Link to ESPN story.

 

Freakin' morons.

He certainly dresses the part.

Sun-Times article

 

apparently Gretzky's wife is involved too. I remain largely uninterested.

Sun-Times article

 

apparently Gretzky's wife is involved too.  I remain largely uninterested.

janet gretzky placing bets = wayne gretzky placing bets

janet gretzky placing bets = wayne gretzky placing bets

 

Winner!! I can't wait until that "shocking" break comes in the case, and the ESPN goofs defend Gretzky to no end.

So f***ing sick of hearing about this it's not even funny.

 

Every TV show, every radio updated, etc.

Edited February 8, 200620 yr by WHarris1

So f***ing sick of hearing about this it's not even funny.

 

Every TV show, every radio updated, etc.

 

I tend to agree, but we are only at the tip of the iceberg with this story, so get used to it .

Sounds like its getting worse. I vaguely heard something on the radio today and it mentioned Roenick being one of the players that was a part of it.

So f***ing sick of hearing about this it's not even funny.

 

Every TV show, every radio updated, etc.

At least this is something decent.

 

It's better than hearing about somet stupid TO controversy or something of that nature.

 

At least this thing has some substance to it, IMO.

Sounds like its getting worse.  I vaguely heard something on the radio today and it mentioned Roenick being one of the players that was a part of it.

That makes so much sense actually.

Sounds like its getting worse.  I vaguely heard something on the radio today and it mentioned Roenick being one of the players that was a part of it.

 

I figured he'd be involved, he's had problems in the past too.

janet gretzky placing bets = wayne gretzky placing bets

 

That was my first thoughts when I heard she was involved.

 

I don't know what to think of the whole thing, but as long as no Canes and Sens were involved, I won't get completely bent out of shape over it.

it turns out that the blackhawks have just been throwing games for the last 10 years. they don't really suck as bad as we think they do.

On the "breaking news" thing on ESPNEWS, it says "Tocchet granted leave of absence".

 

Not exactly a surprise....

More breaking news -- the NHL has hired the lawyer who prosecuted the Unabomber to head its internal investigation.

 

From The New York Times:

 

N.H.L. Hires a Prosecutor in Betting Inquiry

By DAVE CALDWELL

The National Hockey League commissioner, Gary Bettman, granted an indefinite leave of absence last night to Rick Tocchet, a former N.H.L. player and a Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach accused of financing a multimillion-dollar, New Jersey-based sports gambling ring.

 

Tocchet and his lawyer, Kevin Marino, met in New York with Bettman and Robert J. Cleary, a prominent former federal prosecutor who was retained yesterday by the N.H.L. to open an internal investigation. The league said in a statement that Tocchet had requested the leave and was not prepared to respond to specific allegations.

 

Tocchet and his co-defendants, James J. Harney, a New Jersey state trooper, and James A. Ulmer of Swedesboro, N.J., are expected to be arraigned in New Jersey Superior Court in Burlington County in 7 to 10 days.

 

As part of the conditions of Tocchet's leave of absence, Bettman said, Tocchet could not communicate with anyone on any club or in the league. Bettman will decide when the leave is over, and he can modify the terms at any time.

 

"We view the charges against Mr. Tocchet in the most serious terms," Bettman said in a statement released by the league. "We have pledged our full cooperation to the New Jersey State Police and the New Jersey attorney general's office. While we are conducting our own investigation, we have made clear to the law enforcement authorities in New Jersey that we will do nothing to interfere with their ongoing investigation."

 

The N.H.L. said that New Jersey authorities told the league yesterday that "nothing whatsoever has come to their attention which would indicate that the activities being investigated involve or relate in any way to betting on N.H.L. games." The league's collective bargaining agreement prohibits players from such betting.

 

Cleary was the lead prosecutor during the late 1990's in the Unabomber case, in which Theodore J. Kaczynski was sentenced to life in prison. Cleary was the United States attorney for New Jersey from 1999 to 2002 and for the Southern District of Illinois later in 2002 before becoming a partner in the New York law firm Proskauer Rose.

 

None of the bettors have been identified, but Harney's lawyer, Craig R. Mitnick, said that the actress Janet Jones, the wife of Wayne Gretzky, the former hockey superstar who coaches the Coyotes, had placed wagers with the operation.

 

Authorities said the betting ring had links to organized crime and that its clients included at least a half-dozen current or former N.H.L. players.

 

In an investigation called Operation Slap Shot, New Jersey law enforcement authorities reported uncovering the processing of more than 1,000 wagers, exceeding $1.7 million, during a 40-day period. They said the bets were placed on professional and college sports, mostly football and basketball.

 

Marino, Tocchet's lawyer, did not return a phone message left at his office last night.

 

Earlier in the day, he said in a statement that the "allegations that Rick Tocchet financed an illegal gambling operation with organized crime is categorically false and irresponsible."

 

Marino added: "Rick is one of the most respected men ever to play in the N.H.L., not just for his playing prowess but for his integrity, strength and determination. We deeply regret the attorney general's precipitous charges, and are appalled by the media frenzy. Mr. Tocchet will fight false charges with the same grit and resolve he displayed during his illustrious playing career."

 

Gretzky fielded questions about his wife and Tocchet, 41, on Tuesday night after the Coyotes lost a home game to the Chicago Blackhawks.

 

He insisted he knew nothing about the possible involvement of his wife or Tocchet in a gambling operation and said he was unfairly being drawn into it. "Am I concerned for both of them? Sure, there's concern," Gretzky said. "I'm more worried about them than for me. I'm kind of like you guys, I'm trying to figure it all out, too."

 

Gretzky said he first learned about the matter when he spoke to Tocchet by phone Monday. He later spoke by phone to his wife, who was in California, he said. They did not discuss her possible connection to the gambling ring, Gretzky said.

 

"We didn't get into it, other than she was concerned about Rick and she felt that it was a tough situation for him and that she would sit down at some point and answer questions that everybody has for her and be her own person," Gretzky said.

 

He said he does not gamble, other than during occasional trips to Las Vegas, and said his wife "absolutely" had not placed bets for him. He said, "I'm standing here trying to answer the questions, but it's not even me that this is about and that's the tough, straight and hard part for me, but I understand."

 

Gambling is among several topics covered in team meetings during training camp as part of the Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program overseen by the players union and the N.H.L.

 

Betting on N.H.L. games accounts for the smallest percentage among legal sports wagering on football, basketball, baseball and hockey games, said Jeff Sherman, the race and sports book assistant manager at the Las Vegas Hilton.

 

Last night's game between the Ottawa Senators and the Rangers at Madison Square Garden — a 5-1 Rangers victory — had a minus-160/plus-140 spread, which meant the Senators were favored. A bettor had to wager $160 on the Senators to win $100, or wager $100 on the Rangers to win $140.

 

David Kocieniewski contributed reporting from Trenton for this article and Paul Giblin from Glendale, Ariz.

Gambling made the NFL the #1 Sport.

 

Hockey should take this and run with it as much as they can. ;-)