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Even for the thuggishness that often passes for professional hockey, Monday's on-ice attack in Vancouver was despicable - a defining moment for the National Hockey League.
Todd Bertuzzi, an All-Star forward for the Vancouver Canucks, blindsided Steve Moore, a Colorado Avalanche forward, sucker-punching him, driving him down to the ice and leaving him with a concussion, facial cuts and a broken neck.
On Wednesday, in an "apology" that sums up what's wrong with his sport, Bertuzzi made a mind-numbing statement. "Steve," he said, "I had no intention of hurting you." He was suspended at least for the rest of this season and docked a half-million bucks. The league went through the motions Thursday of making all this a very big deal. The conversion is facile and self-serving.
Hockey has not just tolerated violence. It has created a culture in which blood sport is part of the show. Players do things in arenas they'd be jailed for outside on the street. Warnings and paybacks are advertised in advance. If NHL commissioner Gary Bettman believes, as he said, that "this (assault) is not part of our game, it has no place in our game and it will not be tolerated in our game," then why did he express the wish - now that the Vancouver police are investigating - that "we are hoping there is no legal action."
The league should start thinking about its image before another struggling team asks for public subsidies. When three-fourths of NHL revenues go for players salaries, the public has every right to wonder: What kind of person is my tax money making a millionaire? The financially troubled league is facing the prospect of an extended strike or lockout after this season, and Monday's horrible scene doesn't help make the case that professional hockey is worth saving.