INDEPTH: THE BERTUZZI INCIDENTKelly Hrudey's takeCBC Sports Online | Last updated
March 11, 2004
Q: The hot topic this week is obviously Todd Bertuzzi's hit on Steve Moore. Do you agree with the length of Bertuzzi's suspension?
I do. I think initially the punishment might have been more severe
– not that it isn't. Certainly a player of Bertuzzi's calibre
is going to be missed by the Canucks in these final games, but more
importantly in the playoffs where he was such a force last year. After
listening to Colin Campbell and Bill Daly, I think their points were
well taken and obviously a lot of thought went into this suspension.
And you know what? I think it's fair.
Q: Did you watch the game on March 8? What did you think when you saw the hit?
I watched the whole game. Because of the camera angles we had no idea that there was something leading up to it. After watching the replays you could see, for lack of a better term, Bertuzzi was following Moore or stalking him. Moore wasn't interested in getting involved at all and clearly it was a sucker-punch to the side of the head. That shocked most people because we know Todd Bertuzzi is a big guy, an imposing figure, but we've never seen anything like that from him before. And his previous suspension for coming off the bench is different to me because although he was suspended for that also, it wasn't a situation where the players couldn't defend themselves. [Moore] wasn't in a position to defend himself against the shot to the head.
Q: Could this have been prevented somehow? Could Crawford have said something to his players to settle the retaliation? Could the NHL have given more warnings to the teams?
I'm not certain that it could have been prevented. I do agree with the league fining the team $250,000. Because for the next situation like this, where a key player is injured – like Naslund was after Moore hit him during the Feb. 16 game – and there's talk of retribution, that retribution might not happen as much as it did in this situation. Immediately after the game in February, [Vancouver Canucks coach] Marc Crawford was angry; people were angry with Steve Moore. Then, when the Canucks were losing so badly in that last game, it seems as though the teams were on a collision course and there was nothing that was going to stop it.
Q: Since this incident unfolded, the story has been everywhere. Here are two statements that have been a common theme in the media. How do you react to them?
"No wonder the NHL is continuing to slip from a bad fourth in major-league sports popularity and racing toward disappearance next season. It's a league without a clue." (Woody Paige, Denver Post)
That's so typical of a journalist taking a stand without thinking it through. He's a total fool for making a comment like that. Why I feel that way is, I wonder what he said during the playoffs when [Boston Red Sox pitcher] Pedro Martinez threw that 73-year-old coach [Don Zimmer] to the ground. I wonder if he had any comments about the integrity of baseball after that? That seems worse to me.
"Fighting should be banned from hockey, it has ruined the game." (Globe and Mail editorial)
I'll relate this to the Bertuzzi thing – that wasn't a fight. You could ban fighting from hockey, but Todd Bertuzzi could have still punched Moore on the side of the head because that wasn't a fight. That kind of talk has been around forever. I don't think you'll ever ban it. I think it has its proper place in the game. I'm not suggesting we have 10 fights a game, but the fans find the odd fight every once in a while exciting. There is room for it in the game I think.
Q: What about the instigator rule? There has been talk in hockey circles that an incident like this one may not have escalated if that rule was ditched.
I totally agree 100 per cent. It involves this situation, but also others. I know before that rule, so many times the tough guys on the other team would say, "You stay away from our star or I'm going after yours." Just to make a point that not everyone is fair game and you have to back up your actions.
Q: Do you have any examples from your playing days?
Well, there are way too many examples, in a positive way though. One of the guys on the other team might be taking liberties with somebody, for instance when we had Gretzky in L.A. And it wasn't unusual for a guy like Marty McSorley or Jay Miller or Ken Baumgartner to quickly go over to the other bench and put an end to that with just a few words. It didn't even need action because they were allowed to take action if need be. Teams really understood quickly.
You know, a lot of times there's no action taken, but just the threat of it was able to stop the nonsense. That's why I think the rule itself is dumb.
Q: Why do you think the "one-upsmanship" in the NHL is so prevalent? The attitude of you hit my guy, I'll high-stick you, or you high stick my guy, I'll hit you from behind. In football, a star quarterback gets sacked hard by a 350-pound lineman, where the goal of the game is to knock out the other team's star, yet the one-upsmanship doesn't seem so prevalent, and the violence outside of the hard-hitting game is generally not seen. How has this one-upsmanship been instilled in hockey and where do you think it comes from?
That's a tough one. The only answer I could have to that is it's probably how you grow up around the game. That it's all about protection and sticking up for your teammates. On the surface, it's probably more so when you're talking about the star players on your team. But I know because I've been there, that you would be as protective of your sixth defenceman on your team if you felt something inappropriate happened.
Q: What impact do you think this will have on Bertuzzi and his career?
It'll affect him deeply because after his press conference I think it was clear to everybody that he's very remorseful. He's grateful that at least right now Steve Moore looks to be on his way to better health.
I think it's really going to affect Bertuzzi when he comes back. He's the type of guy, who because of his size, really plays with an edge. This may take away a bit of that because it's an emotional game also and he plays with emotion. Just how far to you go until you're close to crossing that line again?
I think that most of us in the hockey world feel for both people, more so for Steve Moore, but certainly for Todd Bertuzzi because that could have been any of us. In fact, we're a hair away from being that person.
Q: Bertuzzi has to apply for re-instatement next year. In hockey forums and call-in shows, some fans have suggested that Bertuzzi shouldn't be allowed to play until Steve Moore is able to play – an eye for an eye justice so to speak. Do you agree or disagree?
I hope that doesn't happen. In this case, I don't think you're serving any purpose if unfortunately Steve Moore can't play again that Todd Bertuzzi can't play again. We've had a few cases before and the one comes to mind was when Matt Johnson punched Jeff Beukeboom, which was eventually the undoing of Beukeboom's career. Johnson is still playing. To make a precedent like that with Bertuzzi, I'm not a big fan of.
Read Kelly Hrudey's commentary online every week at Behind the Mask.
