Todd Bertuzzi (born 2 February 1975 in Sudbury,
Ontario) is a Canadian professional ice hockey
player for the Anaheim Ducks of the NHL.
Bertuzzi was drafted in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft by
the New York Islanders, but was traded to the
Vancouver Canucks in 1998 along with Bryan McCabe
for Trevor Linden. Bertuzzi's best season was
2002-2003, when he had 97 points. Bertuzzi played on
the top line of the Vancouver Canucks, sometimes
referred to as the West Coast Express, which
consisted of himself, Brendan Morrison, and Markus
Näslund. Wayne Gretzky said that the line was the
most dynamic and dangerous combination of players
since the days where Jari Kurri, Mark Messier and he
played on a line with the Edmonton Oilers during the
1980s dynasty.
On June 23, 2006, Bertuzzi was traded to the Florida
Panthers along with Bryan Allen and Alex Auld in
exchange for Roberto Luongo, Lukas Krajicek and a
sixth-round draft pick.
Bertuzzi scored a goal in his Panthers debut vs.
Boston on October 6, 2006. Experiencing back spasms
early in the 2006 season, Bertuzzi opted for surgery
on November 2, 2006 that would sideline him for at
least twelve to sixteen weeks. On December 6th,
2006, Bertuzzi was given medical clearance to begin
skating. His debut goal was the only one he ever
scored for the Panthers.
On February 27, 2007 Bertuzzi was traded to the
Detroit Red Wings for prospect Shawn Matthias and
conditional draft picks. Bertuzzi and the Red Wings
advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where
they lost in six games to the eventual Stanley Cup
champions Anaheim Ducks.
On July 2, 2007 Bertuzzi signed a two year deal
worth $8 million with the Anaheim Ducks as an
unrestricted free agent. This reunited him with
Brian Burke, who was manager of Vancouver during
Bertuzzi's tenure with them.
