Barry MacDonald of 24hrs.ca has penned an "Aww, poor thing" story about Todd Bertuzzi.

He is, to be certain, one big, enigmatic mass of a man. He is Todd Bertuzzi, who also happens to be one of the most dominant hockey players on the planet when he chooses to be.

Sad, but true. It's cliché to say that an athlete can just simply score more if he wants to, but it really is the case for Todd Bertuzzi. There are times when he can take the game by the neck but he usually doesn't these days. With just 2 goals and 11 points in 13 games, Bertuzzi really hasn't re-established himself as the game's elite Power Forward that he once was.

It is not always easy to feel compassion for Bertuzzi. Even before "The Incident" he was a nasty piece of business for the inquiring minds. The majority of pro-hockey players understand the media's role, and view our inquisitions as a necessary evil.

Bertuzzi viewed us an unnecessary one, and that was on his good days. Trevor Linden can take a poorly framed question and provide a thoughtful answer, understanding that we are simply conduits from the players to the fans. Bertuzzi has chosen to ignore that link, opting instead, more often than not, to reveal little about himself or his craft.

One thing that doesn't help Bertuzzi is the image he has of a surly jerk and a very unfriendly guy to be around (and a cheap guy who doesn't like to foot the bill at the bars/restaurants for his teammates). Bertuzzi seems to have taken the "I don't care what they say route" and doesn't spend time fighting media fires. Todd doesn't want to play the villain that the media and many fans see in him.

Barry goes on to declare that the Steve Moore incident haunts Todd Bertuzzi.

He isn't have an easy time getting back to what he does best. I had suggested on numerous occasions the best thing for Bertuzzi would be to get back on the ice and rock someone with a clean hit at the very first opportunity.

But it just isn't that easy. You have to pick your spots to make that kind of check and those spots can be few and far between. More than anything however, you have to be mentally prepared to make such a physical statement, and as yet, I'm not convinced Bertuzzi is ready to do that. He has had moments, but until I see that sneer, that scowl and that arrogance that so defines him, I will maintain the Moore incident haunts him to some degree.

As if Bertuzzi wasn't an emotional enigma before the incident, now the big guy is afraid he'll get called for a penalty or chastised by the media for laying even a clean bodycheck on a guy. Apart from a very few flashes, Bertuzzi has been afraid to assert himself in any physical matter this season. It's frustrating to watch Bertuzzi loaf around the ice and coasting like Mark Messier was famous for after his first go-round with the Rangers.

I'm no sports psychologist, nor do I play one on TV, so I can't diagnose exactly what is wrong with Bertuzzi. I can just say that I believe he does feel the weight of the world on his shoulders and keeps everything bottled up. Bertuzzi is as closed to the media as you can get with a non-European NHL star. Kids and others who have met Bertuzzi have stated that he is a nice man, albeit quite shy and keeps to himself. Bertuzzi has admitted that he doesn't really like taking vacations and would rather just stay at home during the summer.

The attack on Moore seemed to be a release of emotions from a bunch of things that been building up for Bertuzzi (It was a very frustrating year for him in many respects up until that point).

It's important that Canuck fans keep this all in perspective. For Todd Bertuzzi, it's not as simple as just lacing them up anymore.

It's one thing to be packing around those expectations that go with being one of the best players in the game. It's another to be saddled with a load of emotional baggage.
This isn't to suggest that you feel sorry for Bertuzzi ... it is to suggest you understand the road back might just be a little rocky.

It should be easy for non-Avalanche fans to just let it go. Why would Oilers fans be booing Bertuzzi? They should be saving their energy and booing their inept management.

As for Bertuzzi, he is getting paid a lot of money for his services and he's not delivering good value. I have a right to be angry at the fact that Bertuzzi is not asserting himself and seemingly doing nothing to correct his mental problems. If he is so afraid of bodychecking or throwing his heft around, then he needs to spend some quality time with a psychiatrist and he needs to take the bull by the horns.

Until I see Bertuzzi develop a "screw you" attitude and just knock defenders down like bowling pins, I, and the other Canucks fans, reserve the right to criticize his lackluster play. Why should we have to wait for Bertuzzi to "play angry"? Todd should play hard every game and deliver a performance in line with the heavy salary he has saddled the Canucks with.