Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore will miss the rest of the season with a fractured neck after a hit by Vancouver's Todd Bertuzzi, prompting a police investigation.
Moore also sustained a concussion and deep facial cuts, the Avalanche said Tuesday. He will remain hospitalized in Vancouver indefinitely, Colorado trainer Pat Karns said. Bertuzzi has been suspended indefinitely pending a hearing at the NHL office in Toronto on Wednesday.
Moore was slugged in the side of the head by Bertuzzi late in Monday's game, a 9-2 Colorado victory. Bertuzzi struck him from behind and drove his head into the ice. Moore landed face-first -- with Bertuzzi on top of him -- and lay in a pool of blood for several minutes before he was removed from the ice on a stretcher.
PHOTO: REUTERS
B.C. Solicitor General Rich Coleman and Vancouver police said Tuesday an investigation has begun.
This will be the second time in recent years Vancouver police have become involved in an on-ice hit at an NHL game. Former NHL tough guy Marty McSorley was charged for hitting then-Vancouver Canuck Donald Brashear with his stick in February 2000.
The Avalanche said that when Moore's his condition improves, he will be transferred to Craig Hospital in Denver and evaluated by neurosurgeons.
"Steve knows he has the support of the entire Avalanche family and hockey fans throughout the world, and we hope that he recovers as soon as possible," Avalanche president and general manager Pierre Lacroix said.
While playing for the Boston Bruins, McSorley drew a one-year suspension for using his stick to hit Brashear on the side of the head. Brashear was knocked unconscious and missed 20 games with a concussion.
McSorley was tried in court and received a conditional sentence for assault with a weapon, but his one-year suspension from the NHL ended his 17-year career.
Flyers 3, Devils 1
John LeClair had a goal and two assists, and the Philadelphia Flyers opened a seven-point lead over New Jersey in the Atlantic Division with a 3-1 victory over the Devils.
LeClair set up goals by Mark Recchi and Kim Johnsson in a 2:28 span bridging the first and second periods as Philadelphia snapped a five-game winless (0-3-1-1) streak on the road.
"Our goal was to win our division," said Recchi. "We've got 11 to go. We've got an opportunity, if we have a big week, to succeed. We're still looking at the big picture, at what we have to do and what we have to get better at."
Robert Esche made 20 saves for the Flyers.
"I think we are proving to ourselves how good of a hockey team we have when we stay with the program and believe in it," Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock said.
Turner Stevenson scored for the Devils, who have played two fewer games than Philadelphia with 13 left in the regular season.
Penguins 4, Stars 0
In Pittsburgh, Jean-Sebastien Aubin stopped 45 shots for his sixth career shutout as Pittsburgh snapped Dallas' nine-game unbeaten streak.
Aubin established a Pittsburgh record for saves in a shutout, his first since Oct. 12, 2002.
Matt Bradley and Aleksey Morozov scored 1:03 apart in the second period. Mike Eastwood and Jon Sim also scored for Pittsburgh, which owns the NHL's worst record, but is 5-2-1 in its last eight games. The Penguins have won three straight for the first time since Jan. 13-17, 2003.
Rangers 2, Thrashers 0
In Atlanta, Jaromir Jagr scored late in the first period and Mike Dunham recorded his second shutout of the season as the New York Rangers beat Atlanta for the first time in more than two years.
New York's Bobby Holik scored an empty-netter with nine seconds left, his 20th goal of the season.
The Rangers, winning for only the second time in six games, ended their winless streak against Atlanta at seven games (6-0-1), defeating the Thrashers for the first time since Feb. 8, 2002.
Maple Leafs 5, Panthers 0
In Toronto, Ed Belfour made 15 saves for his seventh shutout of the season, and Gary Roberts scored twice as Toronto defeated Florida.
Belfour recorded his 72nd career shutout, putting him ahead of Harry Lumley for 10th on the NHL career list. Belfour, plagued recently by a sore back, was rarely tested as the Panthers managed just 12 shots throughout the first two periods.
Blues 3, Islanders 2
In St. Louis, Pavol Demitra scored his 21st goal 1:01 into overtime to give St. Louis a sweep of a home-and-home series with the New York Islanders.
Keith Tkachuk and Alexander Khavanov scored power-play goals for St. Louis and Chris Osgood made 22 saves as the Blues extended their unbeaten streak to four games.
Parrish scored his 17th goal on the Islanders' only shot of the second period.
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set