VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Marty McSorley was found
guilty of assault with a weapon but won't be sent to jail for his
two-fisted stick attack on an opponent.
Now he needs the NHL's permission to play again.
A Canadian court found McSorley guilty Friday for the Feb. 21
blow that sent Vancouver Canucks forward Donald Brashear sprawling
to the ice.
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Friday,
Oct. 6
I'm shocked at the verdict. I thought Marty McSorley's defense team had
shown that he didn't do it on purpose, that it was an accident. He tried to
hit Donald Brashear in the arm and the stick glanced up into his face.
Obviously, the judge decided it wasn't right, and Marty got a guilty
verdict. I'm just hoping that Marty can get on
with his life now.
I don't think there's a place for law in sports. I think sports should
police themselves. All sports have done a good job policing themselves. Now,
for the first time, the legal system enters into sports, grabs an athlete
for doing something that has happened many times before, takes him to court
and finds him guilty of assault with a weapon. Finding him guilty in a court
of law has changed the playing field. For anyone who loves hockey and loves
sports, I don't think this is a happy day.
Brashear is the exact same type of player as McSorley. It could easily be
Brashear in this situation. I'm hoping he and the Vancouver Canucks feel a
little bit of sympathy for Marty. |
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McSorley, a 17-year NHL veteran who was with the Boston Bruins
at the time, won't have any charges go on his record as long as he
completes 18 months of probation. He was ordered not to play
against Brashear during that time, in Canada or the United States.
A lawyer for McSorley said the player might appeal.
Players and the NHL say the case shouldn't have gone to court.
"I've played the game for a long time," McSorley said. "I
have a tremendous amount of respect for the game. ... I'm extremely
glad to see Donald back on the ice and I do plan to address this
with Donald in person."
McSorley was suspended indefinitely by the NHL after the hit _
missing the final 23 games of last season _ and is an unrestricted
free agent. He must meet with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman before
he can be considered for reinstatement.
"The court today said that its focus was solely on the charge
against Mr. McSorley. This was not a trial of the game or the
NHL," Bettman said Friday.
"Clearly, this incident was not representative of NHL hockey or
NHL players. While the court's decision today brings closure to
this aspect of the incident, it does not alter our position that we
will continue to punish severely acts of inappropriate conduct in
our game."
Brashear, whose Canucks played Florida on Friday, issued a
statement.
"The court in Vancouver has made its decision and it's time to
move on now," Brashear said. "I'd like to thank everyone for
their support, especially my family and my teammates. It's time to
concentrate on the season."
The trial was the first for an on-ice attack by an NHL player
since Dino Ciccarelli, then with the Minnesota North Stars, was
sentenced in 1988. He received one day in jail and a $1,000 fine
for hitting Toronto's Luke Richardson with his stick.
The 37-year-old McSorley, one of the league's most notorious
enforcers, testified he tried to hit Brashear in the shoulder to
provoke him into fighting and didn't mean to hit his head.
But Judge William Kitchen disagreed, saying "Brashear was
struck as intended."
McSorley "slashed for the head. A child, swinging as at a
tee-ball, would not miss. A housekeeper swinging a carpet-beater
would not miss. An NHL player would never, ever miss," Kitchen
said.
The hit came with three seconds left in the game between the
Bruins and Canucks.
Brashear's head hit the ice. He briefly lost consciousness, and
had a concussion and memory lapses. He returned to play after
several weeks and has fully recovered.
Brashear testified he has no memory of what happened.
Bill Smart, McSorley's lawyer, argued that NHL players give
"explicit consent" to the risk of on-ice contact.
Bruins defenseman Kyle McLaren called the verdict "shocking."
"It happens in games. It happens all the time. There's other
stuff that's probably worse than that," McLaren said.
"The NHL did a good job of policing itself. Now it's going
off-ice. It's sort of crossing some bounds here."
Brashear, a left wing who had 11 goals and 136 penalty minutes
in 60 games last season, re-signed with the Canucks on Sept. 19.
The weeklong trial included evidence from McSorley and Brashear,
on-ice officials, Canucks coach Marc Crawford, New York Rangers
executive Glen Sather and others.
Even Wayne Gretzky made a cameo appearance. He did not testify,
but sat in the courtroom in support of McSorley, his friend and
once his protector on the ice.
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ALSO SEE
Johnson: Guilty verdict misleading in McSorley trial
Players say McSorley ruling 'opens can of worms'
AUDIO VIDEO
 Marty McSorley attacks an unsuspecting Donald Brashear.
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Marty McSorley press conference.
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Marty McSorley's attoney Paul Kelly comments on filing an appeal.
RealVideo: 28.8
ESPN's Al Morganti talks with Vancouver defense attorney Colleen Smith.
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Gary Bettman talks on SportsCenter.
RealVideo: 28.8
 Donald Brashear will be happy to put everything behind him.
wav: 236 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky went to see McSorley on the day Marty took the stand as a show of support for a friend.
wav: 1047 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky talks about the how Marty McSorley verdict will affect the game of hockey.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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