Bertuzzi suspended for the season
TSN.ca Staff w/files from CP
3/11/2004
Todd Bertuzzi gave up the right to play the rest of this season and into the playoffs the moment he sucker punched Colorado's Steve Moore, driving his head into the ice during Monday night's game.
That's the rationalization used by the NHL in handing Bertuzzi a season-ending suspension Thursday, which includes the Stanley Cup playoffs and could carry possibly into next season.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will determine whether or not Bertuzzi will be allowed to play again next season prior to the start of training camp.
NHL Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell said the league wanted to make clear that this type of conduct will not be tolerated in the NHL.
"It wasn't this time about whether it should be two games, four games, five games. We felt the player had given up his right to perform the rest of the season," said NHL Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations, Colin Campbell.
"We had to address the fact should it be the playoffs; shall it be one round, shall it be two rounds. In our opinion, because of the act, because of the injury to the player, because of a number of factors and criteria, we felt that his right to perform the rest of the season, he had to give that up and we had to take that away from him."
When asked if the NHL should ban fighting to try and eliminate future instances of this type of on-ice conduct, Campbell denied it was a problem.
"I don't think that's the problem today in the year 2004. It might have been in the 1970's and 1980's."
Bettman said he felt the league did what it could to minimize any damage done to the game's image.
"I think ultimately we'll be judged on our response and the message that it sends,'' Bettman said. "The message that's being sent is this is not a part of our game, it has no place in our game, and it will not be tolerated in our game.''
Campbell said that Moore's recovery from his injuries will be a factor in the final determination of Bertuzzi's suspension.
"Mr. Bertuzzi will be required to meet with Commissioner Bettman prior to the start of training camp for the 2004-05 season, at which point Mr. Bertuzzi's eligibility will be reviewed in light of all the available facts at that time, including Mr. Moore's physical status and the progression of his recovery."
Campbell stated that the Canucks' organization bears some responsibility for what took place on the ice Monday night.
"In light of numerous player comments about Mr. Moore following the Vancouver-Colorado game of February 16, we believe the Vancouver organization ultimately bears some responsibility for monitoring and, to the extent necessary, attempting to moderate the focus of its team," said Campbell. "While the League provided appropriate advance warnings to both organizations... we believe that more could have and should have been done."
The Canucks were also fined $250,000 by the NHL.
The suspension will cost the Canucks one of their leading players this season. Bertuzzi, the highest paid Vancouver player at $6.8 million US, has 17 goals, 43 assists and 122 penalty minutes in 69 games this season. He has played 1,449 minutes and ranks 22nd in the league in scoring.
The length of Bertuzzi's suspension could range anywhere from 17 to 41 games. Hehas already sat out one game and will miss the remaining 12 games of the season. If the Canucks are swept in the first round of the playoffs, the total length of his suspension will be 17 games.
However, the Canucks are expected to go a long way in the post-season. Should they play through all four playoff rounds, the maximum number of games he could miss is 28, which makes the suspension a total of 41 games.
"It's severe," Campbell said. "We dealt with Todd Bertuzzi like we would any other player in this situation. Because Todd Bertuzzi is the impact player he is, the ramifications and severity of this will definitely affect and hurt the Vancouver Canucks' chances of being successful in the playoffs. But we couldn't consider that."
Bertuzzi's suspension, while not the longest in NHL history, could end up rivaling the sentence handed to former Boston Bruins player Marty McSorley. He was suspended for the final 23 games of the 2000 NHL season after swinging his stick and hitting Vancouver's Donald Brashear in the head. The Bruins did not make the playoffs and the suspension was subsequently extended to one year.
McSorley was eligible to apply for reinstatement after the one year ban but has not played in the NHL since.
Bertuzzi becomes the 32nd player suspended by the NHL this season and the fourth Canucks player to be disciplined for an on-ice infraction. His 13 game ban is the longest sentence handed out by the league this season. It's the third time in his NHL career that he has been suspended for an on-ice incident. Both of those previous suspensions totalled 13 games.
Vancouver police are still investigating the incident to see if criminal charges should be laid. Those charges could range from simple assault to assault causing bodily harm to aggravated assault, which involves endagering someone's life.
Maximum penalties range from six months for a summary conviction on simple assault to 14 years for aggravated assault.
Bertuzzi is the second NHL player in the last four years to be investigated by police for an on-ice incident in Vancouver.
On Wednesday night, Bertuzzi choked back tears as he offered a remorseful apology to Moore, who remains in a Vancouver hospital with a fractured neck, a concussion plus facial lacerations and abrasions to the forehead, right cheek and upper lip. He is expected to make a full recovery but will miss the remainder of the hockey season.
"Mr. Bertuzzi is forfeiting $500,000 of his salary and he's missing at least the rest of the season and all the playoffs," said NHL executive vice-president Bill Daly, the league's chief legal officer. "And in addition to that, the Vancouver Canucks are paying a significant fine.
"None of that makes Steven Moore able to play today but at least he should, I would think, feel better about the fact that the league is doing what it can to regulate what goes on on the ice and to try to prevent this from happening again."
Denver newspapers, citing a Vancouver hospital spokesman, said Moore may issue a statement in the wake of the league ruling.
"Steve, I just want to apologize for what happened out there," said Bertuzzi, wiping tears from his eyes throughout his statement. "I had no intention of hurting you.
"I feel awful for what transpired."
Bertuzzi also apologized to the Canucks' organization and to hockey fans for his actions.
Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix issued a statement, saying the team was confident that the league would do the right thing when it came down to a suspension.
"Tuesday morning I said publicly there were people at the league level in charge of taking actions and making decisions in a case such as this and we trusted them to make the appropriate decision," said Lacroix. "I'm convinced the league was careful to take into account all the elements and acted with a clear sense of what was fair for all parties involved."
Lacroix added that Moore's recovery continues to be the team's primary concern.
Cheers,
Aquaman