Anyone else glad to see Bertuzzi back?

JCL · #1 08-09-2005, 08:54 PM

Looks like he won't just be playing in September, Gretzky just invited him to the Team Canada Olympic training camp next week, following his reinstatement by Bettman on Monday.

Not the best moment in hockey, but I for one am glad that they are moving on. I also hope that Moore will be OK.

Sponsored Links

UCrewX5 · #2 08-09-2005, 09:11 PM

I think it should have been a permanent ban. It was a cheap shot and may have cost Moore his career.

Thunder22 · #3 08-09-2005, 09:46 PM

He should be banned for life. sorry, but that was the most cowardly act i've ever seen in hockey, and I'm a life long hockey fan.

Juanted · #4 08-09-2005, 10:20 PM

That WAS a cheap, horrible shot. I don't know how I feel about his coming back. How long was the suspension, anyway? I forget...

Juan

UCrewX5 · #5 08-09-2005, 10:50 PM

If you discount the strike period, I believe it comes down to only a few months.

JCL · #6 08-10-2005, 01:29 AM

Counting the strike period, it was 17 months. On top of the season in question, it covered the playoffs, the World Cup, and two World Championships.

One of Moore's doctors came out recently and announced he was fit to play (he is in training now), but his lawyer quickly disagreed. Seems the civil suit is still pending. Don't think Moore helped himself by submitting dated medical reports to the commission recently.

No comments on Moore's blindside hit on Naslund? How about how the NHL refused to deal with the escalating violence, and then used Bertuzzi as the scapegoat for their own lack of action? I think Bertuzzi was at fault for this hit, but I think at least two team management groups were also at fault, as well as the league.

PersonaNonGrata · #7 08-10-2005, 01:47 AM

I am glad to see him back since I am a Canuck fan. He's an awesome player to watch when he's on his game. His combination of size and skill is incredible. As for his suspension being lifted, the attack on Moore was definitely bad but taken in context, it was not as vicious as it looked. The injuries suffered by Steve Moore were bad but I think that Bertuzzi did not mean for it to turn out that way. Yes, you should be held accountable for the results of your actions no matter what your intent was but we're not talking about a criminal court here. We're talking about hockey/sports. What if it had been a fight and a Bertuzzi blow to Moore's head caused the same injuries? Or if he knocked Moore out and Moore hit the ice with the same end result? I think that many people believe that Bertuzzi set out to break Steve Moore's neck but I highly doubt that.

Like it or not, the sport of hockey does involve violence from time to time. I'm not condoning it but it's the context in which the incident took place. I think Bertuzzi was demonized very quickly and unfortunately here in the States where hockey is given scarce airtime, it was a sensational clip for the media to play over and over and it played right into the typical hockey ignorant view that hockey is all about violence. We fans know it's not. I also think that Todd Bertuzzi is also being judged as a violent person because of his size and demeanor. Just because he's a big guy who doesn't kiss reporters' butts in interviews (he's known to be quite terse with them) doesn't mean he's some kind of vicious animal. I believe his remorse is genuine.

I think the criminal prosecution, the suspension preventing him from playing for Team Canada, and the NHL suspension were sufficient. The strike makes it seem like he didn't really suffer but he did because while every other player was playing in Europe, Bertuzzi was barred. He missed out on money and the chance to play hockey. If that was the intended purpose of a suspension had there been a NHL season, then that goal was met.

Just my $0.02 Canucks fan worth.

saloveku · #8 08-10-2005, 12:02 PM

A 20 game ban is what it adds up to. That's not enough for this infraction. He should have been made to sit out a year.

Thunder22 · #9 08-10-2005, 01:40 PM

personanongrata - if bertuzzi weren't a Canuck would you have the same opinion?

PersonaNonGrata · #10 08-10-2005, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gresch

personanongrata - if bertuzzi weren't a Canuck would you have the same opinion?

Well, it's tough to take my Canuck fan blinders off but I think I would still think so. I think back to the Marty McSorley incident that, ironically, had a Canuck player as a victim. McSorley was suspended for a year for that attack. At the time, it was the longest suspension ever imposed by the NHL. I think the thing that was so egregious about that incident was that he used his stick as a weapon. With Bertuzzi, it was the resultant injuries that offended people. Both hits were blindside hits so that factor is a wash.

You can look at it as a less-than-a-year suspension because of the strike but I still think the suspension had the desired effect. Bertuzzi missed the remainder of the season, the playoffs (which all NHL players live for), he sat out a season of hockey albeit in Europe, and he was barred from playing for Team Canada. People have to remember that missing a season of hockey, even if it is not NHL hockey, is a huge thing for these guys who have played hockey every winter since they could walk. They don't know anything else so the impact of not doing that is profound. If he had the chance I know he would have been playing for a club in Europe, not to mention playing for Team Canada so did he suffer a punishment. There is also the civil lawsuit that was filed. Who knows what the outcome of that will be but it will certainly not be a pleasant experience for Bertuzzi.

Sponsored Links