Todd Bertuzzi Suspension...How Long?

[SirLickheralot]

Bertuzzi's actions were stupid and unsportsmanlike but the severity of the punishment many people in this thread are advocating is out of line.

If the punishment is meant to prevent this type of action in the future then the league must crack down severely on every player who acts in this manner and not just in the instances where it causes serious injury. If Bertuzzi gets suspended for the rest of the season then everytime someone intentionally checks or pushes another player from behind into the boards, or brings up their elbows or leaves their feet when delivering a check should receive a similar suspension regardless of the level of injury their actions ultimately cause. These types of actions all have the potential of causing similar or even more severe injuries than the ones sustained by Steve Moore. The difference between some bruises or a broken neck is just dumb luck. If you are serious about stopping these types of injuries then punish the action not the resulting injury.

 

[scubadoo]

Bertuzzi's actions were stupid and unsportsmanlike but the
If the punishment is meant to prevent this type of action in the future then the league must crack down severely on every player who acts in this manner and not just in the instances where it causes serious injury. If Bertuzzi gets suspended for the rest of the season then everytime someone intentionally checks or pushes another player from behind into the boards, or brings up their elbows or leaves their feet when delivering a check should receive a similar suspension regardless of the level of injury their actions ultimately cause.

Your comparing Apples to Peaches.

Similar premediated acts on a defenseless player from behind in this catagory are:

Dale Hunter on Pierre Turgeon ( 21 games )

Marty McSorley on Donald Brashear ( 1 year suspension )

Matt Johnson on Jeff Buekeboom ( 12 games )

It doesn;t help the fact that Bertuzzi is a repeat offender in this case. His 10 game suspension will be taken into account.

If he really wanted to do himself a favour he'd come out of hiding and address the media and say how sorry he is. I wonder if he is man enough to do this??

On the other hand, after breaking someone's neck, will he ever really be the player that he once was? Time will tell.

 

[n_v]

You must be a lawyer!

Not a lawyer, far from it. But huge Sens fan!! Looks like I will spending alot of time in the nations capital in the spring.

Go Sens Go!!

 

[tonymontana.jr]

can anyone post a FREE link to the inicdent. My buddy and I are here trying to find it.

 

[scubadoo]

Not a lawyer, far from it. But huge Sens fan!! Looks like I will spending alot of time in the nations capital in the spring.

Go Sens Go!!

If you are interested in going to a game pm me and let me know. There is a chance that my buddy who shares the tickets can make the Colorado game and he might not be able to make every playoff game. In that case he gives me first right of refusal to purchase the other ticket.

 

[kwong_1978]

Your one funny dude.

I think what i'm really hearing here is Leaf fans afraid come playoff time that if the two teams meet and 'Tuzzis in the line up he'll run over Sundin and the rest of the Leafs team. --- Kev

That's wishfull thinking. The Canucks with Tuzzi meeting the Leafs in the playoffs? They'll be lucky if they make it through the 1st round & luckier if Bertuzzi isn't sitting at home & watching it on TV.

You're bitter cause you just saw your Canucks' hope of any playoff success goes down the drain.

But I hope you're right, cause that could only mean that the Leafs are in the final & that Tuzzi is running over Sundin & the rest of the team when the Canucks are down 9-2 with minutes to go in the 7th game.

 

[MojoRisin']

Your one funny dude.

I think what i'm really hearing here is Leaf fans afraid come playoff time that if the two teams meet and 'Tuzzis in the line up he'll run over Sundin and the rest of the Leafs team. --- Kev

are all Canucks fans making light of the situation out there? I was living in Vancouver and at the game when MCSorley smashed Brashear over the head.. The city wanted to mob McSorely...whats the difference? Nothing! This may be worse. Kev you sound like a real ass.....it has nothing to do with whether we are fans or not....i am a Canucks fan...2nd of course...but my god there was no excuse....as stated if Bert didnt hit hiim and slam him to the ice there would be no broken neck...it's all part of the same incident...i think you get it by now dont ya? Hope so. If not so sad...by the way...your coaches crocodile tears dont fool anyone...he was laughing on the bench while Moore lay in a pool of blood. then hes all sad and sorry at the post game pc? yeah right! He should be suspended and fined too

 

[n_v]

Sens still don't have a goalie

And the Leafs don't have a team.

 

[Kev]

are all Canucks fans making light of the situation out there? I was living in Vancouver and at the game when MCSorley smashed Brashear over the head.. The city wanted to mob McSorely...whats the difference? Nothing! This may be worse. Kev you sound like a real ass.....it has nothing to do with whether we are fans or not....i am a Canucks fan...2nd of course...but my god there was no excuse....as stated if Bert didnt hit hiim and slam him to the ice there would be no broken neck...it's all part of the same incident...i think you get it by now dont ya? Hope so. If not so sad

I am not making light of the situation. It was an ugly thing Bertuzzi did, and he should pay for his actions as i stated repeatedly.

Tomorrow the league passes there judgement. --- Kev

 

[SirLickheralot]

Your comparing Apples to Peaches.

Similar premediated acts on a defenseless player from behind in this catagory are:

Dale Hunter on Pierre Turgeon ( 21 games )

Marty McSorley on Donald Brashear ( 1 year suspension )

Matt Johnson o Jeff Buekeboom ( n 12 games )

The point I was trying to make is that the league needs to be consistent with its punishment and base it upon the action a player takes and not the resulting injury. In the three incidents you list the league took severe action based upon the injuries caused.

If Dale Hunter got 21 games for hitting Turgeon from behind into the board everyone that intentionally hits someone from behind should receive 21 games. If McSorley gets 1 year for intentionally hitting Brashear in the head with a stick everyone should get 1 year. If Johnson gets 12 games for punching Beukeboom in the head from behind then that is the punishment everyone should receive for this infraction. Unfortunately the league is inconsistent and lets players off with a slap on the wrist unless somone is seriously injured.

Since the Johnson infraction is quite similar to Bertuzzi's and since he also had a couple of previous infractions I would propose that a precident has already been set for the punishment and Bertuzzi should also receive 12 games.

 

[lube monkey]

I am personally a huge hockey fan, and a referee to boot. Wether or not the object was payback, no player should have their neck broke, by any player, for any reason.(accidents do happen, but this isn't one). Moore should have received a match for attempt to injure- 2-5 games, Bert got the match, and should be banned for life from NHL play.

Not a great example for all of the kids watching. That incident was not warranted under any circumstance. Moore is no better.

It makes me sick to my stomach to see this shit from "pros".

It doesn't take a "pro" to kill someone.


LM

 

[The Bandit]

What was Bertuzzi thinking, he must have had a brain freeze....
He shouldn't be playing until next season. IMHO

 

[Kev]

http://www.hockeyfights.com/cf281/040308_bertuzzi_cheapshots_moore.wmv

Cheap shots like this occur all the time. Why doesn't the League clamp down completely on this kind of stuff? Never mind if someone gets hurt our not. Just the intent should be punishment enough. --- Kev

 

[bornonaug9]

Bertuzzi forget about Team Canada, you just eliminate yourself from the team.

 

[johnnyonthespot]

... Moore should have received a match for attempt to injure- 2-5 games, Bert got the match, and should be banned for life from NHL play.

Not a great example for all of the kids watching. That incident was not warranted under any circumstance. Moore is no better...

You know, I want to keep this discussion on an adult level, but WHAT!?! Moore is no better? You must be kidding me ...

Seems to me like we have a reasonable cross-section of levels of experience here either playing or watching hockey. The one thing that's been clear from this discussion is that we can't agree on whether Moore's hit on Naslund was clean or not. Myself, I believe it was a beautiful, clean, open-ice hit, which happened at the speed of the play, and which had the unfortunate result of Naslund getting his bell rung. But more importantly, the league didn't feel it warranted any kind of penalty and they pretty much have to be accepted as the authority.

The Canucks publicly announced that they were going after Moore's head the next time they met and they went and did it. Moore had to fight Cooke earlier in the game - that should have been the end of it. He shouldn't have been required to fight every player on the team - heck, if the check was clean, he shouldn't have had to fight anyone. Bertuzzi stalked him down the ice, grabbed his sweater to slow him down, and cold-cocked him from behind. If other players hadn't fallen on top and grabbed his arm, he probably would have continued to punch him.

So, let's see - on one hand, an only possibly-questionable hit that happened at the speed of the play. On the other hand, a premeditated, so far over the line that it's almost unimaginable, sucker punch. Yeah, I can totally see now how the first is no better than the second ...

 

[Don]

Finally saw a clip of the punch. That was a brutal punch... as bad an incident as Dale Hunter nailing Turgeon years ago. I think Hunter got a 23-game suspension. That sounds about right for Bertuzzi.

Now what is a bit of an overreaction is people saying that criminal charges should be filed. WHAT? It was a cheap shot sucker punch! I was playing shinny a few weeks ago and saw two kids go at it. Then one kid attacks the other by giving a cross check to the noggin while the kid is playing the puck. Kid got cut up bad. I see all sorts of crap like that happen when things get a bit chippy. Fights all the time. Cheapshots with sticks and people firing slapshots and unprotected players when it gets real bad. Shit happens when people lose their cool. Bertuzzi let it fester and bam. If throwing a cheap suckerpunch is a criminal act then there are alot more criminals out there than we think.

 

[Lumix]

Justice was served.
Moore's hit on Naslund was also premeditated and was done to injure. Bertuzzi tried to instigate a fight several times with Moore who of course buckled. Moore purposely turned his back on Bertuzzi knowing he wanted to fight him almost like trying to bait him into taking a penalty instead of being a man and fighting. The only chicken shit here is Moore who IMO is a marginal player trying to take out a star player. What goes around comes around.

WHAT!!!???

I think Paul had been mixing some of his massage oil with his vodkas or maybe he's getting a little too much whiffs of bleach while washing his towels.

Paul, this was a dirty play plain and simple you are sick for thinking it was anything less, man.

 

[RemyMartin]

pay $150/hr. to take Kathleen to a hockey game?

No thanks.

 

[Speedo]

Speedo: A cracked vertebra is a broken neck, last I heard. What you said is like saying "He cracked his femur, it's not a broken leg!"

You're right Goob. I stand corrected.

Where I was really confused was on the cracked/broken issue. I was led to believe that the "crack" in this case was like a "chipped" bone. Obviously more serious...

And of course being confused is sort of my natural state !

 

[Speedo]

In my opinion he should get the rest of the regular season and playoffs. Brutal, just brutal.

I agree 100%.

I believe you have to take the seriousness of the injury into account in this case.

FYI, 49 years ago, Maurice Richard was suspended the balance of the season and playoffs for busting a stick over a player's back and punching a linesman. Fans in Montreal nearly destroyed Ste. Catherine St. around the Forum after the decision was announced.