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sorry kids, i guess i'm already registered
Canucks' Bertuzzi Charged With Assault for On-Ice Punch
Associated Press
Thursday, June 24, 2004; 2:48 PM
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Canucks star Todd Bertuzzi was charged Thursday with assault for a sucker-punch that left Colorado's Steve Moore with a broken neck and prompted widespread criticism of hockey violence.
The charges -- assault causing bodily harm -- were announced by the criminal justice branch of the ministry of the attorney general after an investigation that lasted four months. Bertuzzi was ordered to appear in provincial court July 9.
Moore was hospitalized after the March 8 attack with three fractured vertebrae, facial cuts, post-concussion symptoms and amnesia. Nerves in the neck area were also stretched. Doctors say it's not known when, or if, he can play again.
The NHL suspended Bertuzzi for the final 13 games of the regular season and Vancouver's seven playoff games.
The suspension cost Bertuzzi nearly $502,000 of his $6.8 million salary while the Canucks were fined $250,000. Bertuzzi also was left off Canada's roster for this fall's World Cup.
The Canucks released a statement supporting Bertuzzi.
"We are aware of the charges brought against Todd Bertuzzi today," senior vice president and GM Dave Nonis said. "The matter is now before the courts and we will continue to support Todd and his family throughout this process. Although we appreciate the interest in this development, the Vancouver Canucks organization will have no further comment at this time."
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman plans to hold a hearing with the Vancouver star. Last month, Bettman gave no indication when that meeting might happen or if the indefinite suspension will be lifted.
Bertuzzi's only public comment was a tearful apology two nights after the game.
"Steve, I just want to apologize for what happened out there," he said at the time. "I had no intention of hurting you. I feel awful for what transpired."
"I don't play the game that way," he added. "I'm not a mean-spirited person. I'm sorry for what happened."
During the game, with the Avalanche ahead 8-2, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Bertuzzi grabbed Moore from behind at 8:41 of the third period. He sucker-punched the Colorado forward on the side of his head and then landed on top of the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Moore, driving his head into the ice.
The punch was witnessed by more than 18,000 people at the arena and has been shown repeatedly in TV clips broadcast across North America and Europe.
The attack was seen as retaliation for a hit Moore put on Vancouver star Markus Naslund that left the Canuck captain with a concussion and sidelined him for three games.
There is precedent for a hockey player facing charges for his on-ice action. In 2000, Marty McSorley was charged with hitting Canucks player Donald Brashear with his stick. McSorley was convicted of assault with a weapon, but he received an 18-month conditional discharge, meaning no jail time and no criminal record after probation. The NHL suspended him for a year, ending his 17-year career.
In 1988, Minnesota North Stars forward Dino Ciccarelli was convicted of assault for hit Toronto defenseman Luke Richardson several times in the head with his stick. Ciccarelli was sentenced to one day in jail and fined.
In 1969, Wayne Maki of the St. Louis Blues and Ted Green of the Boston Bruins became the first NHL players sent to court after a stick-swinging duel at a preseason game in Ottawa. Green, who fractured his skull, and Maki, who wasn't injured, were both acquitted of assault charges.
Bertuzzi, one of the league's top forwards, had 17 goals and 43 assists in 69 games this season. Moore had five goals, seven assists in 57 games.
? 2004 The Associated Press
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