Chronological look at Steve Moore-Todd Bertuzzi case
TORONTO - A settlement was reached Tuesday in Steve Moore's lawsuit against NHL forward Todd Bertuzzi, more than 10 years after the infamous on-ice attack that ended Moore's career. Here are some key dates in the saga:
Feb. 16, 2004: Colorado Avalanche rookie Steve Moore levels Vancouver Canucks captain Markus Naslund with an open-ice hit. The league rules the hit is legal despite the fact that Naslund suffers a concussion. Canucks players were later quoted as saying there was a bounty on Moore's head following the attack.
March 3, 2004: The Canucks and Avalanche face off amid fears of retaliation, but with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman at the game, there are no incidents.
March 8, 2004: The expected retaliation comes in a rematch between the two teams. Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi punches Moore from behind and falls on top of him, allowing other players to pile on. Moore is removed from the ice on a stretcher and ultimately suffers a concussion and three fractured vertebrae. The injuries ultimately end his NHL career.
March 10, 2004: Bertuzzi makes a tearful apology to Moore.
March 11, 2004: The NHL suspends Bertuzzi for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs and fines the Canucks $250,000. Bertuzzi wouldn't return to the ice for 17 months as a result of the suspension and the lockout that cancelled the 2004-'05 hockey season.
June 24, 2004: Bertuzzi is charged with assault after an investigation into the hit.
Dec. 17, 2004: The International Ice Hockey Federation suspends Bertuzzi, barring him from playing for overseas teams during the 2004-'05 lockout or representing Canada in international competition.
Dec. 22, 2004: Bertuzzi pleads guilty to criminal assault causing bodily harm for the hit and is sentenced to one year probation and 80 hours of community service.
February 2005: Moore attempts to file a lawsuit against Bertuzzi in Denver. Months later, the presiding judge would throw the case out, ruling it would be better handled in Canada.
Aug. 8, 2005: Bertuzzi is reinstated to the NHL.
Dec. 21, 2005: Bertuzzi once again finds himself at the centre of controversy when he is named to the Canadian Olympic team for the Turin Winter Games.
February 2006: Moore and his family succeed in filing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Bertuzzi, the Canucks and then-parent company Orca Bay. The suit, filed through the Ontario Superior Court, seeks to have Moore compensated for lost wages and other damages.
June 23, 2006: Bertuzzi is traded from the Canucks to the Florida Panthers.
Feb. 27, 2007: The Panthers trade Bertuzzi to the Detroit Red Wings.
July 2, 2007: Bertuzzi signs a two-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks.
March 2008: Moore expands his lawsuit to name former Canucks head coach Marc Crawford. Bertuzzi sought to have Crawford included based on the claim that his NHL contract compelled him to take orders from his coach.
July 2008: Crawford claims Bertuzzi disobeyed direct orders to get off the ice when he attacked Moore.
July 7, 2008: Bertuzzi signs one-year deal with the Calgary Flames.
Dec. 16, 2008: Bertuzzi and Moore meet face-to-face in a court-ordered mediation session intended to help resolve the lawsuit. The case ultimately proceeds.
Aug. 18, 2009: Bertuzzi returns to the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent.
September 2011: Moore's lawyer, Tim Danson, discovers that Bertuzzi, Crawford and then-Canucks owner Orca Bay reached a settlement on how to share the liability should Moore win the lawsuit. Knowledge of the deal surfaced after Bertuzzi had dropped the third-party claim against Crawford. Danson ultimately won an appeal to have the terms of the settlement disclosed.
Feb. 23, 2012: The Red Wings re-sign Bertuzzi to a two-year deal worth more than $4 million.
Aug. 19, 2014: Bertuzzi's lawyer says a settlement has been reached in the lawsuit but that terms are confidential.