Should hockey player Todd Bertuzzi face assault charges?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

Bertuzzi was suspended after Monday night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche after an attack that left Avs forward Steve Moore hospitalized with a broken neck. Moore remains in stable condition in a Vancouver hospital and will miss the rest of the season. Bertuzzi was suspended indefinitely. He is in Toronto for the NHL hearing.

British Columbia Solicitor General Rich Coleman and Vancouver police are investigating.

Bertuzzi slugged Moore in the side of the head late in Monday's game, hitting him from behind and driving his head into the ice. Moore landed face-first and lay in a pool of blood for several minutes before he was removed on a stretcher. Bertuzzi has reportedly tried to contact Moore at the hospital.

The Vancouver Police Department said Tuesday it has launched an investigation into the incident, and three investigators are working the case. It could take about a month before a decision is made whether to file charges. The department also said it will treat the incident the same way it treats any case of suspected assault.

Moore suffered a fractured neck, a concussion and deep facial cuts when Bertuzzi struck him during the game. Moore remained hospitalized in Vancouver, Avalanche trainer Pat Karns said, adding that when his condition improves, he will be transferred to Craig Hospital in Denver and evaluated by neurosurgeons. Bertuzzi has been suspended indefinitely from the NHL. His hit was revenge for Moore's hit on Marcus Naslund in a game last month in Denver.

http://www.9news.com/storyfull.aspx?storyid=25305

[Renew Deal]

1. He's a piece of shit.

I love hockey. I love the game, the fights, the history, the tradition. There is no room in the game for that. I hope they suspend him for a year or worse. Fuck him :grr:

[hippiechick]

2. "His hit was revenge for Moore's hit ... last month"

That's hockey ... or any other sport, really.

BTW, I am the one who voted 'no'. What 'Tuzzi did was flagrant and cheap but should be dealt with by the NHL and the Canuck organization, not the local authorities, or any kind of civil suit.

:hippie:

[Feanorcurufinwe]

3. Why is that not premeditated assault?

Checking someone, no matter how violently, in order to win a hockey game is one thing... this is a case of personal revenge, and looking at the video, it would be hard to describe it as 'check'.

[hippiechick]

5. I didn't say it was a 'check' .... or that it wasn't 'revenge' ....

... but it happens in EVERY sport. This week just happens to be hockey's turn to be on the highligt reels at ESPN and CNN.

Let the sanctioning body deal with it and get on with the season.


:hippie:

[Feanorcurufinwe]

6. I didn't say you said either of those things. I asked

why this doesn't qualify as a case of premeditated assault, and I pointed out that it wasn't a case of one player checking another in order to win a game.

[hippiechick]

7. Well, I'm not a lawyer so I can't answer your question.

:eyes:

Perhaps you'd like the NHL to hire lawyers as Refs so that in future cases, charges can be filed during the course of the game ?

Better yet, stick with whatever sport it is you currently follow.


:hippie:

[Feanorcurufinwe]

10. Courts decide guilt, prosecutors bring charges when they believe

they can prove those charges in court. If he's not guilty, that will be determined at trial.


Or should anyone wearing a hockey uniform be immune from prosecution for assault while they are playing a game?


Obviously, though, I and the 97% who agree with me are just rabid anti-hockey zealots. :eyes:

[Bake]

18. It just happens with great regularity in hockey.

Entire basketball games go by without fights. So do football games. When baseball has the occasional fight, the benches clear, players are ejected and fined. Rarely does a hockey game go by wihtout a cheap shot and/or a fight.

You said it yourself: "I love the fights."

I like fights too. It's called boxing. Hockey bores me to tears.

Bake

[youngred]

20. That's flat out untrue

but thanks for playing

[Jack_Dawson]

9. Moore's Hit was CLEAN

The league reviewed it.

[commander bunnypants]

4. It was a cheap shot

DDQM

[Warren Stuart]

8. Expell the bastard

He hit him from behind? The gutless coward.

He should be charged and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. As a public person he is a role model, this is a frightening example for the youth of today.

[Cuban_Liberal]

11. That was a 'hit' as surely as any Mafia hit.

The POS should be arrested, charged with aggravated battery, and held on a HIGH bond.

[Dookus]

14. exactly right

I couldn't get away with doing that on the street. He shouldn't get away with it just cuz he strapped on some skates.

[NorthernSpy]

12. Bertuzzi's actions were despicable and illegal

Bertuzzi's unprovoked, deliberate, and potentially lethal assault upon a man whose back was turned at the time was in no sense a part of normal play, no matter how physical normal play may be. The fact that he committed this assault at a hockey game will NOT excuse failure to charge and prosecute as the law demands.

And whatever happens in court, this absolutely should be the dead end of Bertuzzi's career.


Mary

[NightTrain]

13. I'm not a hockey fan, but...

...I saw the film clip of Bertuzzi beating up on that other guy. It sickened me. OK, so hockey is a violent sport, but come on now...!

[MrSlayer]

15. No, but he should be suspended for a year.

Let the league handle it. We don't need the legal authorities involved.

[joeybee12]

19. Nope, legal authorities are there to handle criminals...and

that he truly is.

[Mrs. Venation]

16. He Should Be Charged

and expelled from the NHL, in my opinion. A black eye is one thing; hitting someone hard enough to break his neck is quite another. I think anyone in professional hockey who resorts to this kind of extreme violence should be criminally charged and banned from the game.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

17. Every bit as bad as McSorley's hit...

It was premeditated. Lawyer on ESPN last night said Bertuzzi should face criminal charges. I think he should sit out the rest of the season and playoffs too.

[Doctor_J]

21. Hockey will remain a niche sport

as long as this kind of crap is tolerated. I absolutely love NHL hockey, and this kind of stuff really sets the game back.