No doubt what Todd Bertuzzi did when he sucker punched Steve Moore from behind can be classified as nothing more than a stupid and moronic instance of rage. To say this was the worst act of violence in hockey or sports is a quick dismissal of history and all the ugly and violent acts it carries. Bertuzzi erred in his judgment on how he sought to extract revenge on Steve Moore for his actions in a February 16th game when the Vancouver Canucks were in Colorado to play the Avalanche. In that game the NHL's leading scorer at the time, Markus Naslund, was reaching for a puck at centre ice. At the same time Colorado Avalanche rookie Steve Moore got a beat on the loose puck, chipped it away and then proceeded to deliver an elbow/shoulder to the head of Naslund, resulting in the Canucks captain hitting the ice face first that left him with a nasty gash and concussion. No penalty was called on the play and the NHL declined to suspend Moore. This was the first impetuous that trouble would later follow.

	The results of Moore's hit are clearly shown on Naslund's face.

The NHL's leading scorer and arguably best offensive player was knocked out with a deliberate head shot by a rookie playing on the checking line and the NHL doesn't see a problem with it? I cannot even fathom the extent of outrage that would follow if Allen Iverson was knocked out of action with a deliberate cheap shot by Dan Dickau or Milt Palacio or if Alex Rodriguez was bean balled by a rookie pitcher trying to make a name for himself. The NHL should have delivered swift justice to Steve Moore by a suspension or fine that got a message across that head hunting a superstar would not be tolerated. Instead the NHL did nothing and the Vancouver Canucks felt compelled to deliver their own form of vigilante justice. Let me be clear: I don't side with what Bertuzzi did. While I understand he was sticking up for his good friend and linemate, hitting a player from behind like he did was plain wrong. He tried to pick a fight with Moore who declined and Bertuzzi simply grew frustrated and we all saw how he acted out his frustration.

The North American media has jumped all over the story and has sensationalized a story that didn't need it. The media has tried to depict the story as a David & Goliath tale with a much bigger Bertuzzi attacking a younger and smaller Moore. It's done in an attempt to cast a greater shadow on the villain and greater sympathy for the victim. Every story you hear about Bertuzzi his weight continues to fluctuate. He starts off as 235lbs but after a weeks worth of stories his weight has ballooned to 275lbs. Meanwhile Moore continues to grow younger and younger by the story. He went from being a 25 year-old to being quoted as a fresh-faced 19 year-old straight out of school. The greatest harm done by this story from a media standpoint is the effect it has on the average U.S. audience. Hockey is a distant fourth on the sports radar behind the likes of baseball, football & basketball and has also likely fallen behind golf and NASCAR in popularity. The only time the NHL grabs front-page headlines in the U.S. is for an incident like this. This incident helps perpetuate the NHL getting cast in a stereotypical light of being a barbaric and violent sport that only Canadians gravitate to. It's impossible for the NHL to grow in popularity and land a big TV deal in the U.S. if only the lowest and darkest moments of the sport are shown.

	Lacroix came to the defense of his own player's actions against Kris Draper.

Another interesting angle to the whole story has been the reaction of Avalanche GM Pierre Lacroix and head coach Tony Granato. Both have publicly commented that this incident is the worst they have ever seen. I find it interesting only for that fact that in 1996 when then Avs player Claude Lemieux cross checked Kris Draper of the Red Wings face first into the boards, Lacroix was very adamant to jump to the defense of his player, even though his player refused to apologize for his actions. In 1994 Tony Granato displayed a truly sickening act of violence and sheer stupidity when he was a player for the L.A. Kings and he proceeded to deliver a wicked two handed chop with his stick across the head of Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Neil Wilkinson. The incident left Wilkinson convulsing on the ice and Granato with a 15-game suspension. I guess it's much easier to judge then to remember and learn from your own past transgressions.

Bertuzzi has been made an example by the league. The NHL has reacted to heavy media coverage, an increasing trend of tough payback and the fact that Steve Moore's injuries have resulted in a fractured neck, although the initial reaction and condemnation of Bertuzzi were made when it was believed Moore had a broken neck and would have trouble walking again. I'm fine with the suspension that Bertuzzi got as long as this is the de facto standard for judging all future suspensions by the league. By suspending Bertuzzi for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs, the league has delivered a severe penalty for his actions. If the Canucks make it to the Stanley Cup Finals that penalty could be as harsh as suspending Bertuzzi for 41 games. When Matt Johnson sucker punched Jeff Beukeboom from behind and ended his career he was suspended for 12 games, so to say suspending Betuzzi for the length of time they did is anything more then setting a precedent is wrong. Plus the league has left the door open to suspend Bertuzzi for even longer by having Gary Bettman preside over whether or not to reinstate him before next season. I'm sure that decision will be heavily tied to the medical progress Steve Moore has made over the summer. It is clear that the league has set an example to judge all others by. So are we safe to assume that all future incidents will see a player's suspension tied to the injuries he's inflicted? What happens if two players are squaring off in a fight face to face and one of the players gets knocked out, hits the back of his head on the ice and suffers a brain hemorrhage? Will the league suspend the other combatant for the injuries his actions have caused?

Time will only tell how the NHL decides to police their league from here on in but let's hope the league also looks at mitigating situations like this in the future. Getting rid of the instigator rule would be a start. Do you think if Wayne Gretzky got hit the way Markus Naslund did 20 years ago that we would even be talking about a suspension? No, because the player who hit Gretzky would be dealt with immediately in a fight. The contempt wouldn't brew over to the next game.