Freep mail or ping me if you want on or off the Hockey Ping List.
Posted on 12/22/2004 7:27:37 AM PST by Hat-Trick
Bertuzzi to plead guilty
WebPosted Wed, 22 Dec 2004 09:46:13 EST
CBC SPORTS ONLINE - NHL hockey player Todd Bertuzzi is expected to appear in a B.C. court on Wednesday and plead guilty to assaulting on-ice opponent Steven Moore.
Bertuzzi's agent Pat Morris confirmed his client will plead guilty in return for a conditional discharge. The Vancouver Canucks forward is scheduled to be in court at 9:30 a.m. PT.
As part of the deal with the Crown, Bertuzzi won't serve any jail time or have a criminal record.
But the plea bargain does not mean Bertuzzi is free and clear. A conditional discharge includes a probationary period, which must be served before the case is considered complete.
Bertuzzi will also be required to do community service for attacking Moore from behind during an NHL game on March 8.
The incident occurred in the third period of Vancouver's 9-2 loss to the Avalanche. Bertuzzi charged up the ice, grabbed Moore's sweater from behind, then slugged him with a round-house punch.
The two players fell, with the 245-pound Bertuzzi landing on top of Moore.
Moore suffered three broken vertebrae in his neck and concussion. It's not known if he'll play hockey again.
The NHL suspended Bertuzzi indefinitely. It's unclear when the league will hold a hearing to consider Bertuzzi's reinstatement.
Bertuzzi could also still face a possible civil suit from Moore, who has hired Toronto lawyer Tim Danson.
I'm disappointed that this made it to the Canadian court system to begin with - as I believe on-ice incidents should be handled by the league. My opinion regarding Bertuzzi's punishment by the league is that he shouldn't return to the ice until Steve Moore returns to the ice. If that is never, then too bad, Tuzz.
Freep mail or ping me if you want on or off the Hockey Ping List.
Bertuzzi is an embarrassment to all Canadian hockey players, in my opinion.
A fight? At a hockey game? Are you sure?
As a Canucks fan, I'm perhaps biased, but I really don't think Bertuzzi intended to seriously hurt Moore. Obviously, if he did intend that, he should be banned from the NHL permanently.
I think the refs are going to have to be more aggressive about cheap shots in general. If the "clean" hit on Naslund had been penalized, this whole thing might never had happened. When players think they can get away with stuff like that, you end up with a situation that can quickly spiral out of control.
Put me on the hockey ping list, please
I agree, the hit on Naslund was disgraceful. (Naslund is my favourite non-Leaf hockey player BTW).
But I just feel so embarrassed by the Bertuzzis and Bobby Clarkes (another scumbag) of the game.
Done!
It wasn't a fight. It was an ambush. If it was a fight the only people that would have been upset are the usual crowd that want hockey to become figure skating with more props. But jumping a guy from behind and slamming his head on the ice is well beyond the pale of a fight.
One of the worst things about this current lockout is it means they couldn't suspend him for longer, kind of pointless to suspend a guy when there aren't any games going on for him to miss.
Getting rid of the instigator rule is the best way to get rid of the cheap shots. Part of the reason for fights in hockey is they make the game self policing, there's a reason why the teams designated fighter is called an "enforcer" because his job is enforcing the rules the refs missed, cheap shot our players face the enforcer. But with the instigator rule enforcers are no longer free to start a fight, first guy to drop the gloves gets an additional penalty and that penalty scales up every time a guy gets it during a season culminating in suspension for the rest of the season around call 8 or so. So now enforcers only fight enforcers, because cheap shot artists NEVER drop the gloves anymore, enforcers have become the NHL's version of lawyers, they no longer get to enforce anything.
The thing I don't get is why Cooke fighting with Moore in the first period wasn't retribution enough. Seems like it should have ended there.
"...As part of the deal with the Crown, Bertuzzi won't serve any jail time or have a criminal record..." (CBC)
Yet another example of Canadian justice?
As a Vancouverite, and an Avalanche/Canucks fan, I've got two dogs in this fight.
The hit on Naslund was tough, to be sure, but even the stars of the game have to keep their heads up, or they're going to get popped.
Naslund going down was bad, granted, but was it any worse than Peter Forsberg having his spleen exploded by the L.A. Kings in the playoffs a few years ago?
That being said, if Bertuzzi had gone into a corner and deposited his hip in Moore's sternum, by way of crushing his rib cage, or whatever, no one would be having this conversation, even if Moore's career was over.
The so-called 'rookies don't tag the superstars' routine is bogus. I remember when Gordie Howe did his own fighting (Lou Fontinato comes to mind in one famous incident). The game has changed, true, but if you can't handle the physical nature of it, have the coach put Marty McSorley on the ice every time you take a shift.
What Bertuzzi did was amongst the biggest brain farts of hockey, all-time.
Hockey used to have it all; skill and power. It was the original Ultimate Fighting venue, yet, it also had its rules for fighting: goons generally fought goons. However, to call Clarkie a scumbag shows either you're an (ashamed) fan of a Canadian team, or you have a lack of understanding of how the game was back then. There were cheap shots back then, too. It's just unfortunate happenstance that Bertuzzi's ended up the way it did. (PS: I'm a die-hard Flyers fan.)
Bertuzzi's lawyer: "My client is currently serving a one-year suspension of playing in the NHL."
I'll tell you why I don't like Clarke. During the summit series against the Russians in '72, Clarke deliberately slashed Valeri Kharlamov, Russia's most skilled player. Kharlamov wasn't the same after that incident, and it gave Canadians a bad rep that we win through intimidation/thuggery and cheating.
Canadian hockey is not about cheating.
...and I'd like to add that Clarke's slash was of the brutal, two handed variety to the Russian player's already suspect ankle and it was a completely dishonourable tactic that was urged on by one of our coaches, John Ferguson.
I'll ignore your little jibes regarding my knowledge of the game, I don't know where you come from, or who you think you're addressing, but I come from one of the hockey hotbeds of the world.
Well, then, a tap of the stick for you is in order. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
I think you make a good point.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.