Congrats to Tampa Bay. I loved to see the f'LAMES' get their butts kicked.

 

http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/A...hub=topstories


NHL's Todd Bertuzzi charged with assault
CTV.ca News Staff

Vancouver Canuck star Todd Bertuzzi has been charged with assault causing bodily harm for his vicious attack on Steve Moore of the Colorado Avalanche.

The charge was announced in Vancouver Thursday following almost four months of investigation. Bertuzzi, 29, has been ordered to appear in provincial court July 9.

Hockey fans watched in horror as Bertuzzi sucker-punched Moore during a game in Vancouver back in March and drove him face-first into the ice. Moore was hospitalized with fractured vertebrae and a concussion.

Doctors say it's not known when Moore, 25, can play hockey again.

The attack was seen as retaliation for a hit Moore put on Vancouver star Markus Naslund that left the Canuck captain with a concussion and sidelined him for three games.

Bertuzzi offered a tearful apology at a news conference two nights after the incident, telling Moore and his family, "I had no intention of hurting you. I feel awful for what transpired."

"I don't play the game that way," he said. "I'm not a mean-spirited person."

Moore later told his own new conference that he didin't listen to Bertuzzi's apology and has not spoken to him since.

The NHL has suspended Bertuzzi indefinitely. He must meet with league commissioner Gary Bettman to determine his eligibility for the 2004-05 season.

The Canucks were also fined $250,000 and Bertuzzi lost almost $500,000 US in salary for missing the rest of the season and playoffs.

Later, the star player was also left off Canada's roster for the upcoming World Cup of Hockey.

Moore has mostly recovered from his injuries and says he hopes to return to the ice.

In February 2000, Marty McSorley, then with the Boston Bruins, was charged with assault after hitting then-Canuck Donald Brashear with a stick to the head.

McSorley was also charged with assault with a weapon. He was convicted and given an 18-month conditional discharge. He never played for the NHL again.

 

Good.

Still not sure why it took 4 months of investigation?

 

man, you crazy canadians

seriously tho, it sucks to see players go out like this

 

Go out? He'll be back. He'll be slapped with probation and community service and be playing Hockey again before Christmas if not sooner.

 

It would appear that the season may not start until 2005, which may mean that he may not play in the NHL for the next season, which might be shortened.

To the NHL & NHLPA... :sqntfawk:

 

oh, i thought he would never play again like this guy. guess bertuzzi is a better player

dabuda, who doesnt follow hockey

 

Mcsorley was a goon who was also at the end of his career. He had maybe a season left in him, even if he was allowed back in. Bertuzzi is young and very skilled.

 

At least Bertuzzi didnt use his stick as a meat clever like McSorley did.

But any guy that makes cheap shots like Bertuzzi did is a POS.

 

I guess this makes many hockey players a POS. I've lost count of many cheap shots that occur in a hockey game. The Bertuzzi incident just happens to be the grand daddy of all cheap shots.

But that's the knock on Bertuzzi...he normally acts before he thinks. Trust me, I've watched enough Canuck games to notice that he takes many stupid penalties.

 

You'll notice that he's from Canada West....



I'm not saying anything else.

 

I do think he's only going to get a slap on the wrist and be back in no time...

 

lol...

I do believe he's from Sudbury, Ontario...which means he's from Canada East. He only works in Vancouver.

 

 

I'd hardly consider Sudbury Canada East. More like Canada North and Canada Who Cares.

 

But that's the home of the Big Nickel!

 

The Big what?

We have alot of Bilingual guys at work here from Sudbury so I'm always making fun of it.
You either work for Revenue Canada or in the mines if you from Sudbury

 

Ummm, thats why I said "cheap shots LIKE Bertuzzi did", I wasnt comparing it to cross checks or boarding.

 

damn, thats a big nickel!

hopefully its not the only thing to see up there

 

Ummm, yep.

 

But a cheap shot is a cheap shot, regardless if the victim is facing or has his back turned to the attacker. Players get cross-checked/boarded/butt-ended/punched/ all the time. If Bertuzzi intended to board/cross-check Moore and the end result of this action caused similar damage that Moore currently has, then I’m sure everyone would still draw the same conclusion that it was a cheap shot. This is the first instance of the NHL handing out a punishment based on the outcome of the action. I don’t know if anyone remembers the Matt Johnson/Jeff Beukeboom incident…

 

I disagree. A lot of cheap shots are opportunistic, meaning if they had the chance and think they might get away with it, they would do it. Bertuzzi's was a "Im going to hunt down and WRECK this MF'er". So if a cheap shot is a cheap shot, then for every cheap shot out there, a player should be charged with assualt? I dont think so. If they though it was just "incidental" contact (which most cheap shots are, again opportunity), they wouldnt have charged him. I think he still would have gotten charged even if nothing happend to Moore just because of the viciousness of the attack.

And, if Bertuzzi is convicted, I really dont think he'll be playing next season. If he pleads guilty (which he should) then they might be more forgiving.

 

Cheap shots are opportunistic...but in your post, the message you convey is that cheap shots aren't intentional. This is where we see things differently. If you take the opportunity to cheap shot a player, the intent is still there. Acting on an opportunity to blind side a player is still a cheap shot. What happens if a player takes the opportunity to cross checks an opposing player in the back and it just so happens that the cross checked player gets slammed head first into the boards and becomes disabled? This is only came into the public's eye because of the end result of the action. If Steve Moore was uninjured, then do you honestly think that we would be still talking about this? I think not.

We can agree to disagree with the exact definition of a cheap shot...but I must reiterate that I do not support what happened.

At the same time...I do not believe that the courts should be involved. It is a waste of the tax payers' money to charge Bertuzzi and then to give him a slap on the wrist.

 

Back in the late 80's I lived on Long Island and was (still is) an Islanders fan. I went to a Bruins/Isles game and saw Pat Lafontane get cross checked and go face frist into the boards, and was knocked out cold. A bench clearing brawl ensued and half of each team were hit with game misconducts and both coaches were ejected.

I dont remember the player that did it, but was in intentional? Probably. But only he would know that because the cross-check happend during regular play. Why do you think they have a penetaly for that specific type of action? Should he have been charged with assualt? No, not at all, even though 90% of Nassau Collseum was ready to execute that guy. If Lafontane had gotten seriously hurt, would he have been charged with assualt? Probably not because he did something that was part of the game and got a penalty for it.

My point is that cheap shots are not all equal. And really, Bertuzzi's "attack" shouldnt be called a cheap shot at all. Its an assualt, which is why he is being charged.

When Brash went down, all he got was a concussion and look how much publicity that got. Bertuzzi's attack was during a playoff game, the viciousness (which IMHO was just as vicious as McSorleys, so we really cant call that a cheap shot either) of the attack alone would have been grounds for an assualt charge.

 

not sure if too many Americans are into hockey, but was wondering if anyones going to watch it?

might be the only hockey we see this year.

 

Who will be broadcasting it this year ?

 

in Canada CBC is showing it, but in the States, might be ABC or ESPN....not 100% sure though

 

Did anyone see that former Penguins coach Ivan Hlinka died in a car accident a couple weeks ago on his way to a meeting with Jaromir Jagr about the World Cup? Keep in mind this is the 2nd ex-penguins coach to die in a car accident in a little over a year, Herb Brooks being the other.

 

Yea that's sad.. Odd coincidence.. I hope..

 

So who's watching hockey at its best ?

I'm pumped up for this tournament for lots of reasons.

1/ Amazing hockey.
2/ I'm a huge Lemieux fan, and am looking forward to seeing him in what will be his last international tournament (as a player anyways).
3/ Will have to be my hockey fix for the rest of the year by the looks of it (unless the players and owners can pull off a miracle).

Of course I think Canada has the best team and will win But really its anyones tournament ..except for maybe Germany. US has a decent team, but are kind of old

Should be a good game tonight.

vs

 

Was wondering when a Canuck would mention the World Cup of Ice...

Yes, this is how hockey should be played... are you listening NHL? None of that slowed down, ugly stuff.

I've only seen the scores and only caught highlights here and there.
Yea, fans, get your fill now, cuz there is no season this year.

Junkster, who thinks the strike could go two years

 

I can't believe Lemieux lost so much weight. He looks really good on the ice. He's probably the purest talent that ever played the game. It would be interesting to see what his life time stats would be like if he was as fit as he is now in the good old mid 80's.

 

Screw the all star "game." Screw the Olympics. Give me a World Cup every two or three years! I have yet to talk to anyone that likes hockey that doesn't feel the same way. What say ye?

 

I'd like to see what his stats would be if he actually had a real team to play with. Not to mention his health 100% of the time.

 

Robert Esche looked really good tonight. Too bad he probably won't be playing for the Flyers this year.

Junk, I don't think the strike (isn't it a lockout?) will go 2 years. That would truly be the end of the NHL right there - neither side can afford THAT.

 

esche looked great.

what about that Salo in the sweeden game

I think if hockey goes away for a year and a couple of teams fold because of it ... it may be a blessing in disguise.

 

Totally...it would be nice to see better quality players playing for each hockey team. An increase in skill would hopefully equal better hockey games (I know there are many factors that can affect this).

I'm not siding with the owners when I say this, but why don't the players realize that they'll lose jobs if teams fold.

 

For the first time it seems Mario is beggining to show his age. He is just not the same dominating player he once was. Too bad everyone gets old, but I'm still hoping to see some Lemeiux magic at some point in this tournament.



BTW - I thought Robert Esche was from the Checzh Republic??

 

Keep in mind that the lemieux-sakic line probably played 10 shifts all game. They really didnt play all that much.

 

And it must be kept in mind that this is the first real game that many of the players have played since the playoffs/regular season.