Compassion for Moore voiced after ruling

BUFFALO -- The talk in rinks all over North America yesterday was the substantial punishment handed to Vancouver's Todd Bertuzzi for his vicious attack on Colorado's Steve Moore. The NHL suspended Bertuzzi for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs and the big right wing will have to apply for reinstatement next year.

"I wasn't surprised by it," said Bruins coach Mike Sullivan. "It's obviously just a real unfortunate incident that none of us likes to see. I'm sure the league looked at it from both sides and made the decision they felt was the best decision. Everyone is really hoping that Steve Moore is going to be OK. That's what sticks out in my mind the most is really the concern for him. It's an unfortunate circumstance.

"The reality is we play an emotional game and that's one of the things that makes our game as exciting as it is because there's so much emotion involved. Something like this, obviously, the emotion got out of hand and the league can't condone it. They've made a decision they feel is the right decision."

Several Bruins remain from the 1999-2000 club that was shellshocked by the Feb. 21, 2000, incident involving Marty McSorley, who struck Vancouver's Donald Brashear in the head with his stick. McSorley was suspended for a year and never made it back to the NHL.

Hal Gill, Boston's representative for the Players Association, said these incidents have no place in hockey.

"Those are individual circumstances that happen," said the 6-foot-7-inch defenseman. "It's not encouraged at all. It's not a part of the game. For people to come out and say hockey's bad, it's a shame, because it's not part of the game. What is part of the game and what most people love about hockey is that you have an opportunity if you want to fight someone; you square off and you fight. They don't want to see people get hurt and usually in fights, you'll see the occasional broken bone but it's not a major injury."

Gill acknowledged the McSorley and Bertuzzi incidents are not good for the sport.

"You hate to see anyone get hurt, especially out of something like that," he said. "With Marty, for whatever reason it happened, it doesn't matter, you hate to see anyone get injured. At the same time, it's a tough game."

Not feeling jilted

Defenseman Jeff Jillson, traded to the Sabres as part of a three-team swap with Boston and San Jose Tuesday at the deadline, made his Buffalo debut Wednesday night against the Capitals in Washington and was in the lineup last night. "It's going to be a little different but I'm sure once the game starts going, it's going to be just another game," he said. "I really didn't have much of a chance [to absorb everything]." Jillson heard about the deal on TV when the Bruins were in Nashville. At the time, Sullivan told him it wasn't official but an hour later, he found out it was. "I didn't have much time to think about it at the airport and then I played [Wednesday] night," said Jillson, who said he has no hard feelings. "I started off in Boston but then, obviously, it didn't go as well as I wanted to of late. I wish things could've worked out a little better, but at the same time I wasn't surprised that I was moved. I'm looking forward to making a good run to the playoffs here in Buffalo these last few weeks and just concentrating on playoffs. Sometimes things don't always go the way they're set up to be. You move on and look forward and what's in the past is in the past."

Moving on

Defenseman Andy Delmore, also part of the Jillson deal, joined the Bruins at the morning skate and only had to move his equipment to the visitors' dressing room at HSBC Arena. But when Delmore will get into the Bruins lineup remains to be seen. "I spoke to him and I told him that we're happy with the six players who are in the lineup right now," said Sullivan. "We feel like they've done a real good job for us and we certainly want to reward those guys for their efforts and their accomplishments. On the same side of the coin, in order to have success down the stretch, depth is a critical part of it. We need players who are going to be able to step in at any given time and help our team win and I think he's a guy who can help our team do that. I'm not quite sure at what point he'll get in, but we're excited to have him because we feel the more guys we have who are capable, it makes our team that much stronger." . . . Joe Thornton played in his 500th career game last night.