Long-Timers: Todd Bertuzzi

In the 102-year history of the National Hockey League, 348 individuals have played 1,000 or more regular season games. 44 of them, or 12.6%, have played some part of their career with the Atlanta or Calgary Flames. We call these players Long-Timers.

Let’s take a look at Todd Bertuzzi.

An Ontario kid, the burly Bertuzzi was a star with the OHL’s Guelph Storm as a junior. He was the 23rd overall pick by the New York Islanders in 1993 NHL Draft.

Bertuzzi jumped to the pros in 1995 with the Isles. After a solid rookie year he backslid a bit as a sophomore, which may have contributed to him being part of a big trade the following season. He was sent to Vancouver with Bryan McCabe and a third round pick for Trevor Linden.

It was in Vancouver that Bertuzzi made his biggest mark – for better and for worse. After missing a big chunk of 1998-99 with injury, Bertuzzi began taking big steps forward. He scored 25 goals in back-to-back seasons, then had 36 goals, then had his best-ever offensive season with 46 goals and 97 points in 2002-03. (He finished with in Hart Trophy voting.)

The following season, Bertuzzi was involved in an infamous incident where he clobbered Steve Moore from behind, ending Moore’s playing career. Bertuzzi was suspended for the balance of the season, missing the playoffs (and let’s face it, probably costing the Canucks their first round series against the Flames).

A season after his reinstatement from suspension, he was traded to Florida with Bryan Allen and Alex Auld for Roberto Luongo, Lukas Krajicek and a sixth round pick. He played just seven games with the Fancy Cats, as he was then traded to Detroit for Shawn Matthias and a second round pick. He bounced around in free agency, landing for a season each in Anaheim and Calgary. He was a decent if unspectacular Flame, best known for “Todd Bertuzzi passes” – drop passes to nobody in particular executed three feet inside the offensive blueline.

Bertuzzi landed back in Detroit in free agency, playing there for the final five campaigns of the NHL career. He retired in 2015 after a brief stint with the Senators’ AHL team.

In his prime, Bertuzzi was a great power forward with a unique combination of hockey sense and physicality. He never won a championship, but he was a big part of a lot of good hockey clubs.