the Bertuzzi incident

[Dingo Jellybean]

Hockey has this image of promoting it's sport through fights. Now if people really liked fights so much, why is the NHL on the brink of a lockout and has the lowest ratings of any of the 4 major sports(it even has lower ratings that NCAA football or basketball)?

With that being said, the NHL just doesn't do enough to really protect their players from fights. Fights hardly even get penalties, while in other sports you're immediately thrown out. The NHL should consider make the rules more strict. Even swinging a punch and missing should result in a $25000 fine and a suspension, like the NBA and MLB has.

The NHL is basing the suspension on Moore's condition too, which I think is justified. Because McSorely a few years ago was suspened a year which ultimately ended his career. At least the NHL is swift and just about the penalty. The penalty costs the player about over $500k, but the team might lose more if they don't advance far in the playoffs without their star player. So these fines, coupled with the NHL losing millions is definitely not a good thing...Bertuzzi's incident can end up costing the Canucks millions.

[PeTeRL90]

Bertuzzi's incident can end up costing the Canucks millions.

They've been fined already. The Canucks organization was fined $250,000 Canadian Dollars.

I was also thinking about something last night... isn't a fist fight also assault? So if you're going to investigate a cheap shot with a stick, then why not just investigate every other damn fist fight since that's also assault.

[Flying Mullet]

Originally posted by Dingo_Jellybean
Hockey has this image of promoting it's sport through fights. Now if people really liked fights so much, why is the NHL on the brink of a lockout and has the lowest ratings of any of the 4 major sports(it even has lower ratings that NCAA football or basketball)?

The NHL never has had high ratings. It's always been a "secondary sport" behind football, basketball and baseball in the US. Hockey didn't start getting televised regularly until the mid-90s in the US.

Originally posted by PeTeRL90
I was also thinking about something last night... isn't a fist fight also assault? So if you're going to investigate a cheap shot with a stick, then why not just investigate every other damn fist fight since that's also assault.

It's only assault if the assualted party decides to press charges.

Also, part of the reason they are investigating this further is that sports figures have to live to higher standards as they are role models for young children. They might not like that fact but it's part of the career.

[White Raven]

People get speared/slashed/boarded all the time and that's not considered assault??? And when coaches send out their players to fight someone, they intend on hurting someone. And why the hell has the US media gotten interested in the NHL all of a sudden???...because it deals with viloence probably.

And I don't know if any of you guys know aboot this but an incident happened like this a couple years a go when Boston Bruins player Marty McSorley hit Vancouver's Donald Brashear in the head with his stick. He was suspended for a year but ended up retireing. As well, McSorley was eventually found guilty in a criminal trial and handed a suspended sentence for assault.

Here's what McSotley had to say aboot this inicident and I agree with him fully.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp...56&hubName=nhl

And Todd hasn't been charged with anything yet, the Vancouver police are stil looking into it.

[Flying Mullet]

THe sports world has been pretty quiet lately so it makes sense that the media would latch on to anything to try and get a one-up on their competition.

[White Raven]

If they wanted to latch onto to something they should tlak about the Collective Bargining Agreement...if one isn't reached, there might not even be a NHL next year!!!

[Dingo Jellybean]

Originally posted by PeTeRL90
They've been fined already. The Canucks organization was fined $250,000 Canadian Dollars.

I was also thinking about something last night... isn't a fist fight also assault? So if you're going to investigate a cheap shot with a stick, then why not just investigate every other damn fist fight since that's also assault.

What I meant was in the playoffs. It's less likely they'll reach the Cup Finals without Bertuzzi, so it could end up costing them potential millions.