You come up behind someone and hit them in the head and break their neck - shove them to the floor andf bloody their face - all in front of cameras and witnesses.
Why isn't this creep in jail?
Is this sport? Is this the stuff they keep telling me builds character? What a bunch of #*!@.
If he had been hit just a little different or harder he'd be dead. I suppose the'd get a few months probation for that?
This is why I hated the jocks in high school that could smack anyone they wanted around and everybody looked the other way. When one smacked me around I put him in bed for three days and he looked like a truck had run him over when he came back to school. Maybe I saved him from thinking he could do just this kind of crap - 'cause nobody else was teaching him that.
posted on March 10, 2004 10:07:45 AM new
I remember going to a few hockey games in college. As I recall, the reason most people went was to get boozed up and root for the violence. If there wasn't a good fight, it wasn't a good game. Now, it seems just plain stupid.
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posted on March 10, 2004 10:45:32 AM new
Hockey is known as a violent sport but has been trying to clean up their image for years, especially after the McSorley incident. I have a feeling you are going to see charges on this one. a pure retailation hit like this as opposed to a heat of the moment incident is not "part of the game", it's assault.
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If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on March 11, 2004 02:55:41 PM new
He will miss $500,000 of income during his suspension. They should have given him the option of playing but his pay would go to the fellow he hurt.
posted on March 11, 2004 04:07:14 PM new
Gravid, as it is, the guy's going to be in the hospital for a long time recovering from a very serious injury.
Yes, the attacker should be in jail. He says he didn't mean to hurt him, but followed the other guy, sucker punched him, and seriously injured him. Riiiiiiight.
You have the right to an informed opinion -Harlan Ellison
posted on March 11, 2004 07:37:51 PM new
Being from the state of hockey, I support the game with good clean checking and the occasional fight. Fighting being when two square off face to face. What Mr. Burtuzzi did was clearly over the line. I personally would support a life time suspension and would also support criminal charges. I have to admit though, that this is not the worst I have seen on the ice. Just the most televised. Back in the 1970's, a player by the name of Henry Boucha (Bushay) who was playing for the Minnesota North Stars were playing against the Boston Bruins. To make a very long story shorter, one of the Bruins players, Dave Forbes used his stick to hack, and hack away at Boucha's eye, knocking it out and blinding him in that eye. No jail time was spent on this one either. A travisty as far as I am concerned.
posted on March 11, 2004 08:18:59 PM new
I know nothing about sports management, but could there be some kind of a waiver the player signed? Something stating that he knows the game is dangerous, and absolves anyone of responsibility?
If there was such a waiver, would that even stand up in court in a case like this?
I know several pro wrestlers have been seriously hurt, but this only happens in true "accidents", since the fighting is all staged. The wrestlers aren't TRYING to hurt each other... At least in theory.
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We do not stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing -- Anonymous
posted on March 11, 2004 08:58:07 PM new
Replay - Even if such an agreement was in effect your suggestion would imply that it was accidental. This action was cleary premeditated. While I don't think that Bertuzzi meant to inflict the full extent of the injuries he caused to Moore he clearly was trying to punish the guy. I heard a great comment tonight that rather han a one season suspension, he should be suspended for the same period of time that Moore is unable to play which could be forever. I also think he should be criminally charged.
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If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on March 12, 2004 11:00:42 AM new
So there are areas or activities outside the scope of the law? Other than the government's secret wars and prisoners?
posted on March 12, 2004 06:03:28 PM new
stonecold- Wasn't there some kind of change in the rules or stricter penalties put into effect a few years ago? It seemed that for a while there was less fighting!
posted on March 12, 2004 10:32:57 PM new
Stusi,
There were some minor rule changes over the years that were suppose to curb much of the fighting and it did drop some. One other thing that wasn't really publicized much was the General Managers of these clubs were also encouraged to draft more skill players and fewer enforcers or "goons." Even with this event, there is less fighting than lets say 15-20 years ago, just this one major event will over shadow that for years to come. Back then; it was pretty normal to see 3 or 4 fights in every game. Now you might see one a game or every other game. I think it is reported on more now than in the past.
We are blessed this week with the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament. This is gathering of the 16 best teams in the state competing for a championship trophy. It is also some of the most entertaining hockey for a fan to watch. Yes, there are some pretty hard checks thrown, but a lot of great skating and puck passing. We get picked on here for our cold, but no state in the USA sends more players to the NHL than Minnesota. One rule that they do have is if you fight, you are suspended. The length of time eludes me at the moment, but you simply don't see the fighting at those games.
We are also blessed to have the two time defending NCAA champion University of Minnesota Gophers hockey here. If you fight in college, you are kicked out of that game, the team still gets a 5-minute penalty that another player must sit in the penalty box and the player is also suspended for the next game. And that includes playoffs.
Like I said earlier, I do enjoy the face to face fighting, as it is what I grew up with. If it was eliminated, I guess I could live with that as long as the good clean checking didn’t change.
posted on March 13, 2004 09:46:26 PM new
Small update.
The Minnesota State Hockey Tournament this year had 120,092 fans in attendance this year. The quality of play this year was exceptional with great passing, skating, great goaltending, and some not so great goaltending, and yes, some very good hard, but clean checking. Sad thing is the quality of play in these games is often better than you get from the NHL. I guess there are over 120,000 fans that would agree.
posted on March 13, 2004 09:57:30 PM new
I only watch hockey during the winter olympics. NHL hockey is just one big brawl. When I watch hockey, I want to see hockey. Same with other team sports. When I want to see fighting I watch boxing.
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Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but unlike charity, it should end there --Clare Booth Luce
