Former Canucks coach has 'nothing to say' about Bertuzzi hit
Last Updated: Thursday, December 6, 2007 | 6:43 PM ET
CBC Sports
Asked if he said that Steve Moore "must pay the price," former Vancouver Canucks head coach Marc Crawford told reporters Thursday that he had "nothing to say at this time. It is not the time or place."

Crawford, who coaches the Los Angeles Kings, was responding to court documents alleging Todd Bertuzzi's infamous sucker-punch of Moore in 2004 happened after Crawford said something in the dressing room.

Todd Bertuzzi, now with Anaheim, is being sued for $38 million.
(Richard Lam/Canadian Press)
Bertuzzi was an all-star forward with the Vancouver Canucks, then coached by Crawford, when he punched Moore from behind 8:41 into the third period of a 9-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on March 8, 2004.

Moore suffered three broken vertebrae in his neck and a concussion, has not played since, and is suing Bertuzzi for upward of $38 million.

Crawford is not a defendant in the lawsuit.

Bertuzzi reportedly was asked 1,300 questions under oath at his discovery and, according to a proposed amended statement of claim filed on Moore's behalf in an Ontario court, Bertuzzi disclosed that Crawford said Moore "must pay the price."

"An enraged Crawford, inside the Canuck dressing room, pointed to Steve Moore's name and number on a board containing the Avalanche roster and demanded that 'He [Moore] must pay the price,'" the amended statement read.

Moore knocked Canucks captain Markus Naslund unconscious with an open-ice hit to the head when the teams clashed at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Feb. 16, almost a month before the Bertuzzi incident.

Moore was neither penalized nor suspended for the hit.

The amended statement contended that Crawford was "directing vigilante retaliation," and that "Bertuzzi knew exactly what was expected of him by his superiors and the consequences to him if he did not deliver."

Crawford's alleged comment was also confirmed in sworn testimony from Canucks general manager Dave Nonis, the statement said.

Bertuzzi's lawyers reportedly requested the court seal transcripts of the interviews, but a court official reserved judgment on Wednesday.

Bertuzzi suspended 17 months

The NHL suspended Bertuzzi indefinitely for attacking Moore on March 8, and didn't reinstate him until Aug. 8, 2005 '” exactly 17 months later.

Bertuzzi remained under suspension throughout the 310-day NHL lockout and was prohibited from competing in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, two world championships and in European pro leagues.

He also forfeited $501,926 US in salary and hundreds of thousands more in endorsements.

Criminal charges filed against Bertuzzi in Vancouver resulted in a guilty plea and a sentence of one year's probation plus 80 hours of community service.

Moore later filed a lawsuit in Denver against Bertuzzi and other notables, including Canucks ownership, but it was dismissed.

With Bertuzzi in Turin, Italy, playing for Team Canada at the Winter Olympics, Moore filed a second lawsuit on Feb. 15, 2006.

At the time, he was seeking $18 million for lost income, aggravated and punitive damages, but is now demanding $38 million in an amended claim.