Ice Hockey: Uproar at Bertuzzi pick for Olympics

TORONTO - The inclusion in Canada's Olympic hockey team of a player convicted of a vicious on-ice assault against an opposing player has stirred a storm of controversy among Canadian fans.

The selection of the talented Todd Bertuzzi, a star forward with the Vancouver Canucks, for the team that will compete in the Turin Winter Games in February must still be approved Canada's Olympic Committee.

The committee is yet to deliver the final team roster to the International Olympic Committe, but it was considered unlikely that it would overturn Bertuzzi's selection despite widespread condemnation of the choice.

Bertuzzi was found guilty of assault in 2004 after hitting Colorado Avalanche rookie Steve Moore with a punch on the back of the head during a National Hockey League game.

Moore suffered broken vertebrae and a concussion and has been unable to resume his career. The court gave Bertuzzi a year's probation for his crime, and he was suspended from NHL play until August 2005.

Many Canadians had called for Bertuzzi to be jailed for the assault, and his addition to the all-star team assembled to defend Canada's 2002 Olympic gold medal performance at Salt Lake City spurred outrage.

A headline on a column in the Toronto Sun newspaper screamed: "Bert a bad pick; Bertuzzi simply not a representative of the Olympic ideal."

"He certainly doesn't represent my image of Canada and his being picked has left a bitter taste in my mouth," one reader told the Toronto Star newspaper.

But Team Canada's assistant executive director, Kevin Lowe defended picking Bertuzzi for the team, noting that the choice was unanimous among the selection committee, which included Wayne Gretzky, considered the greatest player ever produced by Canada.

"We're excited to have him. As human beings in life and in this country, I think a big part of being Canadian is being able to forgive. This is a big step for Todd Bertuzzi," Lowe told reporters.

Ironically, the inclusion on the team of Ottawa Senators star Dany Heatley, who pleaded guilty to charges in a vehicular homicide case stemming from a car crash that resulted in the death of teammate Dan Snyder, went almost unnoticed.

- REUTERS