21
Slam! wrote:Lawyer: Moore not ready
By Toronto Sun staff


Injured Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore was to undergo another battery of tests at The Cleveland Clinic today where doctors still don't know if he'll ever play hockey again.

Moore's lawyer, Tim Danson, yesterday denied reports that his client is on the verge of being medically cleared to return to the NHL.

While Danson said Moore recently "put on some skates and he's trying to train" and that "he has a very, very positive attitude, he has got a very, very long way to go.

"Then there's the $64,000 question," Danson continued. "Even if he is able to make a 100% physical recovery, there's still the question of whether he can take a hit.

"The problem is we're dealing with elite athletes here."

Danson appealed to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman not to decide on Todd Bertuzzi's suspension -- at least until the end of the month -- when doctors at The Cleveland Clinic are expected to have a more complete diagnosis of Moore's injuries.

Bertuzzi, a member of the Vancouver Canucks, was suspended indefinitely after he attacked Moore from behind, fracturing the player's neck, during a game 18 months ago.

Bertuzzi so far has missed 19 games, seven of them during the 2004 playoffs.

"I don't know if the (NHL) has made a decision, but we're taking the very strong position that there has to be a relationship between Steve's condition and Todd Bertuzzi's suspension," Danson said.

"Marty McSorley was suspended for 82 games for his hit on Donald Brashear and Brashear only missed three games. I know the Bertuzzi camp wants to know (when Bertuzzi can play) but he has caused serious injuries through a criminal act that aren't subject to quick answers."

Danson said Moore is anxious to get back to the NHL.

"Steve would like nothing better than for the doctors to say that in six months you'd be able to resume your career," Danson said.
sigh.... suzi needs to sit until moore plays again. fuck him.

22
I just hope the big fat settlement the Canucks/Bertuzzi/Crawford/MAY sign off on doesn't end up "undisclosed," I wanna see how many millions Moore takes them for.
"I'm like a dog chasing cars, I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one. . . . I'm not a schemer. I just do things."

23
Bertuzzi reinstated for start of season
TSN.ca Staff
8/8/2005 4:43:51 PM

Vancouver Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi, who had been suspended indefinitely by the National Hockey League on March 8, 2004 for a blind-side punch that injured Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore, has been reinstated for the start of the 2005-06 season, the League announced today.

Bertuzzi had been suspended for the remainder of the 2003-04 season, including the final 13 regular-season games plus the entire 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

He remained suspended throughout the 2004-05 cancelled season, in which the suspension barred Bertuzzi from participating in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and both the 2004 and 2005 IIHF World Championships, as well as preventing him from playing in any European professional league.

Bertuzzi forfeited a total of $501,926.39 in salary as a result of his suspension.
WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!?!?!?! FUCKING BULLSHIT!!!!!

if you were a player, would you protest by not taking the ice when he's on it?

24
Nah, just hit the guy. Hard.

It was one mistake, and I don't know that it would be right to carry his suspension any further - he was suspended for an entire season, whether it was played or not.

I think his return will be far from easy, regardless. I'll certainly enjoy watching him get booed in every arena he visits, but I don't see this being the wrong move.
TC wrote:as soon as baseball stops being homosexual, i will.

25
this is exactly the kind of bullshit the media will jump on, & that hockey doesn't need at this fragile time for it....

27
I don't know, do you really think so? I think the media moved on - they tend to have a memory more like that of a goldfish than an elephant, especially when it comes to sports. Bill Simmons' article you linked to the other day made a very good point of that - it seemed he was the only one remembering the "Next One" Lindros debacle that turned into nothing but disappointment.

I doubt Bertuzzi will very much be in the spotlight. The fans will boo him every time he gets near the puck, players will beat on him, fans will understand it and nobody will really give a shit.

We've got our hockey back, guys. Let's just be happy :)
TC wrote:as soon as baseball stops being homosexual, i will.

28
It'll be a story out in the Northwest Division, probably not much of one anywhere else.
"I'm like a dog chasing cars, I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one. . . . I'm not a schemer. I just do things."

29
Kanuck wrote:It was one mistake, and I don't know that it would be right to carry his suspension any further - he was suspended for an entire season, whether it was played or not.

I think his return will be far from easy, regardless. I'll certainly enjoy watching him get booed in every arena he visits, but I don't see this being the wrong move.
He served an insignificatly larger "suspension" than every other player in the league. It would be one thing if it had been a "heat of the moment" type of incident, but this was 100% premeditated.
Are you propositioning me? I taste like candy and you want the recipe?

30
A friend from Seattle just sent me this--Bertuzzi's letter to his fans. Note severe lack of apology for his actions:

Dear Canucks fans,

Yesterday I received the news from Commissioner Bettman informing me that I have been reinstated to play NHL hockey and can now rejoin the Vancouver Canucks. This news is a great relief to me and my family and we are now looking forward to the coming season.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Canucks fans and the city of Vancouver for all of your kind wishes. Your support, coupled with that of my teammates, Canucks ownership, management and staff and my agent Pat Morris have been a great help in these very difficult times.

I’ve played my best hockey in Vancouver and the fans have been a big part of that. We have had some success but I feel as a team our best is still yet to come. I am excited about this team and look forward to getting back on the ice with my teammates in front of our fans.

I can’t wait to get back on the ice at General Motors Place on Monday. I will see you soon.

Yours truly,

Bert
"I'm like a dog chasing cars, I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one. . . . I'm not a schemer. I just do things."

31
ESPN wrote:Bertuzzi to end silence, but scrutiny will continue
By Scott Burnside
Special to ESPN.com

VANCOUVER -- Todd Bertuzzi is back. Deal with it.

Of all the story lines crossing and crisscrossing the new NHL landscape, few have or will continue to evoke the kind of visceral response that Bertuzzi's return to the game has.

As it should be.

His shameful attack on Steve Moore on March 8, 2004, has exacted a terrible toll on everyone connected to the incident, from Moore and his family, to Bertuzzi and his own loved ones, to the Canucks and to the entire game itself.

On Monday, before or after the first on-ice session for players being considered for Canada's Olympic team, the disgraced power forward is expected to make his first public statements since being reinstated by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. This will mark the first time he has publicly discussed any of the events that have unfolded apart from the brief, teary media apology two days after the hit.

It will mark a seminal moment in this tawdry, unfortunate tale.

Whatever the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Bertuzzi has thought or felt since that moment, it has been the subject of conjecture and secondhand reports.

Vancouver GM Dave Nonis told reporters Bertuzzi was "in good spirits and was very relieved" when he learned the suspension had been lifted effective immediately.

Vancouver captain Markus Naslund said he re-signed with the Canucks, instead of seeking a trade as some have reported, in part because he knew Bertuzzi was returning to the team.

Bertuzzi's agent Pat Morris has spoken sparingly on behalf of his client, perhaps too sparingly, but has alluded to Bertuzzi's tremendous regret at the incident and the difficult times he and his family have endured.

In handing down his ruling, Bettman echoed those sentiments saying "after listening to Mr. Bertuzzi and his wife Julie Bertuzzi, I have no doubt that this period of indefinite suspension has been marked by uncertainty, anxiety, stress and emotional pain for the Bertuzzi family."

Beginning Monday, however, Bertuzzi will emerge from the long shadows of his banishment to confront the hockey world on his own.

Within hours of Bertuzzi's reinstatement a week ago, Canada's Olympic brain trust, led by executive director Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers GM Kevin Lowe and Vancouver assistant GM Steve Tambellini, extended an invitation to Bertuzzi to join the orientation camp that begins Monday in Vancouver and concludes Friday afternoon in Kelowna, B.C.

Had Bertuzzi, 30, declined in an effort to put off the inevitable encounter with the media and the hockey public, it would have handicapped his chances of being named to the Canadian Olympic squad in January 2006. History has shown players reject such invitations at their peril. So Bertuzzi accepted knowing he would be expected to behave as all players do under Gretzky's watch -- as noble servants to legions of Canadian hockey fans. No hiding out. No special favors. If you have music to face, then face it.

The tune facing Bertuzzi is decidedly dirge-like. Since his reinstatement, the overwhelming sentiment has been that justice was not served by Bertuzzi's 17-month suspension. The fact that no one ever promised justice, only punishment, has been largely lost.

Bertuzzi's suspension technically covered 20 games in total, the 13 regular season games that followed the attack and the seven playoff games the Canucks played in the spring of 2004. The suspension cost Bertuzzi more than $500,000 in salary, and he was banned from playing in Europe during the lockout, which may have cost him another $500,000. Bertuzzi also claims to have lost some $350,000 in endorsements and was forbidden from playing in last summer's World Cup of Hockey and the 2004 and 2005 World Championships.

Few would argue that had Bertuzzi played in that opening-round playoff series against Calgary, he might have been the difference for a Vancouver team that fell in overtime in Game 7.

The Flames went on to finish one game short of a Stanley Cup championship, dropping a seventh game in the Cup final to Tampa Bay.

Neither Bertuzzi nor the Canucks will ever know for certain, but the potential losses in revenues to the team run to the millions. On a more esoteric level, what might have been achieved, what was stolen by Bertuzzi's rash act of aggression is incalculable.

Therein lays the true element of Bertuzzi's punishment.

And so now Bertuzzi returns. But to what? How will he be received by his own teammates? Opposing players? Fans? The media?

And more to the point, what type of player and person will step forward Monday afternoon?

In removing the shackles from Bertuzzi's skates, Bettman did his best Dean Wormer impersonation, warning that Bertuzzi was "on probation" for the coming season. Bertuzzi must play nice or presumably face an even greater wrath than has already been shown.

Guess what? Bertuzzi doesn't play nice. The Canucks are not paying him $5.2 million this season to play nice. In theory, there is no such thing as a nice power forward.

How will Bertuzzi reconcile his own style of play, a style that ultimately begat criminal charges and possibly ended another player's career, with this new higher standard to which he is expected to conform?

If he second-guesses himself every time he strong-arms a defenseman behind the opposing goal or drives a forward into the boards, his effectiveness will be compromised, his value as a player diminished.

On a more human level, how will Bertuzzi react to being poked and prodded about the incident in every NHL city? How does he react to Moore himself?

Moore says he hasn't heard from Bertuzzi since the incident. If Bertuzzi doesn't reach out to Moore, he might be flayed for being an insensitive mutt.

Then there's the issue of the civil lawsuit filed by Moore in a Colorado court.

It is Moore's right to file such a suit. One could hardly blame him for covering his bases. But everything connected to his rehabilitation and Bertuzzi's response will now be filtered through the prism of this lawsuit. Does a direct apology translate into an admission of guilt? Just how close is Moore to being able to resume a career that had definite limitations based on his skill set right from the start? How does the suit play into that decision?

It is interesting to note that the first steps in Bertuzzi's public rehabilitation (or flogging, depending on your take) will take place against the backdrop of preparation for the Turin Olympics.

It was during the last Olympic season, 2001-02, that Bertuzzi enjoyed his breakout season, recording 85 points in 72 games (he was suspended for 10 games for leaving the bench during a brawl with, wait for it, Colorado), good enough for third among all NHL point-getters.

The following season he finished fifth in scoring with 97 points and was considered by some to be the game's most dominant player and appeared to have won a spot on Canadian rosters for the foreseeable future.

Prior to the Moore incident, Bertuzzi had slumped to 17 goals in the midst of a contract dispute and friction with coach Marc Crawford, and there were questions about his attitude. Then came the attack and the suspension.

Now he returns to fight a public relations battle it seems he cannot win, while hoping to reclaim a career that might have slipped through his fingers.

For those seeking justice, perhaps this is it.

32
Yahoo! wrote:Bertuzzi back on the ice after long suspension
August 16, 2005

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- Todd Bertuzzi is making the transition from suspended NHL star to aspiring Olympian.

Bertuzzi broke his silence Monday at Canada's Olympic orientation camp, nearly a year-and-a-half after his blindside punch to the head of Steve Moore left the Colorado forward with injuries that could be career-ending.

``Today is a new beginning for me and my family,'' Bertuzzi said before being greeted by cheers during a practice with fellow Olympic hopefuls. ``There's no way I can change what happened in the past, but I'm going to do what I can to make sure my career and my life aren't defined by what happened on March 8, but rather by what I did before and, most importantly, what I do after.''

Just a week after being reinstated by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Bertuzzi was emotional during his 20-minute media conference, pausing to gather himself as he choked up at times. The big Vancouver Canucks power forward apologized for several things, but not for being allowed to return to the NHL before Moore's injuries allowed him to do the same.

Bertuzzi was suspended indefinitely four days after the incident, and missed 20 NHL games during his 17-month suspension -- the final 13 regular-season games in the 2003-04 season and the Canucks' first-round playoff loss. He wasn't allowed to play anywhere during last season's NHL lockout because of his punch that left Moore with a concussion, broken bones in his neck, and doubts about whether he'll play hockey again.

``I'm a firm believer in second chances, and if we're going to go through life not giving anyone second chances, what kind of life are we going to have?'' Bertuzzi said when asked why he deserved to return while Moore's future remained uncertain. ``People make mistakes in life. Unfortunately, I was under the microscope and on TV when my mistake happened and if I'm going to sit here and keep getting ridiculed about it, how are we ever going to give someone a second chance to become better or to change situations?''

Wayne Gretzky, Team Canada's executive director, wasted little time offering Bertuzzi that chance, calling the same day that Bettman reinstated him to offer a spot at orientation camp.

``Todd feels worse about what happened than anybody,'' Gretzky said. ``He has been punished and served his time.''

Some of Moore's Colorado teammates, now sharing a locker room with Bertuzzi on Team Canada, appeared to agree.

``Todd has served his suspension and it was lengthy,'' Colorado captain Joe Sakic said. ``He served that and you move on. The most important thing is Steve Moore is doing better.''

Sakic, Rob Blake, Alex Tanguay and Adam Foote, now with the Columbus Blue Jackets, all find themselves on Bertuzzi's team this week after wearing Colorado colors the night the attack took place. With the Avalanche leading 8-2, Bertuzzi grabbed Moore from behind, punched him on the side of the head and landed on top of him. Moore's head was driven into the ice, and he had to be carried off on a stretcher.

The attack was seen as retaliation for Moore's hit that left Vancouver captain Markus Naslund with a concussion that sidelined him for three games. Bertuzzi still can't explain what happened that night, but it didn't stop other Avalanche players from welcoming him to Team Canada.

``He deserves to be here,'' Blake said.

Bertuzzi's statements Monday were the first since a tearful apology two days after the attack on March 4, 2004. His only other comments during a 17-month suspension were made through his agent Pat Morris, and in a thank-you letter to fans that appeared on the Canucks' Web site last week.

He wished Moore a speedy recovery, but refuted reports that he hadn't attempted to apologize to Moore. Morris said Bertuzzi made more than 10 attempts to reach Moore through the Avalanche, Moore's agent, and his lawyer.

``I was hoping for the opportunity to confront him and speak to him and his family and it has never come about,'' Bertuzzi said. ``You have to respect people's decisions on things, and some people forgive a lot easier than others and you just got to deal with it and move forward. I've made my attempts and am still going to try, but I can't change someone else's mind-set on me.

Bertuzzi, due to earn more than $5.2 million from the Canucks this upcoming season, lost $501,926.39 in salary during the suspension. He still faces a civil lawsuit filed by Moore in Denver that names Bertuzzi, former Canucks and current Colorado forward Brad May, Canucks coach Marc Crawford, former GM Brian Burke and Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment, which owns the team.

Bertuzzi was also given a year's probation and sentenced to 80 hours of community service after pleading guilty in a Vancouver court to criminal assault and receiving a conditional discharge. As part of the probation, Bertuzzi isn't permitted to play against Moore.
it's interesting to see the Avs players band together in his defense. that's sort-of surprising. but if i'm them, i'm probably more pissed at Naslund's comments anyway....

but i guess they'd better get used to this since May is in their room now. maybe they're just trying to set the tone for their own locker room this fall?

33
That's all good and well, but "he deserves to be here" ??? C'mon Blake, he doesn't 'deserve' shit.

Local writers and fans are not quickly forgetting May's signing, there have been a lot of complaints about that move.
"I'm like a dog chasing cars, I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one. . . . I'm not a schemer. I just do things."

34
Wow, the love fest is getting nauseating:
Colorado Avalanche players literally jumped to then-teammate Steve Moore's defense 17 months ago when he was attacked by Todd Bertuzzi, whose on-ice assault they immediately condemned.

While no members of the Avalanche would ever condone Bertuzzi's actions - Moore's future in hockey remains uncertain as he recovers from fractured vertebrae and a concussion while awaiting test results from the Cleveland Clinic - they no longer express words of anger.

Avalanche captain Joe Sakic, during Team Canada's Olympics orientation camp this week in Kelowna, British Columbia, told reporters it was "time to move on" after NHL commissioner Gary Bettman lifted Bertuzzi's indefinite suspension.

Avalanche forward Alex Tanguay took it a step further Thursday.

"I wish he could be playing in Colorado with me," Tanguay told the Canadian Press at Canada's camp.

Tanguay spent some time skating on a line with the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Bertuzzi in practice sessions and was effusive in his praise for the big winger.

"He has such a big presence," Tanguay said. "He can hold onto the puck and slow down the game to his pace. With his size and strength, he can play a little bit different game than anybody else.

"It's fun to play with a guy like that. It gives you more time to get open and more time to do your thing."
"I'm like a dog chasing cars, I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one. . . . I'm not a schemer. I just do things."

Re: Bertuzzi walks

36
suzi is such a fucking fag.
CBC wrote:Todd Bertuzzi suing former coach Crawford

Todd Bertuzzi has filed a lawsuit against former Vancouver Canucks head coach Marc Crawford, alleging his negligence contributed to Bertuzzi's infamous sucker punch of Steve Moore in March 2004, according to court documents obtained by CBC News.

Bertuzzi was an all-star forward for the Canucks when he hit Moore from behind 8:41 into the third period of a 9-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on March 8, 2004 in Vancouver.

The punch came after an earlier game in which Moore knocked Vancouver captain Markus Naslund unconscious with an open-ice hit to the head. Moore wasn't penalized on the play.

Bertuzzi's punch left Moore with three broken vertebrae in his neck and a concussion. Moore hasn't played since, and is suing Bertuzzi — now with the Anaheim Ducks — for upward of $38 million. Crawford — now the head coach of the Los Angeles Kings — was not named as a defendant in the suit, but was listed as a third party.

The papers, filed in Toronto by Bertuzzi's lawyers, allege that Crawford urged his players in March 2004, including Bertuzzi, to make Moore "pay the price" when Crawford "knew or ought to have known that this was likely to result in injury to Moore."

The papers also contend that Crawford "failed to exercise control over and caution his players against physical aggression toward Moore."

The NHL suspended Bertuzzi indefinitely for attacking Moore, and didn't reinstate him until Aug. 8, 2005 — exactly 17 months later.

Bertuzzi remained under suspension throughout the 310-day NHL lockout and was prohibited from competing in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, two world championships and in European pro leagues.

He also forfeited $501,926.39 US in salary and hundreds of thousands more in endorsements.

Criminal charges filed against Bertuzzi in Vancouver resulted in a guilty plea and a sentence of one year's probation plus 80 hours of community service.

Moore later filed a lawsuit in Denver against Bertuzzi and other notables, including Canucks ownership, but it was dismissed.

With Bertuzzi in Turin, Italy, playing for Team Canada at the Winter Olympics, Moore filed a second lawsuit on Feb. 15, 2006.

At the time, he was seeking $18 million for lost income, aggravated and punitive damages, but is now demanding $38 million in an amended claim.

Re: Bertuzzi walks

37
TSN wrote:REPORT: BERTUZZI DISOBEYED CRAWFORD'S ORDERS IN MOORE ATTACK

According to a published report, former Vancouver Canucks head coach Marc Crawford claims in court documents that Todd Bertuzzi acted in "direct disobedience" of the team's coaching staff in his 2004 attack on Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore.

The Toronto Star is reporting that Crawford stated that the Canucks' coaching staff was attempting to pull Bertuzzi off the ice before the attack that broke Moore's neck and ended his career.

"Just prior to the attack on Moore, Bertuzzi had been on a shift to kill a penalty, had missed the shift change and had remained on the ice for longer than the rest of his line,'' states Crawford's third-party defence.

"After being directed to get off the ice, Bertuzzi was on his way back to the bench when, suddenly and without warning, he turned around and skated back in the direction of Moore . and attacked Moore.

"This was not done under any specific or general direction or encouragement from Crawford, was a direct disobedience of the instruction that Bertuzzi had been given from the bench to get off the ice, and was a violation of Bertuzzi's duties which Crawford could not be expected to have reasonably anticipated, let alone control.''

Crawford filed a defence in an attempt to protect himself from a claim by Bertuzzi that stated that Crawford should be libel to pay damages awarded to Moore. Moore filed a lawsuit seeking $38 million for loss of income and damages, naming Bertuzzi, the Canucks and Orca Bay as defendants.