Hockey was in the news this week.

For those of us who spend half the winter drinking lukewarm coffee in a lukewarm rink, that’s usually exciting news.

Not this time.

The game was in the news because of Vancouver Canuck Todd Bertuzzi, who was suspended for the remainder of the season (and the playoffs) after delivering an ugly sucker punch to the head of Colorado Avalanche winger Steve Moore. Moore’s face hit the ice with a sickening thud, the weight of the 235-pound Bertuzzi driving him to the ice. Moore cracked two vertebrae in his neck. Thankfully, he is expected to recover.

It might take longer for the game of hockey to fully heal.

The NHL is already in a sad state. There is a work stoppage looming, scoring is down, and crowds (and ratings) are disappearing just as fast. This is not the time for another black eye on the sport. Unfortunately, the average American only notices the game of hockey when something like this happens. “Goons,” says Average Joe, “playing a barbaric sport.”

Of course, we know better. Hockey is a beautiful game, the perfect blend of speed, precision, and brute strength. Hitting is a part of the game. Without fear of physical contact, the game would be Ice Capades with a puck.

But there is no place for the kind of frontier justice Bertuzzi dispensed.

Strength?

Bertuzzi delivered the hit from behind, with his team trailing 9-2.

Courage? Bertuzzi continued to pummel Moore, even after the former Harvard star was collapsed on the ice.

“I don’t play the game that way,” said Bertuzzi while choking back tears Wednesday night.

He played it that way Monday night. And history won’t forget.

The NHL dished out the minimum conviction on Thursday, forcing Bertuzzi out of action for 12 regular-season games and the playoffs. The public outcry demanded at least that much and the league should’ve delivered more. It should have made a statement that headhunting won’t be allowed. Bertuzzi should be gone for a full year.

Canucks Coach Marc Crawford, who helped make Moore public enemy number one after the Avalanche skater delivered a slightly dirty hit on Vancouver captain Markus Naslund two weeks ago, should’ve also been suspended.

It was time for Commissioner Gary Bettman to lay a hit, and instead he pulled up.

This is why the game is ridiculed by those who don’t follow the sport. In any other sport, an action like Bertuzzi’s would’ve been dealt with far more severely. Not in hockey, where an eye for an eye is still the accepted rule of law.

Bertuzzi will probably return to the NHL before Steve Moore. The question is, how long before the league has another incident, and again returns to the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Lewiston native Tom Caron cover the Red Sox and Bruins for the New England Sports Network (NESN).