Good old time hockey returned to St. Louis last night. Exciting to see the boys reacting to a hit like that. About time we saw emotion from Tkachuk, especially with the “A” on his sweater. I like Tkachuk, but he’s not what he used to be when he first came into the league. Maybe this will wake up the team to start playing better. So much talent, but they’re underachieving right now.

Maybe if we had some “d” that could lay out hits of our own, the other teams would not do things like this. Colaiacovo is just not tough enough and needs to “suck it up”. 18,000 fans see that every night.

I generally love to watch Steve Ott’s hardnosed play but I thought this particular hit was kinda low. But I’m really not surprised, considering the coach. Mark Crawford has a well-documented history of MANDATING that his players commit dirty hits. The most famous example is here. http://www.thestar.com/article/700768

Former Vancouver Canucks coach Marc Crawford and general manager Brian Burke silently orchestrated Todd Bertuzzi’s career-ending assault on Steve Moore in 2004, new court records allege.

With the Avalanche dominating the Canucks 5-0 at the end of the second period in a crucial March 8, 2004 matchup, Crawford pointed to Steve Moore’s name and number on the roster board and said, “(Moore) must pay the price” for a hit he had previously delivered on Canucks captain Markus Naslund, claims a motion filed by Moore’s lawyers.

Crawford’s call to action was part of an unspoken hockey “code” of violence instilled from the top, Moore alleges in the documents.

“Crawford took his instructions from Brian Burke, his tough talking boss who also advocates in favour of violence in hockey,” the motion records say. “He advocates fighting, expressing his dislike over the fact that it bothered him that with the Leafs, it was always the Leafs’ trainers on the ice, implying that he wanted to see the other teams’ trainers on the ice, whilst promoting a more `hostile’ team.”

Moore’s lawyers are seeking an order to examine Crawford as part of their ongoing litigation against Bertuzzi, the Canucks and club owners Orca Bay.

In responding to the documents filed in court, Crawford’s lawyers argue Moore has no right to examine Crawford because the former Canucks coach is not named in the suit.

Requests for an interview with Burke, now general manager of the Maple Leafs, were not returned yesterday.

Orca Bay has directed responsibility for the incident at Bertuzzi.

In the court filings, Moore alleges Bertuzzi’s actions were guided by a culture of secrecy that protects coaches and managers.

“The `Code’ is designed to ensure that what happens in the dressing room stays in the dressing room and to make sure that coaches and general managers cannot be held accountable,” say the motion records. “When challenged, the `Code’s’ conspiracy of silence calls for a closing of the ranks.”

“(Crawford), along with Burke, were responsible for enforcing a code of conduct … with respect to the threats and/or plans of retaliation against Steve Moore.”

Six days before the March 8 game, with some Canucks players threatening retaliation against Moore in the media, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and executive vice-president Colin Campbell spoke with Burke. “Both Bettman and Campbell wanted to know that the temperature had been dialled right down,” say Moore’s motion records.

Orca Bay court filings confirm the conversation took place and say the Canucks did take steps to prevent acts of retribution against Moore, including Burke telling Crawford to “emphasize to players that any talk of or steps to take `payback’ against Moore were inappropriate and were not acceptable.”

With the Avalanche dominating the Canucks 6-2 in the third period, Bertuzzi punched Moore from behind then shoved his face into the ice under the force of his weight.

Immediately afterward, while Moore lay unconscious on the ice in a pool of blood, television cameras captured an image of Crawford smirking.

Video and still images of his facial reaction have been filed in court by Moore’s lawyers, along with a transcript of the live television commentary in which one analyst comments, “Crawford is laughing about it. He’s got a smirk on his face. It is unbelievable.”

Sam Krause, in the name of being responsible and accurate, why don’t you acknowledge that your entire posting is predicated on allegations only (assuming you even understand the concept)? Allegations don’t make a thing true. Allegations of a ”conspiracy” are especially suspect. So just pasting a bunch of court filings, i.e., allegations, is misleading. You may buy the whole JFK conspiracy theory (everyone conspired to commit the act) hook and line, but allow others to form their own opinions about a wholly different, and serious, matter. The real reason lawyers go after organizations, as opposed to just individuals, is…..money. Surprise, surprise. Wake up buddy.

Can we stop blaming the defense already? We scored ONE goal, late in the game by the guy too inexperienced to play. The game before we only scored TWO. Our problem is not defense. WE CAN’T SCORE GOALS!!! With the recent injuries, bring up Eller and let’s finally see if he can play.

Crawford and Ott are freakin jokes. There’s no use for that style of play in the sport. IF I ever see either one I’m going to spit on their nice suits. See how they like it. Despicable.

Tkachuck isnt what he used to be when he first came into the league………WHAT? that might be because HES 37 FREAKING YEARS OLD NOW!!! he came into the league in 1992. do you react to things the same way you did 17 years ago?

The first half of Ott’s hit was not dirty. A hip check is a hip check. The dirty part was that he lifted up and put Colaiacovo in a prone position. While not a penalty, hockey players generally have a little more respect for each other’s personal safety. I’ve seen much worse, but it was a little on the dirty side. I don’t get the poster that called out Tkachuk - he’s been one of our best players. At his age, we’re getting much more production than I thought we would.