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Bertuzzi case against Marc Crawford reinstated

Todd Bertuzzi, Henrik Zetterberg

Detroit Red Wings’ Henrik Zetterberg, right, of Sweden, skates in to congratulate Todd Bertuzzi on his first period goal against the Minnesota Wild in an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010 in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

AP

It’s the black-cloud story of the NHL that just won’t ever seem to go away in one form or another. 2004 saw one of the ugliest on-ice incidents in the league’s history when then Vancouver Canuck forward Todd Bertuzzi sucker-punched Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore. After numerous court cases involving Moore, Bertuzzi, then Canucks head coach Marc Crawford and then Canucks general manager Brian Burke, it appears one piece of litigation is back in play according to David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail, and the participants may surprise you.

Lawyers for Todd Bertuzzi turned a miscue into an advantage when they managed to reinstate his third-party lawsuit against his former coach, Marc Crawford.

The lawsuit was dismissed in March when Bertuzzi’s lawyers missed a deadline to file paperwork with the Ontario Superior Court that would have set the case for trial.

That’s right, Bertuzzi is suing his former coach because he felt he wasn’t the only guilty party involved in the incident with Moore. What’s even more fun about this entire thing is that it’s seemingly being done to semi-clear Bertuzzi’s name as the sole conspirator in the whole mess.

While the damages in question are expensive, even for millionaire hockey players, there is little chance Bertuzzi or Crawford will have to pay with their own money. Since their actions occurred as employees of the Canucks, the Canucks’ insurance company will be on the hook if the court rules against them.

If anything Bertuzzi doesn’t want to take the blame for this on his own and who can blame him for that? What happened that night is something Bertuzzi still hasn’t lived down and rightfully so. It was a disgusting act of violence that has no place in sports, never mind in real life. That said, while Bertuzzi did apologize for what happened so long ago it speaks a bit to a man’s character when even now, six years later, he’s still looking for others to join him on a sunken ship of bad decisions.

Passing the buck for blame doesn’t reflect well on anyone that tries to do it. Just look at the mess in baseball with those who get busted for steroids and start pointing fingers elsewhere other than at themselves for doing what they did. While Bertuzzi won’t address the Moore incident anymore, continuing with this court battle against Marc Crawford just keeps digging up a story that no one wants to have to remember but everyone can never forget.

UPDATE (6/16):

David Shoalts decided to clear up a matter that was a big part of the discussion in a piece today in the Globe and Mail.

A story in The Globe and Mail on Wednesday said any awards against both Bertuzzi and Crawford were covered by the Canucks’ insurance policy. However, due to an exception in the policy only Crawford is covered.

And that coverage, according to a source with knowledge of the policy, only goes up to $10-million (U.S.) with another $1-million for legal fees. He is responsible for anything above that, as are the Vancouver Canucks, also named in the suit.

That makes a bit of a big difference in Bertuzzi’s situation, and it also helps explain why he maybe wanted a bit more money from the Red Wings in the new two-year deal he signed with the team today.