It was learned on Wednesday that former Flyers star and current
Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Rick Tocchet could be in some
hot water with both the NHL and the New Jersey State Police,
after authorities busted a sports gambling ring he helped
finance. According to authorities, "Operation Slap Shot" (real
creative title there guys, I guess "Operation Icing" and
"Operation Crosscheck" were both already taken) uncovered a
sports betting system that processed more than 1,000 wagers with
a total of about $1.7 million on professional and collegiate
sporting events during a 40-day period. Tocchet has been
identified as a partner and financier of the ring (along with a
New Jersey state trooper), and State Police also say that
"Police Academy 5" star and wife of Wayne Gretzky, Janet Jones,
placed bets for players on the Coyotes.
No one involved has been accused of betting on hockey games, by
the way. All bets were made on sports other than the NHL. So,
we're not talking about NHL players placing bets on their own
games, like Pete Rose did. Still, this could be a major scandal
for the NHL. Perhaps even more shocking to me was the fact that
I had no idea that Rick Tocchet was still in the NHL! Did you
know he was a coach on the Coyotes? And did you know that he and
Wayne Gretzky, the Coyotes head coach, were BFFs? It got me to
thinking... with Tocchet turning to the gambling industry
following his playing career (with a little coaching mixed in),
what jobs do you think some ex-Flyers may be pursuing now that
their playing career is finished, and what jobs do you think
some current Flyers may pursue when they hang up the skates?
(Cue the dream sequence sound effects and graphics...)
Mike Bullard - Dentist (if anyone knows about dental
work, it would be 'ol "Gappy")
Tim Kerr - Hunchback (years of back problems)
Dominic Roussel - Motivational Speaker (centering around
teamwork)
Ron Hextall - Anger Management Coach (because he always
kept a cool head)
Brian Propp - Anything but a radio color analyst (damn,
too late)
Peter Zezel - Teen Magazine Editor (hell, he appeared in
enough of those things anyway)
Eric Lindros - Mafia Hit Man (fuhgeddaboutit)
Billy Tibbets - Unemployed (it's hard for a rapist to
find a good job nowadays)
Kjell Samuelson - Lumberjack (obviously)
Keith Primeau - Let's just have Keith be able to run on a
treadmill for 10 minutes without falling over before we give the
guy a job
Chris Gratton - Not sure exactly, but I do know that he'd
get a promotion then crumble under the pressure of higher
expectations
Chris Therien - First things first. Let's just get the
guy to retire first and then we can figure out a job for him.
RETIRE CHRIS!
Garth Snow - Sofa Maker (hey, the guy likes padding)
Donald Brashear - Professional Swimmer (just like the
NHL, he'd be the only black guy out there)
Those are just a few. And hey, let's make this interactive.
Make sure to click on the forums link, reply to this column and
add a couple of your own! You can use any current or former
Flyer. Maybe they'll check in sometime if they're low on ideas
or worried about what they're going to do when they decide to
retire. In the end, they'll thank us.
In the meantime, Tocchet is expected to be arraigned within the
next 7-10 days and will most likely be suspended by the NHL for
his role in the gambling ring. And Rick, if you do end up having
to do a little time in the pokey, tell Billy Tibbets we all said
hello.
About the author:
Story by: John Stolnis
http://www.phillysportsline.com
