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Wednesday, September 28

Why have so few said anything...

In Feb 2004, Marcus Naslund got his bell rung pretty good by Steve Moore. A clean or dirty hit, it didn't matter. When a teams star player gets taken down the rest of the team needs to respond, and the Canucks did.

Everyone knows that later in the March 2004 Todd Bertuzzi called Moore out to scrap, and that Moore declined. Steve Moore was taken down by a sucker punch from behind as he skated away from Todd Bertuzzi, and the rest is history.

What I've been wondering for years is why hadn't anyone asked the coaches and Gm more about the incident? I am a fan of Burkie and what he's been able to do for multiple teams, but one thing makes me a little hesitant to fully root for Brian Burke.
I suspected that the coach and possibly the GM of the 2004 Canucks might have called for blood due to the hit on Naslund.
It would go without saying that any coach in pro hockey would have condoned some sort of retaliation. Either directly or indirectly. Maybe Marc Crawford and Brian Burke might not have outright asked the team to step up and be truculent, but if no one did do anything there would have been hell to pay in the locker room.

 I found it interesting that Burkie had offered Steve Moore a contract offer a year after the hit. (When Brian was GM for the ducks.) The other thing I found interesting is the picking up of Steve Moore's brother - Dominic Moore in 2008. Same Gm - Brian Burke, just a different team. Sure Dominic is a good player, but the coincidences are a bit much. It seemed more like an attempt for redemption rather than an eye for talent. Then again, Burke does pick up some decent talent for his teams.

While I don't condone the Bertuzzi on Moore hit in 2004, I fully think it's unfair to lay all of the blame on one player. There is a team, coaches & GM who were/are responsible for the play on the ice. It also makes me wonder what will happen to Sean Avery some day when he backs away from a scrap that he clearly instigated. The instigator rule and recent deaths of some awesome enforcers make me nervous. Hockey without fighting to me is like that March 2004 hit without the blame.

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