After over ten years of trial preparation, Steve Moore has agreed to settlement terms with the Vancouver Canucks and Todd Bertuzzi. The terms of the settlement remain private, and come less than a month before the scheduled trial start date of September 8.
Moore’s lawsuit arose from a career-ending sucker punch he received on ice from Todd Bertuzzi, a member of the Canucks, back in March of 2004. A few weeks prior, Moore landed a questionable body-check on Vancouver’s Captain, Markus Naslund, giving him a concussion. Vancouver players publicly spoke out about Moore, calling him a marked man. On March 8, the teams met again, and Todd Bertuzzi threw a devastating right hook to the back of Moore’s head after Moore refused to turn and face him. As Moore crashed to the ice unconscious, Bertuzzi, fell on top of his back while many others, from both teams, piled on. Moore sustained a concussion and three cracked vertebrae, and never played in the NHL again.
Moore was injured in his rookie season, having only played 69 games in the NHL. He sought lost earnings from the NHL career he anticipated having. Originally, Moore demanded $38 million, but increased the amount of damages to $68 million this past July.
Todd Bertuzzi pleaded guilty to assault charges after the incident, avoiding jail time. He was placed on probation and performed 80 hours of community service. The NHL suspended Bertuzzi for the remaining 13 games of the season in addition to the NHL playoffs that year. He has since played 9 seasons in the NHL and is currently an unrestricted free agent.
The settlement here is potentially very significant considering the current wave of concussion-related litigation running rampant throughout professional and collegiate sports. The NHL has several recent lawsuits pending, which have been consolidated US District Court in Minnesota. Commissioner Gary Bettman, team owners, and other executives would’ve been called to testify had this matter gone to trial, exposing the NHL’s handling of concussions and the violence causing them. While the NHL’s unique policy toward violence would’ve come under heavy scrutiny in this trial, it will stay out of the spotlight for now, until the concussion litigation moves forward.
Report: Settlement reached in Steve Moore-Todd Bertuzzi case