The Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore incident (also called the incident Steve Moore , incident Todd Bertuzzi , and Bertuzzi-Moore incident ) was a highly controversial event in the ice hockey that occurred during the National Hockey League (NHL) match between Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche on March 8, 2004. In the first period, Steve Moore fought Vancouver player Matt Cooke and served a 5-minute penalty for the battle. The Landslide will continue to build a great lead in a game full of struggles. At the end of the third period, Todd Bertuzzi was sent to the ice. After failing to incite Moore for the fight, Bertuzzi slid after Moore, grabbed his uniform and punched him in the back of his head, knocking him unconscious. Bertuzzi landed on him, driving Moore's first face to the ice followed by Moore team mate Andrei Nikolishin and teammate Seu Pronger. Moore was knocked out and lying motionless for ten minutes before being carried on a stretcher. The combination of punch, fall, and buildup has resulted in three broken neck bones, facial cuts and concussions. The incident ended Moore's professional hockey career, and resulted in allegations of criminal assault on the Bertuzzi, and a civil suit against Bertuzzi and the Canucks. On August 19, 2014, reported civil proceedings ended with all parties agreeing to a secret settlement.
Video Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore incident
Background and prelude
On February 16, 2004, during a match between Vancouver and Colorado, Avalanche Steve Moore injured Canucks team captain Markus NÃÆ'¤slund by hitting his head hard while NÃÆ'¤slund grabbed a piece in front of him. NÃÆ'¤slund, top scorer in the league at the time, suffered a mild concussion and chip bone at his elbow as a result of the blow, knocking him out of the lineup for three games. Referee Dan Marouelli did not call a penalty, ruling out a legal decision, a joint assessment by the league after further review after the match.
Canucks head coach Marc Crawford publicly criticized the non-infringement call, claiming that Marouelli and his partner, Rob Martell, need to show "respect" to the league's top scorer. Vancouver president and general manager Brian Burke, the former league disciplinary president, described the game as "a marginal player chasing a superstar with a headbreak". Some Canucks players also vocal against Moore in the media. In particular, forward Brad May issued a "gift" to Moore, while Bertuzzi called it "a piece of shit." NÃÆ'¤slund missed three games as a result of the hit and returned in time for the next match between the Canucks and Landslide on March 3. With the NHL commissioner Gary Bettman present, the contest was played with a 5-5 tie without incident.
Maps Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore incident
Incident
In a rematch five days later, the Canucks were more active in the physical pursuit of Moore. In one of four fights in the first period, Canucks forward Matt Cooke battled Moore six minutes into the game. At the first interval, with the score already 5-0 for Colorado, NHL executive vice president Colin Campbell and inauguration director Andy Van Hellemond placed a phone call to the two referees who oversaw the match to discuss the potential for physical improvement. With Colorado leading 8-2 in the middle of the third period, Bertuzzi started following Moore around the ice, trying to provoke him into another fight. With Moore ignoring it, the Bertuzzi grabs Moore's jersey from behind and punches it in the jaw, then falls over Moore as he descends. Bertuzzi, as well as several other players from both teams, landed on top of Moore after he fell into the ice. A fighting line erupted, involving all the remaining skaters on the ice. Canucks fans initially cheered on Bertuzzi's action believing that Moore had come for what had happened two previous matches, but as the battle subsided and it became clear that Moore was badly wounded, the arena became silent.
After lying on the ice for about 10 minutes, Moore was removed from the surface of the play by a stretcher. With eight minutes remaining in the third period, Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix reportedly asked the referee to end the match. The contest is still played with Avalanche winning 9-2. Moore was taken to the Vancouver General Hospital and then transferred to a Denver hospital, where he was treated for three broken vertebrae in his neck, a third-grade concussion, damage to the vertebral ligament, brachial plexus nerve stretch, and facial laceration. He also suffers from amnesia.
Two days after the incident, Bertuzzi scheduled a press conference where he cried and apologized to Moore and his family, as well as Burke, Canucks owner John McCaw, Jr., the Canucks organization, his teammates, and fans. He added, "For the kids watching this game, I'm really sorry, I'm not playing a game like that, and I'm not a cruel man."
Disciplinary reactions and actions
NHL
Bertuzzi is judged a match penalty and is expelled from the game. As per the league rules, he was also suspended indefinitely pending from Bettman. On the morning of his apology, he attended a disciplinary hearing with NHL officials in Toronto, along with his agents Pat Morris and Brian Burke. The next day, on March 11, 2004, the league decided he would remain suspended at least the remainder of the Canucks' season, which eventually made him spend the last 13 games of the regular season plus seven playoff games. The Canucks were also fined $ 250,000. While the next NHL season was suspended due to a 2004-05 lockout, many players went abroad to play in Europe. After learning that Bertuzzi intend to do the same, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) extended its NHL suspension to cover their jurisdiction. He, however, participated with other NHL players in a December 2004 charity game, held in Vancouver. The game is hosted by Brad May in partnership with Vancouver Giants, a junior club in the Western Hockey League (WHL), and raising funds for Canuck Place, a Canucks-sponsored Vancouver Children's Home. Bertuzzi receives a standing ovation from the bestselling crowd.
Although the NHL lockout has not been completed between the league and the players, Bettman is scheduling a healing session for Bertuzzi on 26 April 2005. The session was attended separately by Bertuzzi and Moore. After the official lockout ends and the NHL is set to continue playing for the 2005-06 season, Bettman announces the reappointment of Bertuzzi on August 8, arguing that "Mr. Bertuzzi ha [d] paid a very significant price for his behavior," adding that he feels Bertuzzi " really sorry and sorry. " Bertuzzi's 17-month suspension caused him to lose a total of 20 games - the fourth longest suspension in NHL history at the time. The suspension accounted for $ 501,926.39 in charred wages, and about $ 350,000 in lost support. Bettman also cites "Uncertainty, anxiety, stress and emotional pain for the Bertuzzi family" resulting from suspension as an excuse for his recovery.
IIHF
Releasing the statement on December 17, 2004, IIHF described Bertuzzi's actions as "a very serious violation of rules" that made "sport worse". The decision is based on IIHF legislation that allows it to ban any player from playing internationally if he is considered "harming the best interests" of hockey. Suspended by NHL and IIHF, Bertuzzi remained professionally inactive during the 2004-05 season. The IIHF sanctions also made it impossible to represent Canada at the 2004 and 2005 World Championships, as well as the 2004 World Cup.
On the day of re-appointment, Canada's executive director Wayne Gretzky offered Bertuzzi a place in the national team's summer orientation camp in preparation for the 2006 Winter Olympics. A week later, Bertuzzi broke the public silence for 17 months by admitting his mistake and expressed a desire to continue his life. He said, "I'm sure exactly like Steve Moore and his family, it's hard for both sides, I know I hope that day never happened.This has been several times difficult, but I have a good family and good friends and good friends. colleagues in the league who have helped me overcome the hump and move forward and come through it. "
Legal action and lawsuit
Original 2005 - 2008 lawsuit
Beyond the suspension of NHL and IIHF, legal action was taken against Bertuzzi in the provincial courts of British Columbia and Ontario, as well as in Colorado state court. After a four-month investigation, the criminal justice branch of the British Columbia Attorney General announced on 24 June 2004 he was formally charged with an attack that caused physical harm. With the indictment, Bertuzzi faces a sentence of one and a half years in prison. A few months later, on December 22, Bertuzzi pleaded guilty to the allegations of the attack after arranging a plea bargain with the prosecutor. He was given a parole that required 80 hours of community service and a one-year probation that also prohibited him from playing in every hockey game played by Moore. Under Canadian law, successful completion of his trial period from Bertuzzi precludes him from criminal records. Moore expressed disappointment at Bertuzzi's release and was annoyed that he could not attend the trial date, having to issue a written victim statement instead. Moore's lawyer, Tim Danson, was notified one day from the date of the trial following Bertuzzi's plea bargain, which he said was not enough time for Moore to go to Vancouver.
On February 17, 2005, Moore filed suit in Colorado court against Bertuzzi. Also mentioned in the lawsuit were many individuals within the Canucks organization, including Brad May (Bertuzzi's teammate at the time quoted saying that there would be a "definite price on Moore's head" after Moore's hit on NÃÆ'¤slund), Brian Burke, Marc Crawford, Canucks as a whole and the Sports and Entertainment Company owned Orca Bay team. The lawsuit was issued in October 2005, as Colorado judges decided the case was more suitable for Canadian courts, as Moore and all the defendants were Canadian citizens. Planning to appeal the decision, Danson declared openly the following month that Moore had started skating and doing regular exercise, but continued to experience symptoms related to concussions.
On February 16, 2006, the day of Bertuzzi's first Olympic Games with the Canadian Team, Moore filed another lawsuit in Ontario High Court against Bertuzzi, Canucks, and Orca Bay, seeking CAD $ 15 million in damages for lost income, CAD $ 1 million for worsened damage, and CAD $ 2 million for damages. Moore's parents, who watched their son on television when the attack occurred, also sued, looking for CAD $ 1.5 million for "neglecting to ignore nervous shock and mental stress". Moore's lawyer filed a lawsuit one day before the end of the two-year term, denying a link between the time and participation of Bertuzzi at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
In December 2006, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and lieutenant Bill Daly facilitated a meeting between Moore's representatives and the defendants in the hope of agreeing to an out-of-court settlement. As the trial continues until next year, Danson cripples a secret letter to Bertuzzi's lawyer, Geoffrey Adair, as a public document. The letter revealed that in July 2006 Adair asked Danson at a meeting whether Moore would accept a $ 1 million CAD settlement; Danson indicated that the numbers were not enough. The letter also revealed that Bertuzzi and Orca Bay then offered a combined solution of CAD $ 350,000 in a December 2006 meeting with Bettman a few months later, a number Danson described as an insult.
During the process of finding the lawsuit, Danson asked the Ontario judge to cancel the official transfer of the CAD $ 1.2 million house in Kitchener, Ontario, to his wife, which occurred five weeks after his action against Moore. It is said that the transfer was intended to "make the creditor evidence of Bertuzzi as much as possible." Meanwhile, Adair expressed his concern about a leaked letter between him and Danson that interfered with the possibility of a fair trial. In December 2007, Moore further altered the lawsuit, seeking an increase of CAD $ 35 million for lost income and CAD $ 3.5 million for the suffering of his parents.
In the same month, the Ontario High Court released a statement relating to the lawsuit in which Bertuzzi testified that Crawford should be blamed for his actions against Moore, a charge backed by Canucks general manager Dave Nonis, who was then director of hockey operations for the club.. Bertuzzi claimed that Crawford told the players during the second break of the March 8 game that Moore needed to "pay the price" for a previous blow against NÃÆ'¤slund. The statement submitted from Danson further stated that Crawford had pointed the name and number of Moore on board in the Canucks locker room during the break, calling on the players to take action. The Canucks officially dismisses the claims of both parties, saying "There has never been any Vancouver Canucks organization or management and employees, including former Mr. Crawford trainer, encouraging or promoting incidents that occur between Todd Bertuzzi and Steve Moore."
In lieu of the allegations against Crawford, Bertuzzi filed a third-party complaint against his former coach on March 3, 2008. He stated that he was contractually obliged to obey Crawford and that the trainer should be personally liable for any legal damages that Moore might suffer. given in court. In response, Crawford officially declared that the Bertuzzi acted in "direct disobedience" to an order from the bench to get off the ice before attacking Moore. The lawsuit was settled between the two in July 2011, although details about the agreement remain undisclosed to Danson and Moore. The following year, the court decision required details of the settlement to be disclosed as part of the Moore-Bertuzzi trial.
2011 lawsuit
Five years after filing Ontario's suit, Danson told reporters in March 2011 that to fully measure the extent of Moore's injuries, the case has not worked. At the time, he was not working and was still experiencing headaches. After several delays, in October 2013 it was announced that the trial date for the trial between Steve Moore and the Canucks/Bertuzzi will be September 8, 2014. On July 2, 2014, during Steve Moore's first appearance in a civil trial, he further corrected the lawsuit, loss of $ 68 million, up from CAD $ 38 million. On August 19, 2014, it was announced that an out-of-court settlement had been reached in the Steve Moore lawsuit. The completion terms are confidential.
Aftermath
On August 8, 2005, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that Bertuzzi would be allowed to play again at the start of the 2005-06 NHL season. In the league's decision, he cited many reasons for ending the suspension, such as:
- Bertuzzi serves a 20-game halt, which at that time is tied for the longest 4th in NHL history (13 regular-season matches, 7 playoffs)
- Bertuzzi's attempts repeatedly to apologize to Moore in private
- Bertuzzi's charred salary ($ 501,926.39)
- Loss of support (about $ 350,000.00, both figures in United States dollars)
- Uncertainty, anxiety, stress and significant emotional pain caused by the Bertuzzi family
- The commissioner's conviction that Bertuzzi really regretted and apologized for his actions
On August 12, 2005, Brian Burke, a former Vancouver general manager who now serves in the same capacity as Anaheim Ducks, has made an offer to Moore. It was a two-way contract that would pay Moore $ 475,000 in the NHL and $ 75,000 if the player was suitable for Portland, an American Hockey League Ducks affiliate. Moore's lawyer Tim Danson objected that Moore was considered a minor league player by Burke. Danson also described the offer as a self-serving effort to reduce potential legal damage, saying that Moore was not medically cleared for hockey and described it as adding insult to injury.
Bertuzzi was inactive in 2004-05 due to an ongoing lockout of players and suspensions, which have been internationally extended, Bertuzzi returned to the Canucks in 2005-06, when the league ended its play ban. He recorded 25 goals and 71 points, including two hat tricks (13 November 2005, against Detroit Red Wings and January 14, 2006, against New York Islanders). Although he ranks third in the team's assessment, Crawford has recalled that at the end of the season, NÃÆ'¤slund and Bertuzzi have been eclipsed by Daniel and Henrik Sedin as team offensive leaders.
There is speculation that the effects of the Steve Moore incident, which include allegations of assault and constant media coverage, negatively affect the game. While on the road, he is consistently booed and booed by fans all over the NHL. NÃÆ'¤slund, a close friend of Bertuzzi, later expressed sympathy for him, said in an interview in 2008, "It still bugs me what Todd has to go through... There's no question he's standing for me... it's all gone too far."
Beyond the negative impact on individual Bertuzzi games, the media speculated that the fallout from the Moore incident has been a nuisance to the organization as a whole. By complicating the situation in Vancouver, the Canucks have missed the playoffs for the first time in four years. Thus, general manager Dave Nonis spends time out of season making significant changes to the Canucks arrangement. On June 23, 2006, he traded the Bertuzzi to the Florida Panthers, along with Alex Auld and defenseman Bryan Allen, in exchange for Roberto Luongo, defenseman Luká? KrajÃÆ'? Ek and the sixth selection in the 2006 NHL Sign In Draft (Sergei Shirokov). After seven and a half seasons with the Canucks, Bertuzzi left the seventh-ranked club of all time among the leaders scoring with 449 points.
See also
- Richard Riot
- Donald Brashear - Marty McSorley Incident
- Violence in ice hockey
- National Hockey League Lessons
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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