Bert's suspension

[glasgow ghirl]

My bets in at 25 plus games ... they will definately be making an example out of him.
What pisses me off about this whole thing is they are making it look like it was premeditated so they can charge Bert... aren't all hits, fights premeditated.
What happens in the league should be handled by the league, there was no weapon used ie his stick.

 

[Jinky]

I doubt that even this league is stupid enough to eliminate Boothtuzzi from possibly being involved in a massively hyped play-off series versus the Aves.

I say he gets the rest of the season off to rest up and think about what he did. The 10 games he sat out 2 years ago was a turning point in his career. Fans wanted him traded for LeCavalier because he had let the team down. He rebounded by becoming the best power forward in the game.

 

[Red Forever]

Although most people do agree that what he did was wrong, alot of people are saying what Bert does not deserve this treatment.
I do think alot of people are looking at this through the eyes of Canuck fans. What if that was Forsberg that fractured say Cooke's neck? Would everyone still be saying we should lay off the guy?

I do agree that the cops have no business in this and the NHL must police itself. Thats why I think Bert will get the book thrown at him, the league has to stand up and show people that players WILL be punished for this type of thing.

I do wish though he would face the press and apologise for his act. The longer he goes without saying sorry the worse he looks. At least McSorley came out right away and apologised.

 

[djones]

Why does it matter who it is?

If Forsberg did it to Cooke, I'd want him deported. Who commits the offense shouldn't ever enter the equation. It was a criminal offense.

 

[Regs]

Why does it matter who it is?

If Forsberg did it to Cooke, I'd want him deported. Who commits the offense shouldn't ever enter the equation. It was a criminal offense.

Did you say the same thing when Domi suckered Ulf?

~Regs.

 

[zenga]

Or took Niedermayers head off with his elbow!

 

[Keeper]

Two points to consider:

1. I don't understand why the moment at which his neck broke is so important. Whether or not it was when everyone dog-piled on him it broke is irrelevant to the cause of the incident. Namely, Bertuzzi's actions. Period.

It could've just as well happened if the paramedics dropped him while loading him into the ambulance. It still doesn't matter. Bertuzzi put him Moore in a dangerous situation by knocking him out. But did he mean to knock him out? Probably not, but he had to consider the possibility that it may happen. As a result any consequence of that initial action should be the sole responsibility of Bertuzzi.

Even if he dies under the scalpel.

2. Why does it matter what 'weapon' the action was committed with? The intent to injure is the same. Marty's whack with a stick had exactly the same intent and resulting damage that Bertuzzi's fist had. Why should they be treated differently?

All things being equal, if you kill someone with a gun, and I kill strangle someone with my hands, should you receive a larger sentence because you used a bullet?

--

That said, I believe Ballbaby has hit the nail on the head regarding the suspension. The media attention necessitates a heavy, heavy punishment. Reconsidering my initial knee-jerk reaction, I say 20+.

 

[Gaffa]

I think the biggest issue is the fact the league have 'tape' of Bert telling the world that this guy was gonna get 'sorted' for what he did to Nasland. This is what makes the situation unique from all others before it. The apparent premeditation will be what gets severely punished. Burke and Bert will have to convince Campbell that those original comments were somehow purely cathartic rhetoric. I don't think they have a cat in hells chance of pulling that off.

If I were the league I'd suspend him indefinately, but reinstate him some time during the play-offs. Leaving Bert in limbo as it were would really make him reflect on his actions although I don't think he needs to do much of that. He knows what he's done.

He made a terrible mistake. He'll pay for it in many ways. As a Canucks fan I for one will forgive but not forget. He'll need all the support he can get in the days, weeks and months ahead. We all make mistakes. Some worse than others, I grant you...but that's just what it was. A terrible mistake.

Certain quarters of the Vancouver media have got to be some of the most shameful, bottom dwelling scum I have ever listened too.

As far as the legal ramification goes. I think the VPD will put the investigation together and send the file to the Attouney Generals office for review before they charge him. The AG may well dismiss it under the grounds of pressidance. If they charge him they are gonna get complaints from every Tom, Dick and Harry who gets punched during a hockey game and the VPD will be obliged in investigate them all. Thats simply not in the publics interest.

 

[Hands of Stone]

If I were the league I'd suspend him indefinately, but reinstate him some time during the play-offs. Leaving Bert in limbo as it were would really make him reflect on his actions although I don't think he needs to do much of that. He knows what he's done.

It sounds like you want to send him to his room to think about what he has done, and not come out until then.

The league does not work this way, you are suspended for a certain number of games or months, but not until they think he has learned his lesson.
I think it could go either way, the rest of the season and play-offs, or just the rest of season and a few play-off games. Either way, I don't think, this decision is going to the one that determines how the Nucks do in the play-offs. That decision was made when Bert attacked Moore.
In fact the Nucks might be better off with-out Bert for the rest of the season and play-offs, so they don't have to deal with the side-show, that will or would occur with him returning from suspension in the play-offs.

It may be better if he is just gone, and not a distraction.

hos

 

[NO2]

7:00pm pacific time, big bert will address the media, 54 the score!!

 

[Hands of Stone]

Here is a good one, before this News Conference takes place in 10 minutes or so.
Todd will get up infront of all the media and tell them all how sorry he is, then will go onto to tell them, that no matter how long the suspension is that he gets, he will not be back playing hockey this season, play-offs or not. Now I know that it would suck for the Nucks, but it might be the only way for him to save face, and Colin Cambell might be giving him this oppertunity before the suspension is put forward in the morning. Just a thought, all would look a lot better, the NHL, Nucks, and Todd. Just a thought, we will see soon enough.

I personally hope he is back playing for the Nucks in the play-offs.

hos

Well it didn't happen, but it looks like the guy has lost 30 lbs. in tears over the last 2 days, he is now only 200lbs.
A little joke on such a serious situation.
Insert Justin Timberlake song.

 

[Ballbaby]

HOS,


You make some valid points but everytime I look at your avatar, I cannot take you seriously. Actually even without the avatar, I cannot take you seriously. Carry on then.

 

[Regs]

Which JT song?



~Regs.

 

[NO2]

Should be interesting tomorrow morning. I personally don't see this act as half as bad as the McSorely/Brashear incident. A glove-on-punch and a stick to the head aren't even in the same ballpark. For some reason, I have a feeling that the league would disagree, and the suspension will be huge.

On a side note, Greg Sandsoney or whatever that punks name is, from the score is an absolute idiot.

No2

 

[Yoda]

Anyone see his tearful apology on the news tonight.

I think he's genuinly sorry. But it won't help his suspension.

 

[LucVanLierde]

Should be interesting tomorrow morning. I personally don't see this act as half as bad as the McSorely/Brashear incident. A glove-on-punch and a stick to the head aren't even in the same ballpark. For some reason, I have a feeling that the league would disagree, and the suspension will be huge.

On a side note, Greg Sandsoney or whatever that punks name is, from the score is an absolute idiot.

No2

I agree, Sansoney sounds like he is Steve Moores Dad. I have just realized that it is near impossible to FRACTURE(not break) 2 vertebrea from a punch in the side of the head. The fracture is most likely the result of crushing, 4 200lb hockey players jumping on top of moore. Anyways my point is this; Moores hit on naslund left him with 7 stitches and a concussion, Berts punch on Moore left him with 7 stitches and a concussion. I still put most of the blame on Granato for having him on the ice after the score reached 9-2 and no real retibution had been delivered, but I think we have to go back and think how in the name of God Moore wasnt penalized for his cheap hit on Naslund. Those refs left it up to a player to deliver the punishment. I also don't think Bert intended on totally knocking out moore, if he hadn't moore would have had his hands out and well who knows.
I would like to BREAK Greg Sansoneys neck.

 

[sensei_hanson]

....and guess who added another notch to the injury bedpost last night - Bryan Marchment. He hammers Ritchie into the boards on a hit from behind and breaks the kid's clavicle in the process. He got a 5-minute major and a game misconduct so the zebras knew full well the intent of the hit. At the end of the game, you still had one guy getting tossed for pulling a dangerous and reckless move on a fellow player who didn't see it coming. And the victim ending up in the hospital with injuries sustained from the hit. Sound familiar? Oh yeah, the Toronto-Florida game was a blowout at the time of the Marchment hit as well. 5-buzz.

Now here you've got a perfect example of a guy who has made a career (unlike Bertuzzi, if you conclude that the Moore incident was an isolated event) out of doing cheap, never-saw-it-coming type moves on unsuspecting opponents. The hospital tab Marchment has rung up over the past 10 years is far more staggering than anything presented in this current scenario. In fact, most of Marchment's hits contain the same problems we all have with the Bertuzzi sucker punch: they attack unsuspecting/defenseless players, they attack them in vulnerable positions, they intend to injure.

 

[Team Canada]

Good points there. There's no question in my mind that Moore's fractured vertebrea were from the dogpile, but a good point was made in saying that the whole incident could have been avoided had Tuzzi not cracked him one in the first place. When you're getting smoked in what was supposed to be a huge game already, and with everyone already gunning at Moore as it was, I'm sure that frustration just got the best of Bertuzzi, and that was the result of the frustration, I don't think there was any premeditation or intent to injure, and he seems to be genuinely sorry. But I think any suspension he'll get he's deserving of, no matter what his intent was. If you want to take revenge on a player then line him up, drop the shoulder on him and call it a day. Sucker punching someone from behind is the worst thing he could have done. I predict he'll get 15 games.

 

[djones]

Bert faces the media

I watched it and I think he was honestly sorry but... I kinda think he should have prepared something before he went up to the mike. Does that sound bad? It's not meant to be.

I think if I took that long to face the media, I would have more to say - including the statement "I was wrong! It will never happen again".

I think Bert has a problem with the media because I don't think he's that articulate of a person. The media hounds him with, at times, minor details and I don't think he's figured out the 'media' game. They want a quote and if you give them the 'standard', they (the media) will go away. If you give them the tantrum they'll keep coming back for more. He has a tendency to give the tantrum or the 'attitude'. Now, he'll be hounded and will have to answer for this for the rest of his playing days.

Tom Barrasso went through this same media relationship in Pittsburgh. As valuable as he was to the Penguins, they hated him and he hated them. He'd throw tantrums and attitude and the media would hound him just to take the piss. It got real ugly when his daughter got sick. He never figured out the media game either.

As stupid as McSorley was, he was always smart enough to figure out the media and faced the music quickly and thoughtfully by apologizing and admitting that he was not only sorry but that his actions were wrong.

 

[NO2]

NO SPINAL CHORD INJURY, steve should be walking tomorrow, and back in denver by the weekend. Wow, the medias great aint it!!!