Steve Moore’s civil suit against the Vancouver Canucks and Todd Bertuzzi, a.k.a. hockey’s pending O.J. Trial, just got about $30 million more interesting.

Moore’s lawyers have filed documents that increase his financial claims in the case from $38 million to $68 million, according to the Toronto Star. Moore is seeking damages after a sucker-punch from Bertuzzi in a March 8, 2004 game between the Canucks and the Colorado Avalanche ended his hockey career; Bertuzzi pled guilty to an assault charge, and his suspension ended up lasting 17 months from the NHL.

Why the increase? The entire basis of the trial is about Moore losing future earnings due to the incident. From the Toronto Star:

The Canucks and Bertuzzi will argue at trial that estimates Moore would make $35 million during his NHL career are wildly off-base. Moore’s expert list will include hockey executives who will say that he would have blossomed into a top-six forward.

That much will be subjective. It would have been hard to predict, for instance, that Bertuzzi, demoted to the minors for 13 games during his third NHL season, would go on to earn nearly $50 million from NHL teams.

The Canucks’ lawyer, Alan D’Silva, will also try to cast doubt on Moore’s claim that he could have made as much as $65 million during a career in the financial services industry following his pro hockey career.

Alan D’Silva, the lawyer for the Canucks, will be tasked with proving that Moore wouldn’t have been a success on the ice or, well, in life. According to the Star, D’Silva said an “expert” had assessed that Moore would have likely been “a hoist operator, a farm labourer or a cook in a fast-food restaurant” after his NHL career. Which is obviously the most likely career path for a Harvard graduate ...

The trial is expected to begin in September. Bertuzzi is currently an unrestricted free agent.