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New lawsuit filed against NHL's Bertuzzi: report

Posted on: Wednesday, 15 February 2006, 17:34 CST

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - National Hockey League player and Canadian Olympic team member Todd Bertuzzi has been hit with a new civil lawsuit in connection with his on-ice attack on an opposing player in 2004, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported on Wednesday.

On March 8, 2004, Bertuzzi, a member of the Vancouver Canucks, skated up behind Colorado Avalanche player Steve Moore and punched him in the head in the closing minutes of a game. He then landed on top of Moore as they fell to the ice under a pile of players.

Moore suffered a severe neck injury and a concussion. He is not fully recovered and is unlikely to play hockey again.

Bertuzzi pleaded guilty to a criminal assault charge in Vancouver and was given a conditional discharge.

CBC said the new lawsuit, filed in Ontario, seeks C$15 million ($13 million) for lost wages and plus punitive damages for Moore and his parents.

The suit comes nearly four months after a U.S. judge tossed out a lawsuit that Moore had filed in Denver against Bertuzzi and several other Canucks players and team officials.

The judge said the U.S. court system did not have jurisdiction over an incident that had happened in Vancouver between two Canadian citizens.

The new lawsuit's filing coincides with the start of the men's ice hockey competition in the Turin Olympics, where Bertuzzi is playing for Canada.

Bertuzzi's selection to the Olympic squad generated controversy in Canada and abroad, with critics saying the NHL all-star he did not deserve to be at the 2006 Games because he had tarnished the sport's reputation.

Source: REUTERS

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