Violence in pro sports.
 

did anybody see the hit from last night where one hockey player sucker punched the other and bulldogged his head into the ice?the guy who got bulldogged ended up with a broken neck.the nhl is supposed to announce how long the other guy is going to be banned.when i saw it i almost cried.
that guy needs to be arrested and charged with attempted murder.i do'nt care if it was in the heat of battle,sports and civility cross a very thin line in my view.that a$$hole needs to go to jail for what he willfully did to that guy.

That was the biggest bush league move I have ever seen in my 18 years. I'm dead serious, they were saying how some hockey cases have lead to prosecutions, I think this should be no different. If they wanna drop the gloves and go at it and kick the hell outta each other, more power too them, I hope they do. Last nights move was the most classless moves I ever saw. I hope that jackass is jailed, or at least banned from PRO HOCKEY for life, cause lord knows if the NHL will still be around. But I agree 100%

the last time i saw a cheap shot of that level was in the 70s when kermit washington hit rudy tomjonovich in the face with all his might.that guy will be the first athelete in recent memory to go on trial for something that occured during a game.the only thing that can save him is the other guy asking for the matter to be dropped and if he does he's a better person than most everybody else is.

I understand how little tiffs can occur during a game, I havent actually seen the footage of this, Ill go turn on sportscenter. However this seems totally unreasonable. I hope they prosecute him for it, and the team takes his salary, etc.

Its on ESPN Motion @ ESPN.com if you get a chance to look at it

I haven't seen it yet either but if it was as you all described, he should be banned for life and definitely prosecuted to the max!!! I agree, two hockey players fighting one on one is their choice and usually doesn't end in too many serious injuries. Apparently this guy never even saw it coming.

I'm a big hockey fan, I love to see a fair fight within the context of a hard fought game but from all accounts this was just ugly and cowardly.

I find it hard to believe that Bertuzzi would do something that low but if he did he may not get a chance to play again and he'd deserve it.

Betruzzi lost his cool, moore wouldn't fight him so he got fustraighted and drilled him from behind, the devastation wasen't so much the punch because he had his glove on he did hit him in the side of the head, but he hit his helmit, the real damage occured after he hit him he used his momentum to drive his head forward into the ice as they fell, that's where the real damage took place, If he didn't do that moore probably skates off under his own power and betruzzi is playing again sometime this year. As it stand's now betruzzi has a real problem in hockey and possibly with the law as well.

johnnyredskin63:

Other atheltes have been prosecuted - and found guilty - for in-game violence. The most recent one I can recall was Marty McSorley in the NHL for his use of the stick to the back of Donald Brashear's head.

A baseball player was found guilty of throwing a ball at - and killing - an osprey during spring training last year. Can't remember his name...

Nothing more cowardly than swinging on a guy who has his back to you. Bertuzzi should face a season long ban from the NHL and a hefty fine at the very least.

[quote]The most recent one I can recall was Marty McSorley [/quote]

I think this is worse than the McSorley incident. The Canucks (Brad May, I think) had put a 'bounty' on Moore, this was premeditated.

Bertuzzi is responsible for the severity of the injury, but having all those other players piling on didn't help.

what a bunch of cowards, its one thing to determine that you are looking to get a good hit on somebody before a game...which happens all the time..but to head hunt from behind is just cowboyish..

on the canucks messageboards, most of the fans understand that what happened was pretty disgusting (and has no place in sports). there are still a few fans that actually say that what bertuzzi did wasn't as bad as at seems...

when i see support of the perpetrator like this, it really bugs me how team allegiences can cloud certain people's perspectives on incidents like last night. we all love sports and our home teams, but i can't believe a few fans actually thought the hit wasn't "that bad."

I can't help but cringe whenever they show the replay of what happened. and after he'd smashed the guy's head into the ground he got in a couple more punches. With something of this nature being premeditated, he has to be suspended for more than the 20 or so games a lot of hockey people r saying will be the penalty. The guy who got attacked is actually not only for the injury not likely to be career ending but more importantly he's lucky he didn't die as a result of this cowardly attack. this is why it's hard to get into hockey and baseball sometimes cuz guys and teammates carry over grudges and try to get revenge when they get a chance. sooner or later one of these types of attacks will result in a prison sentence and maybe things will get cleaned up a bit. there's no room in sports for revenge like this.

[QUOTE=Gmanc711]Its on ESPN Motion @ ESPN.com if you get a chance to look at it[/QUOTE]

for some reason I can;t get the video there. Anyone know another link where I can find it?

I haven't seen the clip and I don't really follow hockey but if the guy's a normal human being, he's probably feeling like shit tonight because he lost it and hurt somebody and brought true shame to himself and his family. Secondarily, his career could be over. Not really defending a goon who acts like that but I try to see both sides.

They were showing some of his past hits on Sportscenter tonight and ALL of them were cheapshots from behind or blindspot. He's a pussy and has problems with who he is if he has to resort to stuff like that.

Beg, as soon as you get on espn.com this morning(wend) its on the main section of the site, and they have the clip there.

The motion thing popped up in my task bar for me.

I don't agree with the move at all, but it didn't look as bad to me as it was explained. No doubt this guy should be banned for 1 year+ but I seriously doubt he meant to break the guys neck. It was a real cheap shot and I don't agree with it, to me it just didn't seem that violent.

Obviously I'm not saying he shouldn't be punished. I just had the idea that he really wailed on the guy after he was down, looks like he just fell on him.

I love hockey...i love to watch the face to face fighting. I don't have a problem with fighting in hockey because for the most part it is controlled with the refs right there waiting to break up the fight as soon as a knee touches the ice. What Bertuzzi did was definitely wrong and should be punished with a hefty suspension...But it is not the worst that I have seen. There have been players that have used their sticks as a weapon and slashed at the heads of other players..That is assualt with a deadly weapon. Yes it was a cheap shot, but Bertuzzi did not intentionally plan on driving his head in the ice. That was just a seriously unfortunate thing to happen. Compare it to McSorely when he was just skating by Brashear a couple years ago. Now that was more premeditated that what Bertuzzi did.

He didnt just fall on him he used his forward momentum to push him down into the ice head first and used him to cushion his fall and still got some punches in after that. All this after a cheapshot from behind.

It looked to me like that the initial punch to the back of the head knocked the victim unconscious or helpless. His head seems to go limp after that initial sucker punch to the back of the head. So when he was rammed head first into the ICE he had no way to break the fall with his hands or arms.

[FONT=Fixedsys]i think the sob needs to go to jail for what he did.there are people who are gonna say he was expected to do it and it was in the heat of battle,etc...that is complete horsehockey.he knew exactly what he was doing and he needs to sit in jail awhile and think about how bad he could have really hurt that man if he had fell in another direction or somebody else could have fell on him.at the very lest he should be banned from hockey for life.the nhl is gonna announce his punishment thursday at 900am.[/FONT]
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Here's a thought, why is fighting a part of hockey anyway? It could be argued that the fighting that is allowed in hockey leads to crap like this.

This wasn't even fighting. Fighting at least you have two men going toe to toe using their fists (unlike baseball brawls where everyone just rushes the field and piles on). This was a cheap shot from behind. To make it worse after Bertuzzi drove Moore to the ground you could see him start to take a swing at the back of Moore's head until another player pulled him away.

I think what Matty is saying is hockey is an aggressive sport because fighting is allowed. If they disallowed fighting there wouldn't be as many grudges holding over, and if he knew he would get kicked out for X amount of games he wouldnt have done it. I really dont think the instigator expected to get the results he got. I think he feels bad for seriously hurting the guy and we can all do stupid things in the heat of the moment.

Fighting is a big part of hockey, but I agree it can cause people to do things like this because violence is accepted in hockey. Not so much as this guy did but hey.

I have a question, do you guys think Lawrence Taylor should have been banned from football after snapping theismans leg? Going at the knee's is a cheap shot in football!

Daseal, I see your point. Although, from my own personal experience of playing organized hockey I never really felt like the violent nature of the sport led to fighting. If anything, I felt like the fact that the sport was, by nature, aggressive, was enough of an outlet for aggression without having to resort to fisticuffs. I agree that the injury most likely wasn't intentional and the "culprit" feels remorse. Nonetheless, the punishment has to be severe otherwise the "self-policing" will continue, if you'll recall this was "retaliation" for a hit a few games earlier. The commissioner's office needs to step in before there's another retaliation.

As for LT, I don't think he was intending to go after Theismann's knees was he?

Being as how I can hardly stay upright on solid ground I've never played hockey so I'm shooting from the hip here. I'm just saying what I see from human nature. I heard this type of thing happened the other way around in a previous match up and the guy was going for a revenge cheap shot and the guy just totally went out cold. I know I've had more power than I knew when I was mad before.

Basicly in your post you said that the guy felt remorse but must be punished for hurting another guy and ending his career, yet you defend LT who did the exact same thing. How is this a two way street? Had Wayne Gretzky been the aggitator would we be screaming for his head? I mean, I think just because of who this is he's getting hung. The announcers from the game footage didn't even seem that suprised at the hit when it first happened.

The difference between Taylor and Bertuzzi as I see it is that from what I remember Taylor was just making a tackle. I don't think it was intentional for him to undercut Theismann's legs and it wasn't any sort of retaliation.

Let me put it this way, while Bertuzzi probably didn't mean to hurt Moore the way he did it was a deliberate cheap shot so it would be akin to if Theismann had scrambled out of bounds then LT drilled him helmet first in the back while he's still out of bounds.

Had Bertuzzi caused the injury with a solid forecheck I think it would be a different story

If Wayne Gretskey did cheap shots like that he wouldnt be held in such high self esteem as he is/was so he probably would be penalized harshly as well if he hit someone from behind and bulldogged him to the ground. The LT incident isnt a valid comparison because it was during a play. If Bertuzzi inflicted a neck injury during a body check or defending a rush towards the goal head on then the wolves wouldnt be out to get him like they are now. If LT chop blocked Theissman after the whistle was blown when he wasnt prepared and broke his leg he definitely would have been suspended indefinitely.

Damn smoot you beat me to it =P

[QUOTE=Daseal]
I have a question, do you guys think Lawrence Taylor should have been banned from football after snapping theismans leg? Going at the knee's is a cheap shot in football![/QUOTE]

Of course not. Tackling somone from behind (even at the knees) is not illegal.
If LT had sucker punched Joey T. while he was walking back to the huddle and then rammed his head in the the goal post (and broke his neck), then it would be comparable.
Although the way the NFL is trying to protect QB's these days, they might see our post and make it illegal tackle a QB.

LT's intention was not to break Joey T's leg, so no he shouldn't have been held responsible for that. It wasn't a premeditated act is what it comes down to.

Bertuzzi may have not intended to break the guy's neck, but his cheap shot was premeditated and therefore needs to be addressed accordingly.

I just don't understand what value fighting brings to hockey, in fact it I think it's one aspect of the sport that is holding it back from being able to compete with the other big 4 sports.

Two things I would change to make hockey more marketable, find a way to increase scoring and eliminate fighting. I know die hard hockey fans would have a big problem with those two things, but if you want to make hockey more fan friendly those are two things that could definitely help win over the casual fans.

The playoffs of any sport should be the most exciting time of the year, but hockey gets seriously bogged down in the playoffs, goalies become the key and you end up with a bunch of 1-0 games that go 2 or 3 extra periods. ZZZZZ

Again I know the die hard hockey fan would argue that playoff hockey is great because of the tight games and defensive struggles, but the casual fan doesn't want to see a 6 period 2-1 game.

My problem with fighting is it escalates the tension and tempers of the players to an unnecessary level. And since fighting is allowed, it allows players to seek revenge. The next time these teams get together I can guarantee revenge will be on everyone's minds that night, again, I just don't see the value that fighting brings to hockey. It's silly and unnecessary. I mean, there are guys on every team whose sole job is to fight...is this boxing or hockey??

It is all fun and games untill someone pokes an eye out. lol I rembember the Olypics a couple of years. I am not a big hockey fan, but the hockey games were pretty good and I dont think they even fought. They say fighting is part of the game but why it is funny to watch but is it worth almost killing someone?

Olympic hockey is great because you see a lot of the European teams. Scoring is more and fighting is less out in Europe. I personally think the NHL playoffs, in spite of being 2-1 games, are often very exciting. There is a lot less fighting for whatever reason in the playoffs and the offenses flow they just have to deal with top notch goalies.

Why this same type of hockey doesn't occur in the regular season honestly I don't know. But yeah there are many things that could be done to increase scoring, eliminate the red line, push the nets back, don't allow goalies to play the puck behind the net, etc. But this isn't an NHL discussion board so I won't get any further into it.

By the way, Bertuzzi was suspended for the regular season (12 games) and playoffs

And the Canucks were fined $250,000 and Bertuzzi must apply to be reinstated next year. Good to see they didn't let him off lightly.

To his credit though he was pretty shaken up and seemed genuinely sorry for what he did. I can respect him for that.

[QUOTE=Daseal]Being as how I can hardly stay upright on solid ground I've never played hockey so I'm shooting from the hip here. I'm just saying what I see from human nature. I heard this type of thing happened the other way around in a previous match up and the guy was going for a revenge cheap shot and the guy just totally went out cold. I know I've had more power than I knew when I was mad before.

Basicly in your post you said that the guy felt remorse but must be punished for hurting another guy and ending his career, yet you defend LT who did the exact same thing. How is this a two way street? Had Wayne Gretzky been the aggitator would we be screaming for his head? I mean, I think just because of who this is he's getting hung. The announcers from the game footage didn't even seem that suprised at the hit when it first happened.[/QUOTE]

Taylor never handed out a cheap shot to theisman he tackled him while joey T. was trying to make a play, and if you noticed the very first thing taylor did after he knew theisman was hurt was he started waiving to our sideline for help he didn't continue to pummel theisman, as well as theisman himself said many times that taylor was probably the cleanest player he ever played against, he said he never once saw taylor take a cheap shot at anyone in any of the games he ever faced him.

That was one nasty cheap shot.... a year suspension is not out of the question in my opinion.

[FONT=Garamond]well there is no way that LT's tackle of theisman was a cheap shot.i was watching the game and LT went nuts and yelled for medical help as soon as the play was over for god's sake.he was also one of the only guys to visit him in the hospital.the hockey shot was the cheapest shot i have ever seen.a couple of weeks ago the guy who got hurt had taken out one of the canucks captains so this whole thing was a premeditated attack.the nhl suspended the guy for the rest of this season,and fined the canucks 200 grand.[/FONT]
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I know this is kind of an old thread but i was wondering if anyone else had seen the clip of this minor league hockey game in which a guy who was on his knees on the ice, was hit across the face by an opposing player with a hockey stick. the guy who swung his stick looked like he put all of his strength into the hit and u could tell he was aiming at the guy's head. afterwards the guy who'd been hit in the face was laying on the ice with blood flowing from his wound while his body was convulsing. i thought the cheap shot a couple monthes ago was bad or the one a couple years ago, but i have never in my life seen a cheapshot like that. I hope the guy who commited this act goes to jail for as close to the maximum penalty as possibly.
luckily the guy who was attacked was released from the hospital from what i've heard and should be ok.