32 replies to this topic

[Rock]

Canucks livid about 'cheap shot' on Naslund

http://www.tsn.ca/nh...ry.asp?id=72526

Canadian Press




2/17/2004

VANCOUVER (CP) - The hit that sent Canucks captain Markus Naslund to hospital was a cheap shot by a marginal player, Vancouver GM Brian Burke charged Tuesday.

Naslund, who was the league's leading scorer with 30 goals and 38 assists in 59 games, was taken to hospital in Denver for observation after being clobbered with a hit from Colorado rookie Steve Moore in the second period of the Canucks' 1-0 win over the Avalanche on Monday night in Denver.

There was no immediate word Tuesday on whether Naslund, the NHL's leading scorer, will play in Vancouver's game Thursday in Minnesota.

Naslund was left crumpled on the ice, blood pouring from a cut, after being run over by Moore. No penalty was called on the play.

``I think it's a marginal player going after a superstar with a head-hunting hit,'' Burke seethed. ``I thought it was a cheap shot.''

On the play, Naslund was stretching for a loose puck and Moore swerved into him at high speed, striking him with his shoulder and arm. Some television replays indicated Moore might have hit Naslund with his elbow.

Burke said it's irrelevant whether Moore used his elbow or not.

``Whether there's an elbow or not, you have a player that is going down and this player (Moore) dropped his shoulder down and went right at this head,'' said Burke.

Moore, who has three goals and five assists in 46 games, said he was simply finishing his check.

``I guess it ended up being Naslund and they weren't too happy with that," Moore was quoted by the Rocky Mountain News. ``But I'm certainly not looking to hurt him. (It was) just a clean bodycheck with the shoulder.''

Canuck coach Marc Crawford disagreed.

``That was a cheap shot by a young kid on a captain, the leading scorer in the league, and we get no call,'' Crawford fumed in a post-game interview.

``That is ridiculous. How does that happen? Why is there no respect from those referees for the leading scorer in the league? I do not understand that for the life of me. I don't care if they fine me.''

Burke doubted if Crawford's outburst would result in the league taking money out of the coach's pocket.

``I don't think anything he said was fineable but if the league sees it differently, that's fine with us,'' said Burke.

After the game some of the Canuck players were already looking forward to retaliation against Moore when the Avalanche play in Vancouver on March 8.

``Pledging retaliation isn't something the league needs,'' Burke warned.

Colorado coach Tony Granato said he watched a replay of the hit and Moore didn't do anything illegal.

``He hit him with his shoulder,'' Granato told the Rocky Mountain News.

``It's very unfortunate when someone gets hurt and leaves the game, especially a player like (Naslund), but it's hockey.''

Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla was more critical.

``The league treats its stars like pieces of meat,'' Kiszla wrote.

``So why should we be surprised when Vancouver's Markus Naslund . . . was knocked to his hands and knees Monday night, unable to rise after a dangerous hit by Colorado foe Steve Moore and the referees all turned blind?

``The injustice of it should anger anybody who loves the speed and skill of this game.''

There is no love lost between the Canucks and Avs, but Burke doubted history had anything to do with Moore's hit.

``This kid wasn't part of any history,'' Burke said. ``This was a chance to take out a star player and he took it.''

[RowdyFan42]

I'd have to take a look at it again, but if that's the hit I'm thinking of, there was nothing dirty about it.

[djstubbs]

That sounds like good news for the playoffs, although I don't like injury to any player...

[sykkie15]

I didn't see the hit, but I haven't really heard many oubursts from anyone crying that it was dirty...I dunno...

[LüZZo]

I saw it happen while I was tuned into the game last night. It looked questionable to me. Naslund is lunging for the loose puck and Moore clearly hits him with his elbow/tricep region. Naslund down on the ice bleeding (which I think was from his visor coming down on his nose). May goes after Moore, a scrum ensues and May gets the only penalty. On the PK Ruutu hits Forsberg in the mouth with the follow through of a his second clearing attempt at a bouncing puck. No penalty due to the fact that Forsberg was on a knee and it was a follow through of a clear.

Suprisingly the Nucks didn't go after Moore anymore in the game, probably due to the fact that it was a 1-0 througout the 3rd and the win was paramount.

I don't know if it is suspension material, but it looked like a clear elbowing minor to me.

Edited by LüZZo, 17 February 2004 - 03:44 PM.

[nj96]

I rewound it a couple times (ReplayTV rocks!) and it looked like he was going in for the hit, knew he was going to miss him, stuck out his arm and hit Naslund about 3 inches above his elbow. Not a "traditional" elbowing penalty, but just the fact that he moved his arm out to hit him (not much, only a few inches away from his body), it should have drawn the penalty. Also, if Naslund wasn't reaching for that puck, the hit probably would've gotten him in the chest or shoulder.

I think it should've been called, but I guess by definition the non-call was a good one.

-Dan

[peteyvegas]

Looked to me as if he pulled back a little and just took the Body to him. Could've buried him if he continued straight at him. Crawford's an ass.

[LüZZo]

Some of the Nucks take on the incident:

http://www.canada.co...2E-B98006D1221A


"That kid's a piece of sh--," Bertuzzi said. "We play them twice more, and hopefully they'll keep him [in the lineup]. It's called respect. Things like that kid . . . shows the respect we have around the league.

"The issue is: Markus is reaching and the puck's not there and this guy blindsides him. It's bullsh--. It's a joke."

The Avalanche play the Canucks here again March 3 and visit Vancouver five days later.

"There's definitely a bounty on his head," Canuck banger Brad May said. "Clean hit or not, that's our best player and you respond. It's going to be fun when we get him."

[RowdyFan42]

Morons. If revenge is so important to them, why didn't they do it during the game? And if it had been Naslund hitting Moore like that, nobody would be talking about it. Hell, if it had been Zhamnov hitting Naslund like that, it probably wouldn't be a big deal. They're just crawling up his ass because he's a rookie and they're trying to f ck with him.

[nj96]

If revenge is so important to them, why didn't they do it during the game?

Exactly... Plus, it wasn't nearly as deliberate as they're making it out to be. It wasn't say... the Tie Domi elbowing incident. That was a deliberate cheap shot, this was a good hit gone bad.

-Dan

[sykkie15]

That's such a joke. So what, you're not allowed to hit star players? Or if you're a rookie you're not allowed to hit players in general? Come on. Jeez, they're acting like a bunch of morons saying that they're after him and that he'll get his. Ugh,

[Pepperkorn]

talent or no bertuzzi is SUCH a jerkoff. I don't find him funny or charmingly chippy. I just think he's a bunghole.

[JesterDevil]

"That kid's a piece of sh--," Bertuzzi said. "We play them twice more, and hopefully they'll keep him [in the lineup]. It's called respect. Things like that kid . . . shows the respect we have around the league.

Yeah, you sure are the right one to talk up respect Bertuzzi, you POS.

[JesterDevil]

Why should a border-line check be an automatic penalty just because he's a star player? That is BS. Should the refs skate around with pillows for whenever a high-profile player gets checked and use the pillows to soften his fall? Waaaa..

[IceThief]

["That kid's a piece of sh--," Bertuzzi said. "We play them twice more, and hopefully they'll keep him [in the lineup]. It's called respect. Things like that kid . . . shows the respect we have around the league.]

So what do you intend to do Todd, you POS? Kill him? Injure him so he can't play any more to show what a damn tough guy, you are? Is the whole team going to attack him at once? Is Crawford going to join in?

If I was in Granato's shoes, if anyone, and I mean anyone on the Couver team went after that kid with the intent of injuring him and I suspected that Crawford sent them out to do it with his blessings, Bertuzzi would be the first to go down with a trashed knee after a knee-on-knee hit. He wouldn't see the rest of the regular season OR the playoffs.

If they wanted to play that kind of game, I'd be certain as head coach that they got to play it first hand. You live by the stick, you die by the stick.

Betuzzi is a total ass and always has been.

IceThief

[vladb]

C'mon! Don't be hypocritical, already...

What would you be saying if your team had played the Avs and this Moor guy took out your leading center Patrik Elias?  I'm sure these boards would fill up with a lot of whining fans.  And I won't accuse you of much... it's the nature of fans to bitch about those things..

Naslund is leading scorer in the league!  He means everything to Canucks.  Even if that meant nothing, I still think the hit wasn't "clean" as you argue it to be.  That Moor guy clearly diverted from the puck at the last moment to make the hit.  He didn't even slow down!!  Naslund didn't hold the puck, and it fact it was not exactly where the Moore guy hit... So, I don't see how this was an "innocent collision" while attempting to gain the puck.

[vladb]

["That kid's a piece of sh--," Bertuzzi said. "We play them twice more, and hopefully they'll keep him [in the lineup]. It's called respect. Things like that kid . . . shows the respect we have around the league.]

So what do you intend to do Todd, you POS? Kill him? Injure him so he can't play any more to show what a damn tough guy, you are? Is the whole team going to attack him at once? Is Crawford going to join in?

If I was in Granato's shoes, if anyone, and I mean anyone on the Couver team went after that kid with the intent of injuring him and I suspected that Crawford sent them out to do it with his blessings, Bertuzzi would be the first to go down with a trashed knee after a knee-on-knee hit. He wouldn't see the rest of the regular season OR the playoffs.

If they wanted to play that kind of game, I'd be certain as head coach that they got to play it first hand. You live by the stick, you die by the stick.

Betuzzi is a total ass and always has been.

IceThief

Whoa.......  Bertuzzi's got more character then you do, prick..  He's deserved his accolades and it is not very fitting for a lame nobody to diss Bert for no good reason (absolutely none).

I don't know what you are getting from his quote.. what he's simply saying is that they'll try to home in on the guy and either check him hard (LEGALLY) or do other LEGAL move against him to take him out of the game, hopefully.

[pattyelias]

If the hit was clean then Naslund or not you guys have nothing to complain about. I can't say whether it was clean or not though since I only saw the replay once and it was really quick.

Edited by pattyelias, 18 February 2004 - 03:10 AM.

[vladb]

If the hit was clean then Naslund or not you guys have nothing to complain about.

True.  The only thing I'm complaining about is the poor and inconsistent officiating ;/

It is tenfold worse when your best player goes down and the referees turn a blind eye on it.

[pattyelias]

See the thing is that since I can't say whether the hit was dirty or not I also cannot decide whether you a whining or are justified. Anyways.............are you griping about this on the message boards of all 30 teams? Cause if thats the case then even if it was a dirty hit you are being a whiner.