Tuesday, March 09, 2004
...AND YOU WILL KNOW HIM BY THE TRAIL OF BLOOD
The page where I read up on all my Canuck material refreshed a lot sooner than usual today, probably as a direct result of the Todd Bertuzzi incident. Five of Vancouver's hockey columnists all were put into print this morning.
-- From Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun:
The Vancouver Canucks not only sent a message to their lame-duck general manager Monday, they sent one to the rest of the National Hockey League.
The message? The team, as constituted, can no longer be considered a Stanley Cup contender.
In their biggest test to date, and with first place in their division on the line, the Canucks were humiliated 9-2 by a Colorado Avalanche team that was supposedly coming apart at the seams.
[...]
The Canucks' big line of Naslund, Bertuzzi and Brendan Morrison failed miserably to get the job done when the game was on the line. Bertuzzi was minus-3 with no shots in the first period. Naslund and Morrison were both minus-2 in the first and were shotless as well.
-- From Gordon McIntyre of the Vancouver Province:
"We all feel bad about a fellow player getting hurt," Markus Naslund said. "It's a bad feeling to see someone get seriously injured like that."
The captain said he spoke to Bertuzzi after the game.
"Todd feels awful, he's very sorry. I know it might not mean much right now, but as weird as it seems, I don't think that was Todd's intent.
"He obviously gave him a sucker-punch, but he feels really awful about it right now."
Brad May, whose two goals and two fights with Avs giant Peter Worrell were lost in the blood-letting and final score, defended his buddy Bertuzzi's motives.
"Think what you want, but Todd Berutzzi is a good man," May said. "He tried to do the right thing, without a doubt the right thing.
"It went sour."
[...]
Avs defenceman Derek Morris didn't hide his feelings.
"It's the cheapest thing I've ever seen," he said. "It's fine if you want to jump a guy straight on, but you don't punch a guy from behind."
-- From Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Province:
In an incident more sickening than the dangerous blind-side hit three weeks ago that incited it, Canucks' Todd Bertuzzi knocked out Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore with a sucker-punch Monday in the third period of Vancouver's 9-2 disaster.
The gloved right hook, revenge for Moore's reckless shoulder to the head against Canuck captain Markus Naslund on Feb. 16, left the 25-year-old Avalanche player unconscious and bleeding profusely.
[...]
[Moore] appeared to be unconscious Monday by the time he fell face-first on to the ice with Bertuzzi on his back. His condition was serious enough that players from both teams soon ceased other altercations, allowing medical staff to attend Moore.
Both Avalanche trainers and Canuck medical trainer Mike Burnstein rushed to Moore, and a doctor and stretcher were quickly summoned. Moore was carried from the ice, his head and spine immobilized. The Avalanche reported only that Moore was conscious as he left the ice. He spent the night in hospital.
-- From Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province:
Tony Granato was very pointed in his comments following the Monday night's shenanigans between his Colorado Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks.
Very pointed, seemingly, at Canuck coach Marc Crawford.
[...]
"It's a division game, a game for first place, a game where a team was up 5-0 and obviously something was said on their side to instigate, to initiate, the physical part of it," said Granato.
"When we're up 5-0, there's no need for us to get involved in something like that. Three or four times, we stood our ground like we had to and then that [Bertuzzi] thing happened and it put an exclamation mark on what they were trying to accomplish.
"Something was said on their side to provoke that. I don't think you go out and start fighting for the fun of it and having your goalie [Johan Hedberg] challenge the other goalie [David Aebischer] from centre ice [during the Bertuzzi-Moore melee]."
-- From Gary Kingston of the Vancouver Sun:
When the Avalanche buried the Canucks with a five-goal first-period outburst, Vancouver spent much of the rest of the game apparently trying to collect on the "bounty" Brad May had put on Moore.
[...]
"I didn't appreciate it and I'm going to stand up for my players," said [Avalanche coach] Granato, who had calmed considerably after the game. "He's responsible for their players and their actions. I didn't like the body language, the way he was standing there with ..."
He stopped himself at that point but Colorado defenceman Derek Morris spoke his piece.
"The worst thing about it is that their coach is over there laughing about it," said Morris. "That just shows the class of that guy."
Morris said he lost considerable respect for Bertuzzi.
"It was disgusting," said Morris. "There's no other word for that. I haven't seen something like that in my seven years in hockey. The Brashear incident [then Canuck Donald Brasher (sic) being whacked on the head by Marty McSorely's (sic, again) stick], but this was pre-meditated.
"I can understand them challenging a guy, but a premeditated act like that is unacceptable. Their coach laughing about it is just as bad."
Oh yeah, I stayed up late and saw the hit. Yikes. It was absolutely vicious. Unfortunately, this won't be something easily forgotten, as the Canucks face Colorado six times every year. It also won't be forgotten because Todd Bertuzzi, though quite big and strong, will be even more of a marked man the next time he steps out onto the ice, regardless of what team the Canucks are playing that night.
[Edit ~9:25a -- I'm a sick man, even in this situation, I couldn't resist a musical reference. If you hadn't noticed already, look at the headline, and then look around here.]
[Edit ~9:50a -- Even more thoughts from Off-Wing Opinion...
From Vancouver Canucks Op Ed...
There are many good things we could say about our team - and even many good things could be said about Bertuzzi himself in another conversation - but not right now. Because right now we just don't care. Last night Bertuzzi accomplished something that years of bad teams never could: he sunk our team pride.
The worst thing in all of this is most definitely what has happened to Steve Moore. We just pray that he is going to be okay (*we've heard nothing at this point). But Todd Bertuzzi hurt more than Steve Moore on Monday night; we also felt that punch in our own way, and we're not proud Canuck fans today.
From Canucks Corner:
This kind of incident is impossible for the team to ignore. Never mind the near psychopathic lack of respect for his fellow player. Consider the selfishness he displayed. Talk about taking a great season and tanking it! His teammates were counting on Todd Bertuzzi, hockey player, in the wars ahead and he's let them down.
He made the league look bad, he made the city look bad, he made his team look bad, and he made himself look... Well, words fail.]
-- From Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun:
The Vancouver Canucks not only sent a message to their lame-duck general manager Monday, they sent one to the rest of the National Hockey League.
The message? The team, as constituted, can no longer be considered a Stanley Cup contender.
In their biggest test to date, and with first place in their division on the line, the Canucks were humiliated 9-2 by a Colorado Avalanche team that was supposedly coming apart at the seams.
[...]
The Canucks' big line of Naslund, Bertuzzi and Brendan Morrison failed miserably to get the job done when the game was on the line. Bertuzzi was minus-3 with no shots in the first period. Naslund and Morrison were both minus-2 in the first and were shotless as well.
-- From Gordon McIntyre of the Vancouver Province:
"We all feel bad about a fellow player getting hurt," Markus Naslund said. "It's a bad feeling to see someone get seriously injured like that."
The captain said he spoke to Bertuzzi after the game.
"Todd feels awful, he's very sorry. I know it might not mean much right now, but as weird as it seems, I don't think that was Todd's intent.
"He obviously gave him a sucker-punch, but he feels really awful about it right now."
Brad May, whose two goals and two fights with Avs giant Peter Worrell were lost in the blood-letting and final score, defended his buddy Bertuzzi's motives.
"Think what you want, but Todd Berutzzi is a good man," May said. "He tried to do the right thing, without a doubt the right thing.
"It went sour."
[...]
Avs defenceman Derek Morris didn't hide his feelings.
"It's the cheapest thing I've ever seen," he said. "It's fine if you want to jump a guy straight on, but you don't punch a guy from behind."
-- From Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Province:
In an incident more sickening than the dangerous blind-side hit three weeks ago that incited it, Canucks' Todd Bertuzzi knocked out Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore with a sucker-punch Monday in the third period of Vancouver's 9-2 disaster.
The gloved right hook, revenge for Moore's reckless shoulder to the head against Canuck captain Markus Naslund on Feb. 16, left the 25-year-old Avalanche player unconscious and bleeding profusely.
[...]
[Moore] appeared to be unconscious Monday by the time he fell face-first on to the ice with Bertuzzi on his back. His condition was serious enough that players from both teams soon ceased other altercations, allowing medical staff to attend Moore.
Both Avalanche trainers and Canuck medical trainer Mike Burnstein rushed to Moore, and a doctor and stretcher were quickly summoned. Moore was carried from the ice, his head and spine immobilized. The Avalanche reported only that Moore was conscious as he left the ice. He spent the night in hospital.
-- From Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province:
Tony Granato was very pointed in his comments following the Monday night's shenanigans between his Colorado Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks.
Very pointed, seemingly, at Canuck coach Marc Crawford.
[...]
"It's a division game, a game for first place, a game where a team was up 5-0 and obviously something was said on their side to instigate, to initiate, the physical part of it," said Granato.
"When we're up 5-0, there's no need for us to get involved in something like that. Three or four times, we stood our ground like we had to and then that [Bertuzzi] thing happened and it put an exclamation mark on what they were trying to accomplish.
"Something was said on their side to provoke that. I don't think you go out and start fighting for the fun of it and having your goalie [Johan Hedberg] challenge the other goalie [David Aebischer] from centre ice [during the Bertuzzi-Moore melee]."
-- From Gary Kingston of the Vancouver Sun:
When the Avalanche buried the Canucks with a five-goal first-period outburst, Vancouver spent much of the rest of the game apparently trying to collect on the "bounty" Brad May had put on Moore.
[...]
"I didn't appreciate it and I'm going to stand up for my players," said [Avalanche coach] Granato, who had calmed considerably after the game. "He's responsible for their players and their actions. I didn't like the body language, the way he was standing there with ..."
He stopped himself at that point but Colorado defenceman Derek Morris spoke his piece.
"The worst thing about it is that their coach is over there laughing about it," said Morris. "That just shows the class of that guy."
Morris said he lost considerable respect for Bertuzzi.
"It was disgusting," said Morris. "There's no other word for that. I haven't seen something like that in my seven years in hockey. The Brashear incident [then Canuck Donald Brasher (sic) being whacked on the head by Marty McSorely's (sic, again) stick], but this was pre-meditated.
"I can understand them challenging a guy, but a premeditated act like that is unacceptable. Their coach laughing about it is just as bad."
Oh yeah, I stayed up late and saw the hit. Yikes. It was absolutely vicious. Unfortunately, this won't be something easily forgotten, as the Canucks face Colorado six times every year. It also won't be forgotten because Todd Bertuzzi, though quite big and strong, will be even more of a marked man the next time he steps out onto the ice, regardless of what team the Canucks are playing that night.
[Edit ~9:25a -- I'm a sick man, even in this situation, I couldn't resist a musical reference. If you hadn't noticed already, look at the headline, and then look around here.]
[Edit ~9:50a -- Even more thoughts from Off-Wing Opinion...
From Vancouver Canucks Op Ed...
There are many good things we could say about our team - and even many good things could be said about Bertuzzi himself in another conversation - but not right now. Because right now we just don't care. Last night Bertuzzi accomplished something that years of bad teams never could: he sunk our team pride.
The worst thing in all of this is most definitely what has happened to Steve Moore. We just pray that he is going to be okay (*we've heard nothing at this point). But Todd Bertuzzi hurt more than Steve Moore on Monday night; we also felt that punch in our own way, and we're not proud Canuck fans today.
From Canucks Corner:
This kind of incident is impossible for the team to ignore. Never mind the near psychopathic lack of respect for his fellow player. Consider the selfishness he displayed. Talk about taking a great season and tanking it! His teammates were counting on Todd Bertuzzi, hockey player, in the wars ahead and he's let them down.
He made the league look bad, he made the city look bad, he made his team look bad, and he made himself look... Well, words fail.]
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