After demonstrating considerable resolve in the collective bargaining war, Gary Bettman has shown much less of it in confronting the question of Todd Bertuzzi's indefinite suspension. Mr. Bettman has chosen simply to strike this problem from his "TO DO" list.

As a result, Todd Bertuzzi will play hockey again.

No doubt there were identifiable reasons to end Bertuzzi's exile. Having the suspension linger into the 2005-06 season would have presented an unwelcome distraction for a league that is trying to rebuild its reputation. The incident still reminds fans about all that was bad with the "old" NHL. Clearly, Mr. Bettman wanted to launch the "new" NHL with a clean slate.

Whatever the justification, Bertuzzi's hasty reinstatement is not a satisfactory resolution to the events of March 8, 2003.

For those whose memories fade quickly, it was on that day that Bertuzzi brutally assaulted Steve Moore of the Colorado Avalanche. After unsuccessfully attempting to egg Moore into a fight, Bertuzzi pounced on him from behind and delivered a vicious punch to his head. Moore crashed face-first to the ice with Bertuzzi on top of him. Moore's teammate Andre Nikolishin deflected Bertuzzi's attempt to strike a second blow upon his prone victim. Moore was at all times unable to defend himself.

The force of the assault left Moore with a broken neck and serious concussion symptoms, injuries from which he has yet to recover. Had it not been for Nikolishin's intervention, the harm might have been far worse.

As a result, Steve Moore will not play hockey again -- not for the foreseeable future.

The attack on Moore was the culmination of a vendetta launched to bring Moore to "hockey" justice for his questionable hit on Markus Naslund three weeks earlier. The "shoulder-to-head" hit had left Naslund unconscious. Referees did not call a penalty and the NHL delivered no post-game retribution. Afterward, Bertuzzi's Vancouver teammate Brad May suggested that there was a bounty on Moore's head. Bertuzzi's attack on Moore was premeditated.

Bertuzzi served a suspension of 13 regular season games and 7 playoff games. He could not play in Europe during the lockout, though it is difficult to know whether he would have done so had he been able to play. This aspect of Bertuzzi's "punishment" is speculative at best.

Bertuzzi was remorseful in the typical way a bully is remorseful after being caught bullying. He shed a few tears. He made unsuccessful attempts to speak to Moore. He conducted a sustained public effort to gain Moore's forgiveness.

Why does an assailant seek forgiveness from his victim? Forgiveness eases the assailant's burden. It also acts to downplay the severity of his misdeed. In the assailant's mind, it is a sanction of his behaviour. Steve Moore, however, has refused to confer this sanction upon Todd Bertuzzi.

It is not enough that the legal system dealt with the event. It was important for the league to do so swiftly and decisively. An indefinite suspension that turned into a 20 game suspension is a sadly weak response. Unfortunately, it is also entirely in keeping with a league that has yet to address hockey violence in an appropriate fashion. A "Wild West", macho mentality continues to damage the game's credibility as a legitimate sport.

The NHL efforts to make the league more entertaining to its fans ought to have started with a strong, symbolic pronouncement respecting hockey violence. Todd Bertuzzi should have been the sacrificial lamb. Instead, his return to the NHL comes far too soon to satisfy true "hockey" justice.