Blackthorn

Steve Bertuzzi was charged with assault and I think this was overdue. Some of the sports fans out there will disagree and that's fine. I'm not a fan of hockey and have never played the game so I don't share that "fan = fanatic" perspective for this sport. What I witnessed in the video clip of this incident was purely premiditated assault. There is no place for this in ANY sport.


http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...a/nhl_bertuzzi

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00111000

It's been debated to death. Stupid move by Bertuzzi, but in hockey where emotions run high it's bound to happen once in a while. Honestly, I was never a big fan of Bertuzzi. I think he'll get off fairly easy, he hired that superstar council. Big question is what will happen when he comes back to hockey?

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Serpent

Its todd bertuzzi atually.. and Steve moore..

silent_jay

It's a crock, the law has no place in the game. Yes it has been debated to death.

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Quadraton

What an utter load of shit. The man did what a million other hockey players before him have done. The only difference between this and every other fight in the league was the outcome had a more tragic result than deemed 'acceptable'.

The league handled it, and gave him a hefty suspension valuing over $500G. It's almost a moot point getting the law involved simply 'because they can'.

I mean, honestly. If Bertuzzi is charged, then I say let's charge Steve Moore for his elbow to Naslund's head. After all, it had all the same elements as Todd Bertuzzi's incident. A sucker blow to the head that Naslund didn't see coming. An equipment covered part of the body was used in the assault. Naslund was even sidelined with a concussion, not as severe as Moore's fallout, but still the same result.

Yeah, I know. It's stupid to think that Moore should be charged, so why should Bertuzzi?

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Kurant

Boo fucking hoo.

Pay the price. He could have possibly cost someone they're lively hood and ultimatly, career. And still may have.

Like I said.

Boo fucking hoo.

silent_jay

I agree totally, both incidents were the same, If Moore hadn't elbowed Naslund, no punch in the head from Bertuzzi.


He already has paid the price he's beeen suspended and fined, If they start charging everyone for everything then hockey is going to turn into a fucking shitty game.

Can you imagine the state of hockey if everytime someone got hurt from an illegal hit or punch or slash they were suspended, fine and then finally charged, fuck you might as well put eggs in their pants because everyone would be scared shitless to hit anybody.

Like I said before it's a crock.

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CandleInTheDark

The whistle blew, Moore did not consent to any fight, remarks before the game give credit to premeditation of the incident. An elbow to the head during the game is one thing. An assault from behind after the play was called is unacceptable.

Bertuzzi needs to get charged. Fighting does not have a place in sport.

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silent_jay

Fighting, no place in hockey? You can't be serious.

You think high sticking, slashes, and sucker punches are bad now, ban fighting and then the sport will really go to hell. A bunch of John Kordic's skating around the ice looking to see who the can comb with their sticks next.

Banning fighting is not the answer.

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grumpyolddude

Moore's elbow on Naslund, though illegal, came in the flow of the game and as a result of aggressive play. Bertuzzi stalked and assaulted Moore. I see a huge difference in the two incidents.

Sports talk radio around Detroit would appear to promote the idea that the league imposed sufficient punishment on Betuzzi. I disagree. The repercussions of Bertuzzi's attack reach far beyond the game and affect an entire community outside of the NHL. Moore's family and friends, and Moore himself, have a lot of pain, suffering and rehabilitation to endure. (yes, Naslund suffered, but a few days rest healed him, and as stated, the injury was a result of game play, not a flagrant assault).

Society needs to step in and act on behalf of the victims in these cases. Bertuzzi cried and apologized (sort of), but then, so could the mugger or rapist who might assault your sister. Does that take the place of criminal prosecution? "Oh, I jumped you on the street and crushed your skull! I'm sorry that it happened! I'm not really that kind of person! Forgive me? (sob, sob) I just lost my head when I saw you with my ex-wife."

Bertuzzi succumbed to the emotion of the situation in an inappropriate manner. Prisons are filled with citizens who made the same choice.

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silent_jay

Moore's elbow was part of the flow of the game, what flow of the game says dive at a person and elbow him in the head. Bertuzzi never really stalked Moore, he didn't go looking for him, he was right there in front of him.

Naslund's injury was sustained through gameplay, once again elbowing someone in the head is not part of regular gameplay. An elbow in the head that causes a concussion and cuts and bruises is a flagrant assault.

Comparing the situation to that of a rapist is a bit overboard, I mean come on the kid fell to the ice after he was punched with 4 or 5 people on top of him, you don't honestly believe that the punch caused all the damage?

What do you mean by he apologized sort of? He was sincere in his apology, I mean what do people want him to do, never play the game again?

Once again the law has no place in hockey, they will ruin the game, people will be so afraid to touch each other they might as wall be playing Basketball.

How many players over the years have done this and had no reprecussions other than a suspension, no threat of jail time hanging over their heads, it's a bunch of bullshit, hockey is a doomed game if people think like a few people in this thread.

Send him to prison, charge him with assault, what a joke

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Strange Famous

Bertuzzi set out to injure someone, that is what makes the difference between a foul and assault. His deliberate intention was to damage an opponent. He should never play hockey again, jail time should also be considered.

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Ace_O_Spades

This is a load of shit

shit shit shit shit

He already paid a massive fine, and missed out on the playoffs (short as they were for vancouver)

Let the goddamn league police itself

you've gotta be fucking kidding me

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Feh.

Quadraton

In a perfect world, there would never be any fighting in the game of hockey, because after all, it's the skill and fancy plays that are really interesting (at least I find). However, that would be a perfect world, and one that deludes itself from the realities of the game.

When you're out there on the ice, there's always an extreme level of intense emotion. I know this has already been said many times before by those who try to educate others on the intricisies of the game, but it's true, you can't help it. It's engrained into every part of the game, created by an overdriven competitve spirit that fills every player. You begin to feel as if there is next to nothing in the world that doesn't piss you off, and that the whole world is against you. It's that intense emotion that spurns things like cheap shots, threats, and even fighting. The higher the stakes, the more competitve people get, the higher the intensity of the emotion, and the more likely something might happen.

And this is why I don't think you can ever remove fighting from the game. In order to remove the fighting, you have to remove that intense emotion that every player feels, and if you somehow manage to accomplish that, then I ask you: what is the fucking point? You might as well call the game Golf on Skates, because that's how exciting it will be.

Now, does this excuse what Bertuzzi did. Hell no. He commited the infraction. The league handed out an immense punishment of a suspension valuing upwards of $500G to Bertuzzi and $250G to the Vancouver Canucks (which, by the way, is more that the courts will ever hand out). So, in that respect, both guilty parties have been punished, and have paid their dues. So, why the Hell should the law get involved? For what purpose? To punish Bertuzzi in the name of the victim? It's already been done. To uphold the law? Then don't be selective. It's either everything, or nothing. You can't arbitrarily charge one person for assault, and ignore everyone else. Assault is assault. There is no line in the Canadian Criminal Code for assault that reads: assault is wrong, but only if the victim suffers extreme injury.

Which brings me to what really pisses me off the most about this. I can't stand how shocked and sanctimonious people suddenly become when something like the Bertuzzi incident occurs. When a record setting 419 penalty minute game in Philadelphia happened, people were cheering, it made every highlight reel, and the media reported on every second of every penalty.

But then Todd Bertuzzi blindsides Steve Moore, and everybody suddenly has a victim to feel sorry about. People begin screaming and thrashing.

How could something like this ever happen?

Do you not see the man's injuries?

He was hurt, and even in a career limiting way

Now people are calling into radio shows to denounce the violence, experts are analyzing every microsecond of the footage, and the sports section in every paper across the continent is filled with articles condeming Bertuzzi, condeming the league, condemning society for ever allowing such a thing to happen.

All I have to say to you people is, you're too late. Bertuzzi like incidents have been happening long before you were ever a fan, and will continue to do so in the future. The only difference is that next time you may not have a victim you feel sorry about, and I can bet that you will certainly be standing the next time you're at a game, and a fight breaks out.

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Quadraton

You've never played hockey before, have you?

It happens all the time! I'd even fancy to say, it happens every time a game is played. That's what enforcers are for. They're not out there to make pretty plays, or score goals. There out there to hunt someone down, and rearrange their face.

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Nimbletoe

The fine and suspension were good, but this is a crock of shit. As cheap of a shot as it was, fighting is still a part of hockey, and untill everyone involved in them gets charged with assult, no one should.

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KWSN

totally agree, except i think he should have to get a longer suspension. at least as long as McSorley's.

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Quadraton

And another thing that gets me, and I mentioned something to this affect in my previous rant, is how much a waste of time charging Bertuzzi is. It took the BC Crown over 4 months to come to a decision to charge Bertuzzi, and for what? An eventual slap on the wrist. That's exactly what McSorely got, and his attack was even more brutal than Bertuzzi's.

What a waste of tax payer money. Meanwhile, real crime goes on in the streets that have had investigative resources diverted from so the BC Crown can stroke its ego, and show the public that it has a purpose.

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"A witty saying proves nothing"
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grumpyolddude

Bertuzzi's act was not a "fight" by any definition: face-to-face, with the gloves off.... even a cheap shot in the corner while scrumming for the puck....

What he did seemed vicious and malicious. BC is doing the right thing and letting a jury decide.

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Kurant

He's right.

What Bertuzzi did wasen't a fight, so quit calling it one. It was cheap shot. The guy may never play hockey again. A fine and suspension justifies costing someone they're lively hood and putting his career on the line? It was a shitty, cheap shot tackle. It wasen't a punch, it wasen't a fight. Call it what it was. It was a malacious attempt to do exactly what was done. He tackled, him drove his face/neck into the ice..

So if you work for a trucking company, and some guy that doesn't like you comes and runs your ass down, and you can't return to work, that guy doesn't deserve to have charges pressed? He should just receive a fine, and a suspension, and then everything is great, right? Be real.

I may not agree with pressing criminal charges, but oh well...

silent_jay

It wasn't a punch? You did see the video did you not? If you did then you also saw 4-5 people pile on top of Bertuzzi and Moore. Players from both teams.

Comparing it to being rundown by a truck is a little extreme, I mean for one thing one is a motor vehicle which have laws governing the proper usage of a vehicle and hitting someone is not allowed.

The NHL also has such laws governing things like the Bertuzzi incident, and they are handled with fines and suspensions.

Once again if the law rears it's ugly head in a couple of incidents in hockey then it isn't far away when there will be players being charged on a regular basis, and that will lead to a candy assed style of hockey because no one will want to touch anyone for fear of reprecussions.

I agree 100%, they let the rapists and the murderers run free, but those damn hockey players. I wonder what the cost of the investigation has been so far? Also how much more it will cost for a trial?

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Ace_O_Spades

I swear to god... if this doesn't get dismissed, I will personally find out who the detectives who worked on the case were... go to their homes, and kick them in the balls for being so goddamn retarded

I mean... how many times did they look at the tape? I bet after a while they just stopped watching it, locked themselves in a room, said they were working, and played cards.... or jerked eachother off

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Feh.

Kurant

It's not extreme. And your right, it does have laws.

So does hockey, you can't hit someone, drive his head into the ice, then continue to hit the guy resulting in a broken neck. It's not allowed.

I also said I wasen't sure I agreed with the law getting involved. But, I sure as fuck don't feel sorry for him. I also wasen't sure the suspension was long enough, but that's not the issue.

silent_jay

Exactly hockey does have laws and these laws and the people who enforce them saw fit to suspend him for the remainder of last season, have a meeting on his status for next season and fine him a shitoad of money. What else should be done?

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Kurant

Whatever the NHL feels is sufficent.

If Moore doesn't play hockey again, neither should Bertuzzi. If that's what the NHL feels is right to do, then by all means it's what should be done. That kind of shit is not "part of the game" it's malacious, and I hope it's delt with with extreme penalties. If that means ending his career, just like McSorely, then, buh-bye.

Like I said, I don't feel sorry for his ass. If he gets convicted of assault, oh fucking well.. He should have thought about that before he ended another mans career.

silent_jay

No one has said that Moore's career is over, it might be over, but players have comeback from worse than this before.

Malicious I don't know because you can't blame all the injuries on Bertuzzi, there were those 4-5 other guys falling on top of Moore and that contributed to his head being driven to the ice. Bertuzzi did want to hurt him though I'll agree with that.

Then again when a player goes in for a bodycheck he is usually thinking of hurting the person.

As for Bertuzzi never playing the game again that's just not an option, this incident really wasn't that bad, the media blew the thing out of proportion, there has been worse done in the league with less reprecussions, so his suspension and fine are ok with me.

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