Uproar at Bertuzzi pick for Canada Olympic hockey

By Scott Anderson

TORONTO (Reuters) – The inclusion in Canada’s Olympic
hockey team of a player convicted of a vicious on-ice assault
against an opposing player stirred a storm of controversy among
Canadian fans on Thursday.

The selection of the talented Todd Bertuzzi, a star forward
with the Vancouver Canucks, for the team that will compete in
the Turin Winter Games in February must still be approved
Canada’s Olympic Committee.

The committee was set to deliver the final team roster to
the International Olympic Committee later on Thursday, but it
was considered unlikely that it would overturn Bertuzzi’s
selection despite widespread condemnation of the choice.

Bertuzzi was found guilty of assault in 2004 after hitting
Colorado Avalanche rookie Steve Moore with a punch on the back
of the head during a National Hockey League game.

Moore suffered broken vertebrae and a concussion and has
been unable to resume his career. The court gave Bertuzzi a
year’s probation for his crime, and he was suspended from NHL
play until August 2005.

Many Canadians had called for Bertuzzi to be jailed for the
assault, and his addition to the all-star team assembled to
defend Canada’s 2002 Olympic gold medal performance at Salt
Lake City spurred outrage.

A headline on a column in the Toronto Sun newspaper
screamed: “Bert a bad pick; Bertuzzi simply not a
representative of the Olympic ideal.”

“He certainly doesn’t represent my image of Canada and his
being picked has left a bitter taste in my mouth,” one reader
told the Toronto Star newspaper.

But Team Canada’s assistant executive director, Kevin Lowe
defended picking Bertuzzi for the team, noting that the choice
was unanimous among the selection committee, which included
Wayne Gretzky, considered the greatest player ever produced by
Canada.

“We’re excited to have him. As human beings in life and in
this country, I think a big part of being Canadian is being
able to forgive. This is a big step for Todd Bertuzzi,” Lowe
told reporters.

Ironically, the inclusion on the team of Ottawa Senators
star Dany Heatley, who pleaded guilty to charges in a vehicular
homicide case stemming from a car crash that resulted in the
death of teammate Dan Snyder, went almost unnoticed.