Rick 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.
.Story By: John Stolnis http://www.PhillySportsline.com.By: Steve Mancini
