INDEPTH: THE BERTUZZI INCIDENTPlaying
on the edgeBY KEN WOLFF | Posted March
12, 2004
Walk through the doors of any arena in the country.
Stand at the back of the stands and observe what's happening on the
ice.
The game can involve seven-year-old boys who are learning how to
skate, teenage girls who are out for the fun of it, or adults who
are playing in the beer leagues. We love the neat passing plays
and the artful moves, but what we adore, what we applaud at arenas
across the country, is called intensity.
We are the hockey nation that never gives up. We know that even
on those days when the opposition may show more skill, our guys
will come through because they're willing to sacrifice all for the
victory. That's what we expect -- no, demand -- of Canadian hockey
players.
It's always been that way. Rocket Richard was one of the games
greatest scorers, the first to notch 50 goals in 50 games. He was
also a ferocious fighter who once chased an opponent across the
ice, picked up a stick and whacked him across the back. He then
flattened the referee with a single punch. He's idolized across
this country.
Then, of course, there's Gordie Howe, who played for five decades
and broke every record that existed. In a day when hockey was unquestionably
tough, Howe stood out. It was a regular occurrence for him to score
a goal, tally an assist and get into a fight, all in the same game.
It became the "Gordie Howe Hat Trick.”
When Brian Burke, the general manger of the Vancouver Canucks,
launched his passionate defence of Todd Bertuzzi, he reminded the
hockey world that the qualities that make Bertuzzi a star are the
qualities that world admires, respects, and even idolizes.
NHL scouts and GMs are constantly in search of the player who will
battle adversity and still come up the winner. As Burke says, they'll
look under every rock to find that player. Bertuzzi is that player.
Hockey is not a nice, pretty game. It's mean and it's nasty. There
are moments of brilliant passes and miraculous shots that can challenge
the artistry of an NBA star, but the game is won in the corners
when two big strong men battle to take control.
These players are all about passion, resolve and the hockey code.
You don't wear visors because you don't show weakness. You don't
back down when challenged, and you defend your teammate when he's
the victim of a cheap shot.
We reward people who play on the edge because that's what we expect
of them.
Then they go too far. Todd Bertuzzi goads Steve Moore into a fight.
Moore denies the challenge. Bertuzzi slugs his unsuspecting opponent
from behind. He doesn't drop his gloves or allow a fair response.
It's a senseless act of brutality.
Our hockey nation is wounded. We can't believe such a crime can
happen and we cry out at anyone who dares to suggest its part of
the game.
In a few weeks the playoffs will begin and millions of Canadians
will tune in to watch every moment. But when it's over there will
be celebrations and praise for the victors, the players who showed
the greatest intensity.
Ken Wolff is a producer with CBC News and has lived the life of a hockey dad for more than a decade. His column appears on CBC Sports Online every Friday.
