Näslund, the league's leading scorer at the time, suffered a minor concussion and a bone chip in his elbow, knocking him out of the lineup for three games.

Referee Dan Marouelli did not call a penalty, ruling the hit legal, a judgment shared by the league upon further review after the game.

[4] Canucks head coach Marc Crawford publicly criticized the no-infraction call, claiming that Marouelli and his partner, Rob Martell, needed to show "respect" for the league's leading scorer.

Vancouver president and general manager Brian Burke, the league's former chief disciplinarian, described the play as "a marginal player going after a superstar with a headhunting hit".

At the first intermission, with the score already 5–0 for Colorado, NHL executive vice-president Colin Campbell and director of officiating Andy Van Hellemond placed a phone call to the two referees overseeing the game to discuss the potential for an escalation in physicality.

[8] With eight minutes remaining in the third period and the outcome effectively decided, Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix reportedly asked referees to end the game.

After a four-month investigation, the criminal justice branch of the Attorney General of British Columbia announced on June 24, 2004, he was being formally charged with assault causing bodily harm.

He was given a conditional discharge requiring 80 hours of community service and one year's probation that additionally prohibited him from playing in any hockey game Moore was competing in.

[23] Moore expressed disappointment regarding Bertuzzi's discharge and was upset that he was unable to attend the court date, having to issue a written victim statement instead.

Planning to appeal the decision,[25] Danson stated publicly the following month that Moore had begun skating and doing regular workouts, but continued to suffer concussion-related symptoms.

Moore's parents, who were watching their son on television when the attack happened, also sued, seeking CAD$1.5 million for "negligent infliction of nervous shock and mental distress".

[26] Moore's lawyer filed the suit one day before its two-year limitation expired, denying there was any connection between the timing and Bertuzzi's participation in the 2006 Winter Olympics.

[22] In December 2006, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and top lieutenant Bill Daly facilitated a meeting between Moore's representatives and the defendants in hopes of agreeing on an out-of-court settlement.

[27] As court proceedings continued into the next year, Danson misfiled a confidential letter to Bertuzzi's lawyer, Geoffrey Adair, as a public document.

The letter also revealed that Bertuzzi and Orca Bay subsequently offered a joint settlement of CAD$350,000 in the December 2006 meeting with Bettman several months later, an amount Danson described as insulting.

[29] That same month, the Ontario Superior Court released statements pertaining to the lawsuit in which Bertuzzi testified that Crawford was to blame for his actions against Moore, an allegation corroborated by new Canucks general manager Dave Nonis, who was then director of hockey operations for the club.

Bertuzzi claimed that Crawford told players during the second intermission of the March 8 game that Moore needed to "pay the price" for his earlier hit against Näslund.

Statements filed from Danson further claimed that Crawford had pointed to Moore's name and number on a board in the Canucks' dressing room during the intermission, calling for the players to take action.

He alleged that he was contractually obliged to obey Crawford and that the coach should be held personally liable for any legal damages Moore might be awarded in court.

[33] Five years after filing the Ontario suit, Danson told reporters in March 2011 that in order to fully gauge the extent of Moore's injury, the case had not yet proceeded.

[39] In the league's decision, he cited many reasons for ending the suspension, such as: On August 12, 2005, Brian Burke, formerly Vancouver's general manager who was now serving in the same capacity with the Anaheim Ducks, had made an offer to Moore.

It was a two-way contract that would have paid Moore $475,000 US in the NHL and $75,000 if the player suited up for Portland, the Ducks' American Hockey League affiliate.

[41] Moore continued working out for several years afterward, but ultimately abandoned his comeback efforts when it became apparent he would never be medically cleared to play again.