Background edit
On February 16, 2004, the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Colorado Avalanche 1-0 in a National Hockey League (NHL) game held at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. Partway through the game, Steve Moore of the Avalanche collided with and injured Vancouver captain Markus Näslund. No penalty was called on the ice, a decision that angered Canucks coach Marc Crawford.[1] Näslund, who exited the game bleeding midway through the second period, was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a concussion that would keep him out of Vancouver's lineup for at least one week.[2]
Näslund missed three games due to the injury, but when he returned to play for the Canucks, the told the Vancouver Sun that he was not interested in targeting Moore in future games and was more focused on winning.[3]
Incident edit
The Canucks next played the Avalanche on their home ice, Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada, on March 8, 2004.[4] It was the last of six scheduled meetings between Vancouver and Colorado during the 2003–04 NHL season before the 2004 Stanley Cup playoffs began.[5] Six minutes into the first period, Moore initiated a fight with Matt Cooke, the first official hockey fight of his NHL career, and the two men battled to a draw.[6]
Reactions and disciplinary action edit
National Hockey League edit
International Ice Hockey Federation edit
Despite his indefinite suspension from the NHL, several European ice hockey teams displayed an interest in acquiring Bertuzzi for the 2004-05 season.[7] On December 17, 2004, however, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) barred Bertuzzi from playing ice hockey in Europe until his court case was resolved.[8] The IIHF, the governing body of ice hockey outside of North America, referred to Bertuzzi's hit as "an extremely serious violation of the rules" that put the "sport into disrepute", and they acted in accordance with a statute that bans players whose participation would be considered "detrimental to the best interest of the sport".[9]
Legal action edit
Original lawsuit edit
2011 lawsuit edit
Aftermath edit
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Cloutier makes 23 saves in history". ESPN. Associated Press. February 17, 2004. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ "Hockey: Naslund Out a Least a Week". The New York Times. Associated Press. February 18, 2004. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ MacIntyre, Iain (March 2, 2004). "Two points Nazzy goal, not revenge". Vancouver Sun. p. E1. Retrieved January 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Moore hit from behind, knocked out". ESPN. Associated Press. March 9, 2004. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ McIntyre, Gordon (March 2, 2004). "Clash of the titans". The Province. p. A50. Retrieved January 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ McIndoe, Sean (2018). The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL: The World's Most Beautiful Sport, The World's Most Ridiculous League. Toronto, ON: Vintage Canada. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-7352-7391-7. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ "Canuck Bertuzzi Barred From Playing in Europe". Los Angeles Times. December 18, 2004. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ "Also, IIHF bans Canucks star from European play". ESPN. Associated Press. December 17, 2004. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ "Notebook: IIHF rules Bertuzzi can't play in Europe". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. December 18, 2004. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
