First- the apology. This event had all the earmarks of a PR firm. From the spiffy suit (the one he'll wear in court?), to the beautiful, trophy wife standing stoically beside him to the tearful remarks the whole thing was a staged event to try to engender sympathy for the perpetrator. "I didn't mean to hurt Moore", excuse me, his ONLY intent was to hurt him - just not to the degree it happened. Bertuzzi is one of the biggest and strongest players in the league. He put everything into the punch. It was like a heavyweight boxer hitting somone. "I'm not a mean-spirited player" - hello, Todd - your whole personality is built on being surly, vindictive and mean. A hard man who likes to dish out punishment and who carries the swagger of being mad at the world with him wherever he goes. Having said that, I really believe he was crying and was apologetic and is sorry for what he did. But, is he really more concerned for Moore, or for the deep, deep shit he has landed himself and his teammates in and the loss of millions? Why didn't he speak after the event? Moore had the guts to fave the media after the hit on Naslund. Bertuzzi hid in the trainer's room and was spirited away by Canucks staff. Why didn't he say anything the next day? Sorry, Todd - the victim is Moore and hockey - not you.
The supension - for the NHL it was stiff, but the NHL lives in a dream world where they think the problems of the game come down to the size of goalie pads, not their culture of acceptance of thuggery.
I've just listened to Brian Burke give a statement and words fail me. The stunning stupidity of his comments and the blindness to his and Crawford's responsibilty, as well as Bertuzzi's are mind-boggling. He, as usual blames the media for the whole situation. The man is a moron, and it's easy to see how Bertuzzi thought what he did was acceptable in this environment.
The supension - for the NHL it was stiff, but the NHL lives in a dream world where they think the problems of the game come down to the size of goalie pads, not their culture of acceptance of thuggery.
I've just listened to Brian Burke give a statement and words fail me. The stunning stupidity of his comments and the blindness to his and Crawford's responsibilty, as well as Bertuzzi's are mind-boggling. He, as usual blames the media for the whole situation. The man is a moron, and it's easy to see how Bertuzzi thought what he did was acceptable in this environment.