The Bounty

It started with a legal hit. It ended with a career destroyed, a criminal conviction, and ten years of legal proceedings.

On February 16, 2004, Colorado Avalanche center Steve Moore delivered a legal open-ice hit on Vancouver Canucks captain Markus Naslund. The NHL reviewed the play and ruled it clean. No penalty, no suspension.

The Canucks were furious. Head coach Marc Crawford publicly criticized the officiating. GM Brian Burke called Moore's hit "a marginal player going after a superstar." Brad May, a Canucks forward, publicly declared a "bounty" on Moore. Todd Bertuzzi called Moore "a piece of s---" to reporters.

Three weeks later, on March 8, 2004, the teams met again in Vancouver. Colorado was winning 9-2 in the third period when Bertuzzi was sent onto the ice. He followed Moore around the ice for approximately 40 seconds, tugging at his jersey, trying to get Moore to turn and face him. Moore did not turn. Then Bertuzzi grabbed his jersey from behind, punched him in the back of the head, and drove him face-first into the ice.

Moore was knocked unconscious. He lay motionless in a pool of blood for approximately ten minutes before being removed on a stretcher. He suffered three fractured cervical vertebrae and a severe concussion.

Steve Moore never played professional hockey again.

The Bounty tells the complete story:

The Setup - The legal hit. The Canucks' outrage. The coach's public demands for accountability. The GM's characterization of Moore as a "marginal player." Brad May's bounty. Commissioner Bettman attending the March 3 rematch in Denver - and no one doing anything. Five days later, in Vancouver, with no commissioner present.

March 8 - The 40-second pursuit. The enforcer code that said Moore had already paid his dues (he had fought Matt Cooke in the first period). The punch from behind. The pool of blood. Ten minutes on the ice.

The Accounting - Bertuzzi's emotional apology two days later ("I had no intention of hurting you"). The NHL's unprecedented team fine of $250,000 to the Canucks. The 17-month suspension. The criminal charge: assault causing bodily harm. The guilty plea on December 22, 2004. The conditional discharge: one year probation, 80 hours community service.

The Return - Bertuzzi was reinstated for the 2005-06 season and played eight more years in the NHL. Moore spent years attempting rehabilitation and a return to professional hockey. He could not return.

The Lawsuit - Moore filed a civil suit in 2006 seeking $68 million from Bertuzzi, the Vancouver Canucks, and the NHL. The NHL was named as a defendant on the theory that its institutional culture had contributed to the conditions that produced the attack. Ten years of depositions. Three weeks before trial was to begin, on August 19, 2014: a confidential settlement. Terms never disclosed.

Moore's statement: "This day comes with mixed emotions."

Book 5 of the Off the Ice series: hockey's criminal cases told in full.