Todd Bertuzzi's Beginning
Todd Bertuzzi was born February 2, 1975 in Sudbury, Ontario. He started playing hockey on frozen lakes when he was a kid, with his friends during the long Canadian winters. Bertuzzi would keep skating and shooting pucks until his parents called him in for dinner. While Todd Bertuzzi developed his hockey skills, he also started to develop the large frame and short temper he's become known for.By the time Todd Bertuzzi was 15, he was 6'2" and 195 pounds. On the ice, Todd Bertuzzi's size and aggressive nature terrified both opponents and his own teammates. Off the ice, the Bertuzzi family babysitter described him as a "hellraiser" who would constantly be tormenting his two younger sisters. Todd Bertuzzi's toughness and natural talent made him a force in the Ontario Hockey League, where he played for Guelph. Bertuzzi scored 54 goals in his final year of junior hockey and was drafted in the first round of the NHL draft by the New York Islanders.
Todd Bertuzzi Turns Pro
After scoring 18 goals in his rookie year with the New York Islanders, Todd Bertuzzi's NHL career hit a rough patch. The Islanders wanted Bertuzzi to play with the aggression and mean streak he was known for in junior hockey. Todd Bertuzzi was still adapting to the NHL and hadn't yet found his scoring touch at the professional level. The Islanders grew tired of waiting, so they traded Todd Bertuzzi to the Vancouver Canucks in 1998. It would turn out to be a blessing for Todd Bertuzzi and a huge mistake for the Islanders.Todd Bertuzzi - The Unstoppable Force
It took Todd Bertuzzi three full seasons with the Canucks before he developed into the superstar that many scouts knew he could be. The turning point in Bertuzzi's career came at the start of the 2001 season. Bertuzzi left the bench during a game against the Colorado Avalanche to get into a fight with Scott Parker. For leaving the bench, Todd Bertuzzi received a 10 game suspension. When he returned, Todd Bertuzzi was a different player. He averaged more than a point a game for the rest of the season and became one of the NHL's most dominant players.It became nearly impossible for defenders to take the puck away from Bertuzzi, or remove him from in front of the net. During the 2002-2003 season, Todd played with Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison on one of the highest scoring lines in the league. Todd Bertuzzi scored 46 goals and was named to the NHL's all-star team. He also helped lead the Canucks to their most successful regular season, and to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Todd Bertuzzi Gets Suspended
On March 8, 2004 the old Bertuzzi reappeared. In a game that pitted the Colorado Avalanche against the Vancouver Canucks, Todd Bertuzzi sucker-punched Avalanche forward Steve Moore. Moore and Bertuzzi crashed to the ice and both Avalanche and Canuck team members dogpiled the duo. Steve Moore ended up with a fractured neck and is out for the rest of the NHL season. Bertuzzi was immediately suspended and later broke down in tears during a televised apology to Moore and his own team. The NHL held a hearing and decided to suspend Bertuzzi for the rest of the season and any play-off games. The NHL also left open the option of suspending Bertuzzi into next season as well.The tension between Moore and the rest of the Canucks began on February 16, 2004 when Steve Moore hit Canucks Captain Markus Naslund, causing a concussion that took Naslund out for three games. Even though the hit was called "a cheap shot by a young kid on a captain, the leading scorer in the league" Moore received no penalty and the National Hockey League took zero action.
Todd Bertuzzi - Did U Know?
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