On The Pond -- The Army NHL Thread

[BuzinBad]

Full Bug wrote:

Nolan is more popular then Marchment I would say.....



Well I am guessing that is because Nolan actually knows how to play hockey! Just a guess. I wish I had the quote but back when Hitchcock was back coaching Dallas he said something like "I love having Marchment on the ice because he can't play and we normally score when he is". And that is back when Marchment was getting death threats in Dallas!

How 'bout them STARS! Watch out Hecubus the Sharks are coming to Dallas and we are red hot with 13 home games without a loss! Getting hot just at the right time. 4 points back could become 2 Sunday. Did anyone else see that ass whipping of the Flames last night?

[Full Bug]

Marchment doesnt get alot of ice time, so there must be something to what your saying BuzinBad.....Hell, I barely hear his name at all during a game.....

[lucky wilbury]

[Full Bug]

Any team that beats the Sens is cool with me, they might be the Leafs biggest rivals this season, for points in the standings anyway......

[Hecubus]

Originally posted by BuzinBad
Full Bug wrote:

Nolan is more popular then Marchment I would say.....



Well I am guessing that is because Nolan actually knows how to play hockey! Just a guess. I wish I had the quote but back when Hitchcock was back coaching Dallas he said something like "I love having Marchment on the ice because he can't play and we normally score when he is". And that is back when Marchment was getting death threats in Dallas!

How 'bout them STARS! Watch out Hecubus the Sharks are coming to Dallas and we are red hot with 13 home games without a loss! Getting hot just at the right time. 4 points back could become 2 Sunday. Did anyone else see that ass whipping of the Flames last night?

Dude, you're more right than you know....
With Sturm down they've got to do some serious shuffling & regrouping. As I type this it is 2-0 Stars in the first......

UGGGGHHH......

[Hecubus]

AND WHAT THE FUCK IS WITH ESPN PRE-EMPTING THE GAME WITH FUCKING TENNIS?!?!?!?

[BuzinBad]

Originally posted by Hecubus
AND WHAT THE FUCK IS WITH ESPN PRE-EMPTING THE GAME WITH FUCKING TENNIS?!?!?!?

And after they put the game on...ESPN was making them say the F'n Tennis score. LIKE ANYONE THAT WATCHES HOCKEY GIVES A DAMN!

I missed the first 2 goals because they were playing tennis. I almost put my head through my TV! Actually had to listen to the game on the radio. My wife killed me when she walked in and saw me watching Tennis and listening to hockey. She said "I am not even going to ask."

Anyway I am sick about Sturm because I like playing teams at their best. Still got 2 games left with you. And after the shit Morrow pulled this next game in San Jose will be interesting.

[Full Bug]

Avs say Moore hit was pre-meditated


VANCOUVER (CP) -- Derek Morris didn't mince words Monday night.

The Colorado defenceman called Todd Bertuzzi's vicious hit from behind on Avalanche rookie Steve Moore a disgusting, pre-meditated act.

"It was disgusting," an angry Morris said. "There's no other word for that.

"I've never seen anything like that in my seven years of playing hockey (in the NHL)."

Late in the third period of Colorado's convincing 9-2 win, Bertuzzi came up behind Moore, grabbed the back of Avalanche player's sweater and delivered a round-house swing with his gloved right hand that struck Moore's head. Moore fell head first to the ice under the weight of Bertuzzi, who came down on top of him at the 8:41 mark.

A pool of blood formed around Moore's head as he lay motionless on the ice. A stretcher was wheeled out and after a delay of nearly 10 minutes the 25-year-old native of Windsor, Ont., was taken off for medical attention.

Moore was conscious and talking to medical staff when he was wheeled off the ice and then taken to hospital.

Morris compared the attack to one in which former Canuck Donald Brashear was clubbed by a stick-swinging Marty McSorley, who was suspended by the NHL and has not played in the league again.

"The Brashear incident was obviously another thing that was bad but this was pre-meditated," Morris said. "This is the worst thing I've seen."

Bad blood between the two teams had been simmering since Moore's hit on Vancouver captain Markus Naslund during a game Feb. 16 in Denver. That resulted in Naslund suffering a concussion that cost him three games.

Moore wasn't penalized for the hit and the league took no action. That was of little solace at the time to Vancouver coach Marc Crawford, who called Moore's hit "a cheap shot by a young kid on a captain, the leading scorer in the league."

Bertuzzi received a 10-minute match penalty for his hit on the Avalanche centre Monday.

Colorado coach Tony Granato was seen screaming at Crawford and had to be restrained at his team's bench.

Granato said after the game Crawford was responsible for the actions of his team during the fight-filled game that drew 156 minutes in penalties, 99 to Vancouver.

"Three or four times we stood our ground like we had to and that thing happened to put an exclamation point on probably what they were trying to accomplish," said Granato. "Something was said on their side. You just don't go out and start fighting for the fun of it.

"I didn't like the body language," Granato said of the Canuck coaching staff. "I didn't like the way the whole thing transpired. There's no need for that, let's face it."

Morris accused Crawford of laughing about the incident.

"The worst thing about it is their coach is over there laughing about it and that just shows the class of that guy," he said.

Naslund said after the game no player wants to see an opponent injured and that Bertuzzi felt awful about the incident.

"Obviously I think we all feel bad about someone getting hurt," Naslund said. "It's a bad feeling when someone gets seriously injured like that.

"Todd feels awful about it and is very sorry. I know it might not mean much right now. As weird as it seems I don't think that was Todd's intentions."

Bertuzzi, who was suspended 10 games two years ago for coming off the bench to join an on-ice fight, was unavailable for comment after the game.

Canuck forward Brad May, who said earlier there was a bounty on Moore for his hit on Naslund, agreed the game got out of hand.

"This game took a life of its own; it shouldn't have," said May who scored both Vancouver goals. "For two-and-a-half to three weeks there's been a lot of talk.

"Not in both lockerooms. That's all I'm going to say."

Colorado captain Joe Sakic said the incident took away from a solid performance by the Avalanche, who lost 7-1 at home the night before to Calgary.

"It was an ugly incident and it really puts a damper on the whole game," said Sakic who had a goal and three assists. "There's payback but that's not payback. That's going overboard.

"And I'm sure Todd feels bad right now about the result. No player wants to see somebody go down like that."
=========================
Did anyone see the way his head bounced off the ice when he went down? Fuckin brutal......
Bertuzzi can kiss the rest of his season goodbye with a suspension, bet on it.....

[Full Bug]

Moore out for season after Bertuzzi hit


By JIM MORRIS -- Canadian Press


VANCOUVER -- Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore, sucker-punched from behind by Canucks star Todd Bertuzzi, will miss the rest of the season with a fractured neck as bad blood led to a bad injury.

Bertuzzi, meanwhile, faces the wrath of the NHL and possibly the police.

Moore, a rookie with modest numbers for the Avs, crashed face first to the ice following Bertuzzi's punch in the third period of Colorado's 9-2 win Monday night.

The Canucks power forward landed on top of Moore, who was targeted because of a hit last month that sidelined Vancouver captain Markus Naslund with a concussion.

Police are investigating the incident, which also left Moore with a concussion. He will remain in hospital in Vancouver "for an indefinite period of time," the Avs said.

"Regardless of the fact that this involves a player in the National Hockey League, this will be a routine assault investigation," said Const. Sarah Bloor, a spokesman for the Vancouver Police.

"Crown counsel will be responsible for making a decision as to whether or not anyone is charged."

Bertuzzi has been suspended pending a hearing with the NHL in Toronto on Wednesday.

The league issued a statement saying executive vice-president Colin Campbell, who handles discipline for the NHL, and Bertuzzi would not comment until a disciplinary decision was reached.

The general managers of both teams held separate news conferences Tuesday. Canucks GM Brian Burke said Bertuzzi had planned to meet the media but was "too distraught to come here today."

"It's been too emotionally difficult for him," he said.

"Right now he's very upset about what happened. In terms of the incident, he's remorseful and relieved that Mr. Moore's injuries at this point appear, that a full recovery should be possible."

Bertuzzi had tried to contact Moore at the hospital, in addition to trying to speak to the Avalanche trainer, Burke said.

The Canucks GM, while wishing Moore "nothing but the best in terms of recovering from this injury," declined comment on the incident himself.

Colorado GM Pierre Lacroix was also guarded.

"We hope as an organization that Steve will recover," Lacroix said, adding more medical tests are planned.

"All I know that his spirit, under the circumstance, is good," Lacroix added.

He avoided offering any more medical information, saying that was best left to doctors.

Lacroix also did not want to talk about a criminal investigation, saying he just wanted his player to get well.

"I don't want to think of anything else," he said.

It was in Vancouver that Marty McSorley, then with the Boston Bruins, was charged with assault after knocking out then-Canuck Donald Brashear with a stick to the head in February 2000.

McSorley, suspended by the NHL for a year, was convicted of assault and given an 18-month conditional discharge.

Moore's injuries are extensive.

"Exams have revealed that Steve sustained a concussion and a cervical injury (neck fracture) and will be out at least for the remainder of the season," head Colorado trainer Pat Karns said in a statement.

"He also suffered deep facial lacerations and abrasions to the forehead, right cheek and upper lip."

As soon as his condition allows it, the 25-year-old from Windsor, Ont., will be transferred to Craig Hospital in Denver, the statement continued.

On a team stacked with stars, Moore is a checking forward who has four goals and seven assists in 57 games this season, 13th in scoring on the Avs. He has 37 penalty minutes.

Bertuzzi is a bona-fide star, a native of Sudbury, Ont., who signed a $27.8-million US four-year contract in October. While known for his big hits -- his hard-hitting checks were featured in a TV commercial for Gatorade -- he usually steers away from fights.

He has 17 goals and 43 assists, second best on the Canucks. He also has 122 penalty minutes.

Bertuzzi was suspended 10 games two years ago for coming off the bench to join an on-ice fight.

But bad blood between Colorado and Vancouver, currently No. 2 and No. 4 in the West, had been simmering since Moore's hit on Naslund during a game Feb. 16 in Denver. Naslund suffered a concussion that cost him three games.

Moore wasn't penalized for the hit and the league took no action.

Vancouver coach Marc Crawford called Moore's hit "a cheap shot by a young kid on a captain, the leading scorer in the league."

The two teams met in Denver on March 3 but there was little action in a 5-5 tie. That changed Monday night as the score became lopsided in Colorado's favour.

Asked how far over the line Bertuzzi's hit was, Colorado coach Tony Granato said: "We have too much to offer in our game for something like this. Does it cross the line? Of course it does."

But Lacroix said the NHL would do the right thing.

"I have full trust they will do the appropriate action."

The Avs GM also said he had not heard from the Canucks.

"I haven't heard from nobody," he said, adding Bertuzzi's agent had made a call to request information.

The Moore injury is the latest black eye for the NHL, following a brawl-filled game last Friday between the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers, which set an NHL record of 419 penalty minutes.

And the league will not be pleased that the Bertuzzi bloodbath tarnished NHL trade deadline day -- normally a dream day for hockey junkies.

"This is not the way we're going to make people love the sport," said Lacroix, who refused to be drawn into further debate.

The Denver Post called the incident "an ugly piece of frontier justice."

"Even with the animosity between Colorado and Vancouver seemingly building by the second, nobody expected it to come to this," said the Rocky Mountain News.

Bertuzzi received a match penalty for his hit on the Avalanche centre Monday.

The two teams don't meet again during the regular season.

Colorado cancelled a planned skate Tuesday morning at GM Place. The team was to fly to Edmonton later in the day for a game Wednesday against the Oilers.
--------------------------------------------------
A broken neck, holy shit, and maybe charges for Todd, he really fucked up.....

[Bob_R]

The Leafs acquired Ron Francis. Can't provide a link or details I'm on my way out the door.

Full Bug is this the Leafs year? Good-bye 1967?

[Va Beach VH Fan]

They've got my vote....

Of course, I said that last year too...

[Full Bug]

Originally posted by EVH FANATIC

Full Bug is this the Leafs year? Good-bye 1967?

Damm I hope so, it sure looks like a better bet then any year I can remember, if they can stay healthy, particularly Eddie B, then they have a good chance I think.....Eddie's somewhat constant back problems worries me quite a bit though, I wish we would have picked up a decent backup goalie.....

[Bob_R]

Originally posted by EVH FANATIC
The Leafs acquired Ron Francis. Can't provide a link or details I'm on my way out the door.

Full Bug is this the Leafs year? Good-bye 1967?

OK, here's some reading material.


Tuesday, March 9, 2004

Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Carolina captain Ron Francis waived his no-trade clause and was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

The 41-year-old Francis, in his 23rd season, ranks fourth in NHL history in career points and second in assists.

The Hurricanes received the Maple Leafs' fourth-round draft pick in 2005.

Francis said Carolina general manager Jim Rutherford began talking to him about waiving his no-trade clause Monday, and he told the team he was willing to consider a move Tuesday morning.

By early afternoon, the deal was done.

"Certainly, they've got a good team and hopefully I can find a little niche to sort of help them out," Francis said. "I certainly know a lot about that organization and I'm looking forward to trying to help them."

In 68 games this season, Francis has 10 goals and 20 assists. In 1,719 career games, he has 546 goals and 1,242 assists.

"It really wasn't important to me what we got," Hurricanes president and general manager Jim Rutherford said. "Quite frankly, if we didn't get anything for Ron Francis at this point to accommodate him ... that would've been fine with me. I told Toronto once Ron had said he would go that I'm not going to hold them up or squeeze them hard on a trade."

Francis is moving to the team he rooted for while growing up.

"Every kid grows up dreaming of playing for them," Francis said of the Leafs.

With the uncertainty surrounding the NHL's labor situation, Francis said he wanted to make a final run at a Stanley Cup.

Toronto is fourth in the Eastern Conference with 86 points. The Maple Leafs also recently acquired Brian Leetch from the New York Rangers, another franchise player, as they prepare a push for the Stanley Cup.

Francis started his career with the Hartford Whalers, before being traded to Pittsburgh in 1991. He played on back-to-back Stanley Cup championship teams with the Penguins.

He returned to his original franchise for the 1998-99 season after the Whalers moved to Raleigh and became the team's captain and elder statesman, known affectionately as "Ronnie Franchise."

He reached the Stanley Cup finals with the Hurricanes in 2002, but Carolina lost to the Detroit Red Wings.

Carolina missed the playoffs last season.

This season, the Hurricanes are 12 points out a playoff spot with 14 games remaining.

Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette said there is no way to know how the team will react to the trade of their captain.

"For the most part, I don't think motivation will be an issue," he said. "It hasn't been all year. I think it's an opportunity for different people to step up. There's some veteran players, there's also some players coming up."

Francis said he will always have fond memories of the Hurricanes' 2002 run to the finals.

"I don't think I've ever seen such a passionate display by sports fans for this team," he said.

[ALinChainz]

NHL Suspends Bertuzzi for Rest of Season

By JOHN WAWROW, AP Sports Writer

TORONTO - Todd Bertuzzi of the Vancouver Canucks (news) was suspended for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs by the NHL on Thursday for attacking Colorado's Steve Moore.



In addition, Bertuzzi's eligibility for next season will be determined by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman before the start of training camp.


The Canucks were also fined $250,000.


"We felt Todd Bertuzzi had given up his right to play the rest of the season," league vice president Colin Campbell said Thursday.


"It was wrong. It wasn't anything else but wrong."


Bertuzzi sat out Wednesday's 1-1 tie with Minnesota and will miss the final 12 games of the regular season, forfeiting at least $500,000. The suspension will amount to a minimum of 17 games if the Canucks make the playoffs and are swept in a first-round series.


Vancouver is fourth in the Western Conference standings. Bertuzzi is the team's second-leading scorer with 17 goals and 43 assists.


The All-Star forward slugged Moore in the side of the head late in Monday night's 9-2 victory by the Avalanche. He hit Moore from behind and drove his head into the ice. Moore landed face-first — with the 245-pound Bertuzzi on top of him — and lay in a pool of blood for several minutes before he was removed on a stretcher.


Moore is out for the season with a broken neck. He also sustained a concussion and deep cuts on his face, and remained hospitalized in Vancouver.


Canucks general manager Brian Burke also scheduled a news conference for later in the day.


The previous longest suspension handed out by the league was 23 games, to Boston's Marty McSorley in February of 2000, and Tampa Bay's Gordie Dwyer in September 2000.


In fining the Canucks, Campbell ruled that while the organization did not encourage or condone Betuzzi's action, the franchise must accept some responsibility.


Both teams had been warned by the league about retaliation for a hit by Moore on Canucks' captain Markus Naslund on Feb. 16. Naslund sustained a concussion and missed three games.


"We believe the Vancouver organization ultimately bears some responsibility ... to moderate the focus of its team. We believe that more could have, and should have, been done," Campbell said in a statement.


Bettman, in ruling next season on Bertuzzi's eligibility, will take into account Moore's health and the progression of his recovery, Campbell said.


The decision comes a day after Bertuzzi had an hour-long hearing at the NHL office in Toronto.


Bertuzzi and Burke returned to Vancouver after attending the hearing. The player met briefly with teammates before addressing reporters.


An emotional Bertuzzi apologized to Moore.

"These comments are for Steve. I had no intention of hurting you," Bertuzzi said Wednesday night, reading a statement before the Canucks played the Wild.

"I feel awful for what transpired," he said.

Bertuzzi spoke with his wife, Julie, agent Pat Morris and members of the Canucks management staff alongside. He choked up three times during his three-minute address.

"To the game of hockey and the fans of Vancouver, for the kids that watch this game, I am truly sorry," Bertuzzi said. "I don't play the game that way. I'm not a mean-spirited person and I'm sorry for what happened."

B.C. Solicitor General Rich Coleman and Vancouver police are investigating the punch, the second time in four years police have looked into an on-ice hit at an NHL game in the city.

"To Steve's family, I'm sorry you had to go through this and I'm sorry again for what happened out there," the right wing said. "I'm relieved to hear that Steve is going to have a full recovery, it means a lot to me to know that's going to happen."

In February 2000, McSorley was charged for hitting then-Vancouver Canuck Donald Brashear with his stick. McSorley was convicted of assault with a weapon, but he received an 18-month conditional discharge, meaning no jail time and no criminal record after probation.

The league suspended him for a year, ending his 17-year NHL career.

When Moore's condition improves, he'll be transferred to Craig Hospital in Denver and evaluated by neurosurgeons, the Avalanche said.

Bertuzzi was an All-Star last season when he was fifth in the league in scoring. This year, he was an All-Star again and has 60 points.

[Full Bug]

Bertuzzi banned for rest of regular season, playoffs

By PIERRE LeBRUN -- Canadian Press

TORONTO -- Like Steve Moore, Vancouver Canucks star Todd Bertuzzi's season is over.

The NHL suspended Bertuzzi for at least the rest of the regular season and the playoffs for his attack on Moore in Vancouver on Monday night.

The sentence mirrors the Colorado rookie's doctor-enforced ban. Thanks to Bertuzzi, his season is also over.

Bertuzzi's "eligibility" for the 2004-05 NHL season will be determined by commissioner Gary Bettman at the start of training camp, the league said.

"No final determination on the total duration of Mr. Bertuzzi's suspension has yet been made," Colin Campbell, the NHL's executive vice-president and director of hockey operations, said in a statement.

Bertuzzi will forfeit at least $501,926.39 US in salary, money the Canucks will pay into the NHL Players' Emergency Assistance Fund. That's some $75,000 more than Moore will make this season.

The incident is also under police investigation.

The Canucks were also fined $250,000, although Campbell said in the statement he believes Vancouver "did nothing to affirmatively encourage Mr. Bertuzzi's actions, and that it in no way condones what transpired."

"We felt they could have done more in this situation to control their players," Campbell told a subsequent news conference.

"We don't feel they took the temperature down," he added.

Moore remains in a Vancouver hospital, recovering from a concussion, facial cuts and chip fractures to two vertebrae. When doctors give the green light, he will be moved to a hospital in Denver.

"Mr. Bertuzzi is forfeiting $500,000 of his salary and he's missing at least the rest of the season and all the playoffs," said NHL executive vice-president Bill Daly, the league's chief legal officer. "And in addition to that, the Vancouver Canucks are paying a significant fine.

"None of that makes Steven Moore able to play today but at least he should, I would think, feel better about the fact that the league is doing what it can to regulate what goes on on the ice and to try to prevent this from happening again."

The Canucks have 12 games left in the regular season, and unlike McSorley's Bruins, are expected to go deep into the playoffs. Bertuzzi had already sat out one game, pending the league's decision.

With four rounds in the playoffs, the post-season ban could amount to a maximum 28 games, making the total a possible 41 games this season alone.

"It's severe," Campbell said. "We dealt with Todd Bertuzzi like we would any other player in this situation. Because Todd Bertuzzi is the impact player he is, the ramifications and severity of this will definitely affect and hurt the Vancouver Canucks' chances of being successful in the playoffs. But we couldn't consider that."

Bettman said he felt the league did what it could to minimize any damage done to the game's image.

"I think ultimately we'll be judged on our response and the message that it sends," Bettman said. "The message that's being sent is this is not a part of our game, it has no place in our game, and it will not be tolerated in our game."

Colorado GM Pierre Lacroix issued a statement following the ruling saying the league "acted with a clear sense of what was fair for all parties involved."

"Steve Moore's complete recovery continues to be our main concern," he added. "At the same time, we will turn our energy and attention towards the remainder of our season and the upcoming playoffs."

The league has adopted the same tack as it did with Marty McSorley, after he knocked out Donald Brashear with a stick to the head in February 2000.

McSorley was banned for the rest of the regular season and playoffs, which turned out to be 23 games since Boston missed the post-season. At a subsequent review that November, the ban was extended to a full year.

This latest ruling came one day after a disciplinary hearing involving Bertuzzi, Vancouver GM Brian Burke and NHL Players' Association officials.

Campbell made the decision last night, informing Burke at 5:30 a.m. Vancouver time. Burke then told Bertuzzi, who had made a tearful televised apology just hours before.

Campbell, the league's disciplinarian, said he was watching the game Monday night -- "10 seconds after it happened on the ice, I made the phone call (to Bettman)."

The first question at the news conference was whether fighting was a problem in the league. Campbell denied it.

While the violence exhibited in the Bertuzzi case is not new to the NHL, the circumstances are different this time. There is a worrying sense of premeditation here, although Bertuzzi has denied intent to injure.

Moore was targeted because of a hit on Canucks captain Markus Naslund in the Feb. 16 game. Naslund, the league's leading scorer at the time, was subsequently sidelined three games with a concussion. The Avs player was not penalized on the play and the league did not take any further action.

The Canucks called it a cheap shot and there was talk of retribution.

The next meeting between the two, a 5-5 tie in Denver on March 3, produced little out of the ordinary. But that changed Monday at GM Place as Moore fought Matt Cooke.

With the game a lost cause -- the Avs won 9-2 -- Bertuzzi grabbed Moore from behind at 8:41 of the third period. He sucker-punched the Avs forward on the side of his head and then landed on top of Moore, driving his head into the ice.

"Mr. Bertuzzi pursued Mr. Moore on the ice, attempting to engage him in a confrontation," Campbell said in the league statement.

"When Mr. Moore declined to engage Mr. Bertuzzi, Mr. Bertuzzi responded by delivering a gloved punch from behind to the side of Mr. Moore's head, rendering him unconscious. Upon falling to the ice, Mr. Moore suffered additional serious injuries.

Bertuzzi's troubles are not over. Vancouver police, who charged McSorley with assault, are investigating the Moore hit.

McSorley was convicted of assault with a weapon and given an 18-month conditional discharge.

Unlike McSorley, Bertuzzi is not an enforcer. He is a bona-fide star, albeit one with an occasional nasty streak.

He is the highest-paid Canuck at $6.8 million US. Moore, in contrast, is a fringe player who makes $425,000.

Bertuzzi has 17 goals, 43 assists and 122 penalty minutes in 69 games this season. He has played 1,449 minutes and ranks 22nd in the league in scoring.

Moore has five goals, seven assists and 27 penalty minutes in 57 games. He has played 746 minutes and ranks 408th in league scoring.

On Wednesday night, a tearful Bertuzzi apologized to Moore.

"I had no intention of hurting you and I feel awful for what transpired."

He also apologized to his GM, owner and teammates.

"To the fans of hockey and the fans of Vancouver, to the kids that watch this game, I'm truly sorry. I don't play the game that way. I'm not a mean-spirited person."

Perhaps, but Bertuzzi's actions have shoved a league with financial and labour problems under a harsh spotlight.

The Globe and Mail's lead editorial Thursday called for a ban on fighting in the NHL.

Across the page, Globe columnist Jeffrey Simpson -- who normally comments on affairs of state -- called the NHL "the worst-organized professional league in North America, maybe the world."

The headline above the column was "Hockey is so sick it needs to sit out a season."

In another editorial Thursday, the Denver Post said Bertuzzi should be thrown out of the game.

"The league should ban Bertuzzi for life from any association with professional hockey, much as Major League Baseball did with Pete Rose for gambling, a far less serious offence."

The Post also canvassed legal experts on whether Moore had grounds for a lawsuit against Bertuzzi.

Colorado defeated the Oilers 3-2 in overtime in Edmonton on Wednesday night, the Avs' first game since the Moore injury.

The team "promised Steve a win, and we got it for him," said star forward Paul Kariya.
===============
Looks good on him.....Tears or not, he deserved that much at least....