NHL suit settled
Steve Moore reaches a settlement in his lawsuit with Todd Bertuzzi over 2004 incident.
A settlement has been reached in Steve Moore’s lawsuit against NHL forward Todd Bertuzzi, more than 10 years after a bloody, on-ice attack ended Moore’s career.
Geoff Adair, a lawyer for Bertuzzi, confirmed the case was “settled in its totality” but said Tuesday the terms are confidential. The multimilliondollar lawsuit had been set for trial Sept. 8.
“We are pleased that the resolution of this matter allows the parties to turn the page and look to the future,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in an email.
On March 8, 2004, Bertuzzi, then playing for the Vancouver Canucks, hit Moore from behind. The Colorado Avalanche rookie crashed face-first to the ice, leaving him with a concussion and fractured vertebrae.
Moore alleges the Canucks had put a bounty on him following his check that injured their captain, Markus Naslund. Bertuzzi pleaded guilty to criminal assault causing bodily harm. He was sentenced in December 2004 to one year of probation and 80 hours of community service.
Moore, now 35, never fully recovered from his injuries and was unable to keep playing. In March, a day before the 10th anniversary of the play, he told the Canadian Press he still has headaches and low energy.
Bertuzzi was suspended for the rest of the 2004 regular season and the playoffs, which cost him about $502,000. He didn’t play during the 2004-05 lockout season but was reinstated for the 2005-06 season.
He has since continued his career, most recently with Detroit.
The New York Islanders are selling a minority stake of the team, with a former Washington Capitals coowner and a London-based investor to become full owners in two years.
A group led by former Capitals coowner Jon Ledecky and investor Scott Malkin agreed to buy a “substantial” minority interest. Terms weren’t immediately disclosed. Under the agreement, current owner Charles Wang will continue as majority stockholder for two years, the team said in a statement.