The Song Remains The Same

Three years later, there are two simple facts: Todd Bertuzzi still gets to play in the NHL, and Steve Moore cannot.

March 8, 2004 was the end of a blood feud between the Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche which had been simmering for months. Started when Canucks fourth-liner Brad May took some cheap shots at both Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg of the Avalanche in a February game in Denver, the whole ugly mess ended when Bertuzzi punched Moore from behind, then grabbed him and slammed him head-first into the ice. Moore was carted off the ice on a stretcher, a trail of blood quickly coagulating and freezing into the neutral zone at GM Place as his teammates rushed forth to defend their incapacitated teammate.

In between were festering allegations of headhunting, and the justification for Bertuzzi's actions being revenge for Moore's hit on Markus Naslund, which caused the Canucks' captain to suffer a mild concussion. At the time of the incident, the Avalanche had poured on the hurtin' on the scoreboard, on their way to a 9-2 blitz.

The timing of the hit was curious, in hindsight: It was the final meeting of six that season. In Vancouver. The clubs would not have a chance to meet in the playoffs until a much later round if at all. With the impending threat of a lockout, it could also have been the last meeting of the teams for an indefinite period of time.

The action itself, viewed through any prism you like, was one of the most egregious and atrocious violations of" The Code" that has occurred in NHL history.

First, the tale of the tape: Bertuzzi is shaped more like a block of granite than a man, 6'3", 225 lbs, who looms much larger and hits much harder than those dimensions would indicate. Moore stood 6'2 and weighed 205 lbs. So, the physical advantage goes to #44 in your program.

Next, the process: According to the unwritten Code, if any player wishes to engage a fellow skater in a fight, he must either exchange words face-to-face, or tap his mark on the shoulder. Bertuzzi did neither, first sucker punching Moore from behind, then grabbing him across the shoulders - all without facing his prey. Anyone with a long enough memory who saw the Moore incident also flashed back to February, 2000, when Marty McSorley (then with the Bruins) smacked the blade of his stick full force into Donald Brashear's face from behind on the very same ice - using the excuse that all he wanted to do was tap Brashear on the shoulder as indication he wanted to engage in fisticuffs.

Finally, the injury itself: As Bertuzzi rode the full force and momentum of his body into Moore, the Avs' forward's face struck the ice violently to one side, opening up facial cuts and abrasions from which a steady flow of blood poured forth. The force of the blow knocked Moore unconscious, and the violence with which he was tackled and shoved caused three of his neck vertebrae to fracture, coming dangerously close to paralysis. Moore was only brought into the world of sentience when it was required to stabilize his neck in order to leave the ice and get to the nearest hospital.

The penalty for such a willful, destructive act? 20 games. Bertuzzi was suspended for the remainder of the 2003-2004 regular season, plus the entirety of the Canucks' seven-game opening-round playoff loss to Calgary. The cancelled 2004-2005 season due to the lockout added more pathos to Bertuzzi's situation, as he held a press conference where he finally, tearfully expressed regret for the incident - causing some brave, oxygen-deprived columnists to declare the fact that "Bert" would be cleansed from extra guilt if he had that entire year to sit in the corner alone and think about what he did.

Still, when the NHL resumed play in October, 2005, two facts still remained: Todd Bertuzzi was allowed to continue his career, while Steve Moore was not.

I assure you, Bertuzzi's Kleenex-inducing mea culpa are the only tears that should be shed for either man. For those who view Bertuzzi's act in its proper context, there should be bitterness and righteous anger. Dale Hunter drew a still-record 21-game ban in 1993 for hitting Pierre Turgeon from behind in the closing minutes of the Islanders' playoff series victory over the Washington Capitals. Turgeon suffered a separated shoulder and returned to play at full health the following season for New York. Whether Bertuzzi is truly sorry in the depths of his soul and professes such in private, or whether the tears were semi-genuine and a calculated move is immaterial.

Moore, who only had cups of tea with the Avalanche spread over three seasons, played collegiately at Harvard. With his generous contract, he is able to pour money into his extensive rehabilitation at home in Ontario. With his support system that includes former players, coaches, and his agent, he is able to face every day of his recovery with optimism and determination.

Moreover, he is a graduate of that prestigious Ivy League school with a degree in environmental sciences and public policy. While some may snicker at the major as if it were a dressed-up version of "Rocks for Jocks, " if and when Moore decides to forego his goal of catching on with an NHL club, he will most certainly not be at a disadvantage to continue with a career and a life with those credentials.

The fan in me, which resides firmly in the dark recesses of my mind when putting words on a page, cries for retribution. I am not alone in the opinion, or the certainty that Bertuzzi has not been punished enough. At the time when discussion of the penalty for his actions ran to extremes, I called for his immediate suspension lasting through the end of that season, plus half of whatever season came next. I still stand by that opinion, as it would have given Gary Bettman a proper and fantastic chance to set a new precedent for punishing acts which cause harm to individuals and which denigrate the game itself.

As an avid observer, I would have delighted in an entire six-game slate of blood, guts and gore between Colorado and Vancouver aimed straight for the former 1993 draft pick of the New York Islanders. Scores be damned, the beast within me that watches hockey for its cathartic qualities would have been sated by at least one more brawl in response.

However, the writer and budding professional who attempts to shed light on his subject thanks Chance that the 2004-2005 season was wiped out, preventing either team, and its more excitable players, from wantonly causing chaos and mayhem. The extra year-plus off the ice allowed all the psychic wounds to heal, quelled the need for retribution, and caused those whose careers resumed to focus on bringing the NHL back from the rubble.

Nonetheless, three years later it is still perplexing that the league chooses to equate violence of this kind with the act of fighting. Fighting deals with respect of an opponent, and the honor of defending your teammate by dropping the gloves in a one-on-one situation. The inability of the battle-tested to grapple amongst themselves due to instigator penalties helped cause a random act of violence like Bertuzzi's to happen. There was clearly no respect for an opponent on Bertuzzi's part, and his actions caused life-threatening physical harm to another.

Three years later the song remains the same: Todd Bertuzzi can continue his career, while Steve Moore most likely will not.