Should Todd Bertuzzi been banned for life?

[Devonator]

Nope....but it was a terrible result....

 

[Langdon Alger]

Way to paint everyone with a brush!

I never said everyone felt that way. What I’m saying is some people said those things. I don’t agree with them, but Moore was shown very little respect by some people.

 

[Machinehead]

You can justify defending him however you want, but whatever rationalization you use doesn't mean that what Bertuzzi did is "ordinary". The entire context of the incident, from the legal hit on Naslund, to the bounty put on his head by Brad May, to the game where nothing happened because Bettman/Campbell were there, to the fact that Bertuzzi tried to force Moore to fight for a second time in the game, to the actual sucker punch from behind, makes it "extraordinary".

Not really defending Bertuzzi, just don't think he should be banned for life which is the question at hand.

I've never known sucker punches to be rare events in hockey.

 

[HansonBro]

Care to share some examples of guys who have done worse and got nothing?

Here’s my feeling on the matter. Emotions ran too high. I understand Canucks fans, players and coaches were livid over Moore’s hit. They were also angry there was no penalty called. That’s fair, but it went way too far.

They should have beat the **** out of moore the way Darren McCarty beat the **** out of Claude Lemieux in retaliation for the hit on Draper.

Moore fought Cooke early in the game. End it there. No reason for Bertuzzi to go after him. Also no reason for Moore to be on the ice in a blowout game. Bad move by Granato.

Bertuzzi made a big mistake. He knows it, and had to pay for it. It’s on him. People make bad decisions in life sometimes, but it’s over and he can’t change it.

As for the original question (banned for life) I don’t think it would have happened. He was too high profile a player at the time. I guess I would say I wouldn’t mind if he was since I thought the incident was horrific and the injury to Moore was extremely severe.

It’s a shame it happened. I wish it hadn’t.

Not my battle, but here ya go. Pretty sure Hunter didnt get arrested either


Do we need to post McSorely?

 

[Langdon Alger]

Not really defending Bertuzzi, just don't think he should be banned for life which is the question at hand.

I've never known sucker punches to be rare events in hockey.

That one was though. He sucker punched him in the back of the head and drove him into the ice. That is not an ordinary occurrence like a sucker punch to the face. See the Scott Walker Aaron Ward incident for instance. That’s a bit more common.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Not my battle, but here ya go. Pretty sure Hunter didnt get arrested either


Do we need to post McSorely?

Hunter got suspended for a long time for that.

I’d like someone to give an example of a player that did something worse than Bertuzzi who got no punishment, like the post I was replying to said.

 

[Legionnaire]

If he should have been banned for life, then so should have Byfuglien.



Don't care for punishing based on the extent of the injury rather than the action

Except, in this case, he should have been knighted because it was Corey Perry.

 

[Bertuzzzi44]

Punches like that happen often in hockey, it’s unfortunate that it caused a freak injury. Bertuzzi took soo much heat for that incident that it psychologically changed the player. He became tentative and fragile (as a player became a shadow of his former self). In his prime he was a Beast! The guy faced the media on a weekly basis for nearly a year during the lockout apologizing about the incident and wanting to move on, the lengthy and severe civil suit just got resolved. Bertuzzi paid his dues and then some. As Cherry used to say.. Todd Bertuzzi, What a Beauty.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Punches like that happen often in hockey, it’s unfortunate that it caused a freak injury. Bertuzzi took soo much heat for that incident; it mentally changed the player, he became tentative and fragile (as a player was a shadow his former self). In his prime he was a Beast! Todd Bertuzzi, what a Beauty.

Yes, who would have thought punching someone in the back of the head and driving that players head into the ice would cause a person to get hurt? Freak injury right?

 

[Claypool]

Not a chance.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

Please elaborate where I suggested Moore didn't deserve asecond chance. For Pete's sake, I even said Bertuzzi made a terrible decision, I wasn't defending what he did in even the slightest way possible.

Why does Bertuzzi deserve a second chance, while Moore isn't capable of having the same chance due to Bertuzzi's decisions? Shouldn't the punishment fit the crime? Or does saying sorry make up for permanently injuring someone, altering their life forever, and ending their NHL career?

 

[mccabe2424]

Nope he did his time for the crime get over it

 

[Oddbob]

Why does Bertuzzi deserve a second chance, while Moore isn't capable of having the same chance due to Bertuzzi's decisions? Shouldn't the punishment fit the crime? Or does saying sorry make up for permanently injuring someone, altering their life forever, and ending their NHL career?

Why can't someone get a second chance? Criminals get a billion chances, and we are talking about a one off bad decision that he regretted. Also, Bertuzzi is retired, so isn't getting any more chances anymore. If you accidentally paralyze someone in a car accident, do you deserved life in prison? You permanently altered someone else's life?

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

Yea. No bias here whatsoever.

Guess you skipped the entire 80s and 90s.

No, I watched most of the 80s and 90s. There were a lot of fights and hard hits and dangerous plays, but there was also a code to how these things were handled. I don't remember guys getting stalked up the ice and assaulted from behind by a guy 40 lbs heavier because they refused a second fight in the game. Any chance you can provide evidence of this type of thing happening regularly in the 80s or 90s?

 

[HansonBro]

Not sure why I’m even bothering with you. If you think a slash on the hand with a bad result is worse than what Bertuzzi did, you’re not worth talking to.

Yeah its called assault with a weapon. Ask McSorely

 

[FissionFire]

Scott Neidermayer took a two-handed swing with with his stick across Peter Worrell’s head but lucky didn’t injure him. I’d say that’s worse than what Bertuzzi did. Should Neidermayer have been banned for life?

Scott Stevens made it a habit of targeting players heads with vicious, blindsided hits. Should he have been banned for life?

Nazem Kadri has intentionally and viciously cross-checked a player in the face/head three times now I believe? Should he be banned for life?

Dale Hunter gave Pierre Turgeon a blinded elbow to the head WELL after the play was dead and Turgeon scored a goal. Should he be banned for life?

My point is the league is full of player who have done as bad or worse than Bertuzzi but we’re lucky the results weren’t as horrible. I can’t justify banning one player due to results when others commuting more dangerous and reckless actions get a pass.

 

[FissionFire]

Yeah its called assault with a weapon. Ask McSorely

McSorely was a two-handed baseball swing to Brashear’s head. That’s a far cry from a slash to the hands.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

Why can't someone get a second chance? Criminals get a billion chances, and we are talking about a one off bad decision that he regretted. Also, Bertuzzi is retired, so isn't getting any more chances anymore. If you accidentally paralyze someone in a car accident, do you deserved life in prison? You permanently altered someone else's life?

I'm pretty sure that if I purposefully drove my car into someone and paralyzed them, I'd lose my license for longer than Bertuzzi was suspended.

 

[Brownies]

McSorley on Brashear and a few other « incidents » around that time were just as disgusting if not more. I’m just glad it’s much less violent these days. I don’t think Bertuzzi really deserved more in those days, that was before the league started taking player safety and head injury seriously.

 

[Oddbob]

I'm pretty sure that if I purposefully drove my car into someone and paralyzed them, I'd lose my license for longer than Bertuzzi was suspended.

I didn't say purposely, I said accidentally?

 

[Seras]

Just watched a 15 year anniversary video of the Steve Moore incident and feel like I have stronger feelings on this than I ever have. Bertuzzi crossed the line, committed a violent and premeditated assault that cost Moore a potential career and a quality of life for his remaining years, and got a slap on the wrists. Bertuzzi should have been banned from the NHL for the rest of his life.

Do you agree?

Of course you have stronger feelings now, society as a whole was different 15 years ago. You can do this for anything in history if you go back far enough.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

Not really defending Bertuzzi, just don't think he should be banned for life which is the question at hand.

I've never known sucker punches to be rare events in hockey.

I don't know that he should have been banned for life, but 13 games + 7 playoff games was pitifully inadequate.

And, the sucker punch wasn't the rare part of the event. The publicized bounty, and the game with Bettmen + Campbell in attendance with no incidents, and the trying to force a guy into a second fight, and the stalking him up the ice to sucker punch him from behind when he refused are the rare parts.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

I didn't say purposely, I said accidentally?

What Bertuzzi did to Moore wasn't accidental, so I don't know how that's relevant. Or are you suggesting Bertuzzi accidentally challenged Moore to a 2nd fight in the game, accidentally stalked him up the ice, and accidentally sucker punched him in the side of the head? The outcome might not have been intentional, but the actions leading up to the injury absolutely were.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Why can't someone get a second chance? Criminals get a billion chances, and we are talking about a one off bad decision that he regretted. Also, Bertuzzi is retired, so isn't getting any more chances anymore. If you accidentally paralyze someone in a car accident, do you deserved life in prison? You permanently altered someone else's life?

Real quick- criminals do not get a billion chances. They often don't get a chance, singular, never mind multiple chances.

Anyways, shouldn't have been banned for life, but he shoulda gotten at least half a season. The NHL kinda botched that whole thing with the lockout and all, Bert only ended up getting 20 games and for an assault that broke a dude's neck.. shoulda been half a season at least.

 

[Reality Check]

The bigger question is why did everyone blame Bertuzzi while allowing Marc Crawford to skate on by.

You know...the same guy who looked like his head was about to explode while Scott Bowman just smiled and laughed at him during the '97 playoffs.