Bertuzzi expresses regrets, gets on with career

Todd Bertuzzi made his first public comments since being re-instated with the Vancouver Canucks by the NHL office last week. Bertuzzi who is attending the Team Canada orientation camp, took time off to address the last seventeen months.

He stated that he wished that day had never happened, not wanting that event to define his career, Bertuzzi said that he planned on coming back as the player he once was, physical and hard playing.

It was a very different Bertuzzi appearing in front of a media throng than we are used to. There was no indication of the chippy, sometimes curt Bertuzzi. In past media appearances prior to the Moore incident, Bertuzzi could be what is delicately called a difficult interview. Willing to express disdain for an uncomplimentary or less than thought out question. Today it was a contrite, somewhat shaken Bertuzzi that addressed the media and the public.

His voice cracked a few times during the press conference, he seemed sincere when he said he hoped Steve Moore recovered fully from his ordeal and thank his family and friends for their support over the last 17 months. Bertuzzi claimed to have made numerous attempts to contact Moore or his representatives but with little success. It's not clear what it is he might have said had he ever hooked up with Moore. What is clear is that Bertuzzi desperately wants to turn the page on the whole incident. He said he will strive to be a better person with his second chance.

Numerous Team Canada players said that they have no problems with Bertuzzi sharing the ice and a dressing room with them. That included Colorado captain Joe Sakic, who said Bertuzzi has served his suspension, a lengthy one. Sakic said that Moore is improving daily and that's an important thing for all to remember.

While he has managed to get the initial re-entry to the NHL underway and survived his first press conference since coming back, Bertuzzi will no doubt find that his every move on the ice from this time on will be watched intensely. As of today, Bertuzzi is the biggest goldfish in the bowl, with millions of eyes watching him to see if he sinks or swims.