March 10, 2004
Judging Todd
Recapping the scores this morning seemed a little superfluous today. After all, on the biggest day of the regular season, the one day when the NHL gets some real attention from the sports media, one of the most heinous acts in the history of the game was on display front and center. Vancouver Canuck Todd Bertuzzi's assault on Colorado Avalanche center Steven Moore fronted all of ESPN's news properties yesterday (Around The Horn, PTI, SportsCenter) as video of Colorado's Moore lying motionless in a pool of blood was repeated endlessly.
Here in the U.S. today, Bertuzzi is the public face of the NHL. And NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is going to have to slap him down.
Bertuzzi gets a hearing today in Toronto to explain his side of the story before NHL disciplinary Czar, Colin Campbell. Denver-based Terry Frei says Bertuzzi should sit for a year, and after having 24 hours to think about it, I don't think the league can get away with any suspension less than banishing Bertuzzi for at least the balance of the regular season and the entirety of the NHL playoffs.
Bertuzzi's hearing is at 9:00 a.m. EST. Something tells me we won't have to wait terribly long to hear the league's verdict.
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Something I am interested in getting all hockey fans' perspectives on is whether there should be criminal prosecution for this incident, or whether the NHL should be left to dole out a proper punishment. Over on the Sports Law Blog, I have a post on this very question, and I would love to get other thoughts.
Posted by:
at March 10, 2004 10:35 AM
Bertuzzi should get punished by the league at least as much as McSorley did. He's got a reputation for cheap shots, and he as much as said he was going to go after Moore.
As far as criminal proceedings, I don't really see how this is any different from the McSorley incident, possibly worse since I don't remember McSorley yapping about getting Brashear beforehand. Bertuzzi should be suspended for the remainder of this season, the playoffs and all of the next season the league actually plays.
Posted by:
at March 10, 2004 11:49 AM
I've never heard of Bertuzzi's reputation for being a cheap-shot artist. Marchment and Claude Lemieux are cheap shot artists, Bertuzzi is a big, skilled, power forward.
Lots of guys yapped about getting Moore beforehand--Brad May talked about a 'bounty' on Moore.
There's no way this specific act was premeditated.
Fighting Moore, I'm sure, was on Bertuzzi's mind, and I think he lost it when Moore was talking to him as they skated up the ice.
Posted by:
at March 10, 2004 02:41 PM
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08:03 AM