Hockey violence
brings suspension
by Katie Johnson
sports editor

   Todd Bertuzzi may hold a record in NHL history after this season.
   After his pre-meditated hit on Colorado Avalanche’s Steve Moore, Bertuzzi was suspended for the remainder of the season.
   If the Vancouver Canucks make it to the play-offs, Bertuzzi will hold the record for the longest suspension in NHL history.
   In addition, he has to apply for reinstatement to the league next year. Investigations are continuing to decide whether criminal charges will be filed.
   Not since the Tanya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan debacle has such a violent scandal rocked the sports world.
   And with the exception of hard-core Canucks fans, hockey fans seem to be in agreement: this kind of maliciousness has no place in the rink.
   But the question still remains whether criminal charges should be placed. Does vindictiveness in the rink warrant penalties from outside forces?
   In the Harding/Kerrigan incident, the answer was yes. However, that was several years ago and involved circumstances quite different from Bertuzzi’s.
   Loyalty is an important factor in sports; teams stick together. That fact will not and should not change.
   Hockey, especially, is known for its fighting and “pay-back” hits. Generally speaking, these incidents are considered part of the game and not given much thought.
   This time, though, a line has been crossed. In Bertuzzi’s case, criminal charges should be filed because if he had attacked Moore outside of the rink, there would be no question; he would have been arrested.
   And motives are not the question here because no matter how much Canucks’ fans try to deny it, Bertuzzi was obviously in for revenge.
   Will Bertuzzi receive his due? No one can say for sure. For years, celebrities and athletes have been given more lenient consequences because of the stature they held in society. With the Martha Stewart conviction, such favoritism seems to be slowly dissipating.
   The trials involving steroid use will make the final call about athletes being held responsible for their less-than-ethical actions.
   Bertuzzi will have to pay the penalty, and it should involve criminal charges. Not necessarily jail time, but rather community service—something to show Bertuzzi a lesson in paybacks.
   That scenario still leaves officials with the decision of whether to allow Bertuzzi to play next season.
   The way to decide is simple: when Moore is physically able to return to the NHL (regardless of whether he chooses to or not), Bertuzzi should be allowed back. If that is next season, Bertuzzi can play next season; if Moore can never play again, then Bertuzzi should have to face the consequences as well.
In a completely different arena, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was fined more than $10,000 for his inappropriate comments following the March 5 game against the Spurs.
   Since buying the Mavs four years ago, Cuban has been fined more than $1 million by the NBA.
   Cuban also has a new reality TV show coming out in which he will give $1 million to the winner.
   Perhaps he should consider investing a little money into a speechwriter.
   And, in March, no true sports writer can leave out the NCAA finals, so here is my mention of it.
   However, I won’t be doing the predicting; you will.
   Send me your opinion at katielee.johnson@dl.tccd.edu and in next week’s column we’ll see the overall TCC pick and compare notes.