones who should be given an excuse are the the ppl who arent informed correctly when its not there choice. If its there choice and they choose not to be correctly informed or decide not to care about the info presented then they should have no excuse for any reason what so ever.

And anyway, umm ill not call someone names here but the nikolishin did not get on top of bertuzzi until after he was already on moore watch the video again in up close and different angles. And of course Sean Pronger(he played for the crunch in the AHL in syracuse, ive seen him play)decided to jump on nikolishin instead of just pulling him off like ohlund(or whatever D man it was from the nux)

[OrangeAndBlack]

The more and more I see this clip the more I think this whole thing has been blown way out of proportion!

YES...Bertuzzi did cold **** him from behind, when he swung the punch Moore was turning his head...the punch landed and Moore fell to the ice with Bertuzzi on top of him, things is if you watch carefully you'll notice that Moore made absolutely no effort to cushion his fall...I believe Moore was knocked out before he even hit the ice. Bertuzzi most likely expected Moore to turn over and start defending himself...but that didn't happen. So when did Moore break the vertebrae in his neck? No body really knows...was it the shear impact of Moore hitting the ice without being able to cushion his fall??? Was it when Bertuzzi landed on him?? Or maybe it was when the other 1200 pounds of players all started pillling on?

I for one strongly believe that Bertuzzi didn't want to hurt Moore rather he wanted to fight him. This wan an unfortunate freak accident that rarely happens but unfortunately occured at the most inoportune time.

I mean come on....how many times do you see guys taking swings at each other in front of the net??? Plenty!

IMO, the Nieuwendyk hit on Drury was much worse(dirty) than that of Bertuzzi on Moore, but fortunately the severity of the injury was less significant! If you watch that clip you'll notice that Nieuwy tripped on Kidd's stick and fell on to Drury....but if you keep watching you'll notice that Nieuwendyk uses his left skate to get an extra push and slam Drury's head into the ice. Fortunately Drury only suffered a mild concussion. But to me the intent to injure was much more blatant on this hit! The intent was obvious and why it doesn't merit a suspension is beyond me!

This is just my opinion based on seeing that play over and over and over again!

[StrikeThree]

How about...

NO, TOO MUCH

?