What is everyone's beef with Bertuzzi?

Question

This question has just been sitting on my back-burner for years now.

Personally, I don't know what the huge deal with Bertuzzi is. Yes, he sucker punched Moore, and may be the culprit to break his neck. Not intentionally, obviously, but it could've been from everybody piling on top of the guy, no way to prove...without an autopsy. lol

Anybody else remember McSorely on Brashear? That was assault with a weapon, intent to cause serious bodily harm or death, and criminal negligence causing bodily harm. Criminal charges. To me, that's MUCH worse, but how come you don't see too many people complaining about that?

Everybody....whooo-sah.....

Answer 1

The McSorely part is easy...Brash still plays Marty is surfing in So Cal. As far as Bertuzzi goes its the opposite. He get to go play and "enjoy" a career. Moore is done..one punch and no more career. Was it wrong? Hell yeah but so was Moores hit to start the whole thing...neither are right its just the finality of the results that will tarnish Bertuzzi forever. This type of hit happens all the time (see Domi take out Ulf for reference) its just the results that define the moment

Answer 2

Well McSorely is OUT OF THE LEAGUE. Bertuzzi is STILL PLAYING. That is problem ONE. Problem TWO is that Bertuzzi RODE Moore into the ice, not only did he sucker punch him but if you watch replays he was there on Moore's back basically driving him into the ice. Was he trying to break the man's neck? I honestly don't think he was. I have a hard time beliving anyone is that heartless that they would try to break a man's neck. Cause a career ending injury where the man can still live an otherwise normal life, well there are players I could believe would do THAT but not that would break a man's neck. Bertuzzi DID have INTENT TO INJURE in my mind. Problem three is he was going after a "bounty" from a PRIOR GAME. Both teams played multiple games against multiple opponents in between. If it had been in the SAME GAME it wouldn't have even caused as big of an issue.

OK reading over how you says this is over-hyped it got me thinking about to Simon and Holliweg. A little punk gnat hits someone(and that is basically what Holliweg makes me think of an annoying little bug like a gnat) and then gets driven down by someone in the passion of the moment and almost everyone blames it soley on Simon. Why is Simon so hated for being driven into the boards and getting up and retaliating against an annoying bastard that got what had been coming to him for HOW LONG? Oh wait that's right "Simon was trying to take his head off" or whatever crap people started with back then do defend the gnat. Well the gnat was fine and was right up to the same crap the next game, he was playing the Pens in the next game and they were talking about how his style was to just be annoying and he was happy to prove it.

Answer 3

You don't see too many people complaining about the Brashear thing because McSorley's career ended as a result. That is why. That is a very distinct and important difference in the two cases. Many people think that Bertuzzi should play as many more games as Steve Moore does. I, for one, can't disagree with that. He ended a player's career with a cheap shot, and now he gets to make $4 million in Anaheim and have a shot at a Cup. That is why it is a big deal.

Answer 4

Great stuff as usual, Like I'm Telling You. I was torn as all getout about this affair. In one way or another, karma (and not the NHL) is still punishing Bertuzzi. I applaud all the others for having the guts to state the obvious. While I do not know Steve Moore or Todd Bertuzzi personally, I will say that Moore was way over his head trying to be a pest. While guys like Darcy Tucker and Chris Neil have made pesting into an art form, Moore was trying to be the uberpest just to stay in the league. The strange thing? He would not have had a future in the new NHL as it is. He should accept Bertuzzi's apology and drop his lawsuit. This affair and the ensuing madness has gone on long enough.

Answer 5

I hated Bertuzzi before the hit on Moore. When, Brashear was hit, he played on, and McSorley didn't. Here it's the opposite, Bertuzzi plays on and Moore can't even skate good. Besides, McSorely on Brashear wasn't that violent, hear me out here, he didn't hit him that hard. He didn't do everything he could to injure him. If he wanted to do serious damage to Brashear he could have taken a back-swing to gain momentum and then followed through with the stick. He didn't do that. Bertuzzi on the other hand, actually did everything he could to injure Moore. He sucker punched him from behind, then drove his neck into the ice. I read that the vertebrae cracked on impact with the ice, not from the guys on top of him.

What most people don't remember is that the Avs won that game 9-2. Just thought I'd throw that in for randomness.

Answer 6

Bertuzzi....Well, it was intent.

The Assault on Steve Moore
On February 16, 2004, during a Vancouver-Colorado game, Avalanche center Steve Moore injured Canucks team captain Markus Näslund by checking him in the head area while Näslund was reaching for a puck ahead of him with his head down. Näslund, the league's leading scorer at the time, suffered a minor concussion and a bonechip in his elbow as a result of the hit, knocking him out of the lineup for three games. Referee Dan Marouelli did not call a penalty, which drew the ire of many Canucks.

Canucks head coach Marc Crawford publicly criticized the non-call, claiming that Marouelli and his partner, Rob Martell, needed to show "respect" for the league's leading scorer. General manager Brian Burke, the league's former chief disciplinarian, called the play "a headhunting hit."[2] Canucks players issued a "bounty" on Moore's head with Bertuzzi calling Moore "a piece of ****."[3]

During another Vancouver-Colorado game three weeks after the Naslund hit, on March 8, 2004, Moore fought Matt Cooke in the first period. Late in the third period, Bertuzzi began following Moore down the ice and tried to start a fight. When Moore ignored him, Bertuzzi grabbed hold of Moore's jersey, and punched Moore in the side of the head. Moore, who was 45 pounds lighter than Bertuzzi, fell to the ice with Bertuzzi's weight [4] driving him headfirst into the ice.[5]

At this point, Moore's Colorado teammates retaliated against Bertuzzi, jumping on the prone Moore and Bertuzzi. Moore suffered three fractured vertebrae in his neck, a grade three concussion, vertebral ligament damage, stretching of the brachial plexus nerves, and facial cuts.

Bottom line, they were both uncalled for. I still think Bertuzzi hit was worse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFFLZQsT2AI

Answer 7

I agree with you. What Bertuzzi did was wrong, no question about it, but I certainly don't believe he meant to permanently injure Steve Moore in any way.

If you look at all the stick infractions that we have seen, ranging from Chris Simon on Hollweg, McSorley on Brashear, Ciccarelli on Richardson, etc...all of whom I think were done with more intent to intentionally inure.

As far as the McSorley/Brashear incident, it received quite a bit of news at the time...again, a lot of it had to do with...'how could they consider that a criminal act...it's just a game'

Answer 8

Well first I agree the piling on more than likely caused the neck injury. My beef is the guy had no business going after Moore. He was the number two scorer on the team. It wasn't his job to out there and goon it up. In doing so he embarrassed himself, his teammates, the league and the game. His value to the team was far greater than his need for vengeance, which makes him a big dummy.
McSorley on the other hand was a goon and he went too far. There have been some pretty ugly moments in hockey but Bert re-enforced the beliefs of those outside hockey that the game is barbaric and second rate. He deserves a quick kick in the pills.

Answer 9

I just never liked Bertuzzi, even before the hit on Moore and after he became a Red Wing.

Answer 10

My turn to get vilified.

Steve Moore was a borderline NHLer at best. I say this because if he was a 'better' player, his teammates would have done something rather than watch Bertuzzi chase him around the rink. His teammates knew what he had done to Naslund, and his teammates knew he was 'gonna' get it. This is not George Bush's NHL....this is not a kinder, gentler, game. Everybody on the Colorado Avalanche, and the Vancouver Canucks knew that Moore was going to get his come-uppance.............and he did. Nobody was going to stop whichever Canuck would do it from doing it, but nobody pictured it would be like it was. I saw several fights this past season where one player was hitting another player in the head, and player 2 was on the ice face-down. And several of these fights had more punches than Bertuzzi laid on Moore. Those players walked away. Maybe they were in better condition than Moore...who knows.

1. I don't think Bertuzzi meant to cripple the guy
2. I doubt Moore would be in the league today had the incident not happened
3. Moore needs to get a life and let Bertuzzi apologize, this 'I don't want him near me' crap is simply crap.

At the original trial, at least one NHL GM testified that they didn't think that Moore had the skills to be offered minor league employment by his team. Moore's lawyers and family need to take that home with them.

I'm sorry Moore was as badly injured as he was. I've seen the replay of his trip on Naslund, and I'm, sorry...but Naslund injured himself diving to embellish the trip.

My opinion on the matter.

I hope Moore recovers and lives a normal life, but I also hope that Bertuzzi recovers and regains his point a game status