After Vancouver Canucks winger Todd Bertuzzi and former Avalanche forward Steve Moore met separately with NHL officials in New York on Tuesday, no decision on Bertuzzi’s reinstatement request was announced and none seemed imminent.
Bertuzzi has been under indefinite suspension since his attack on Moore on March 8, 2004, in Vancouver. Tuesday, Bertuzzi and his agent, Pat Morris, took their appeal to commissioner Gary Bettman and executive vice presidents Bill Daly and Colin Campbell. Canucks general manager Dave Nonis also was at the meeting, and Players’ Association official Ian Pulver was on a conference hookup.
After the hearings, Daly said in a statement that Bettman “took the matter under advisement. There is no immediate timetable for a decision.”
Moore presented his medical records to document that he has lingering injuries – primarily post-concussion problems – and isn’t physically able to return to the NHL. Doctors serving as consultants for the NHL also questioned Moore. Two attorneys, Tim Danson of Toronto and Lee Foreman of Denver, accompanied Moore. Foreman is representing Moore in the civil lawsuit pending against Bertuzzi in Denver.
“Steve Moore appreciated the opportunity to meet with the commissioner and make his views known on this matter,” Foreman said. “It was Steve’s position that due to uncertainty about the severity of his injuries even today, that the re- instatement of Mr. Bertuzzi immediately is premature.”
With the NHL in a work stoppage after the cancellation of the 2004-05 season, it is possible Bettman won’t decide Bertuzzi’s fate until after a new collective bargaining agreement is signed.
Bertuzzi missed the final 13 games of the 2003-04 regular season, then the Canucks’ seven playoff games. His suspension meant he was unable to accept an offer to play in Europe during the NHL lockout, and wasn’t eligible to play for Canada in the world championships in Austria. At the hearing Tuesday, Morris re-emphasized Bertuzzi had given up hope of playing in the world championships.
Moore suffered fractured neck vertebrae, facial cuts and a concussion when Bertuzzi punched him from behind, then drove his head into the ice. He is undergoing rehabilitation and treatment in the Toronto area. The Avalanche didn’t re-sign him before the lockout began, but a contract wouldn’t be approved until he could pass a physical.
Terry Frei can be reached at 303-820-1895 or tfrei@denverpost.com.
