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Kings' Roenick linked to gambling ring
Gambling ring busted by police
By Rich Hammond, Staff Writer
Kings player Jeremy Roenick is among a dozen people with NHL ties whose names are part of an investigation into a nationwide gambling ring linked to organized crime.
On Tuesday, sources said Roenick, 36 and likely a future Hall of Famer, is not a focal point of the investigation, which also reportedly includes Janet Jones, wife of NHL icon Wayne Gretzky. Roenick has a history of sports betting and is a friend and former teammate of Rick Tocchet, the Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach alleged by authorities to be the financier of the gambling ring.
Bets were placed on various professional and college sports, but probably not NHL games, authorities said. Tocchet is alleged to have taken bets from NHL figures, among them Jones and Roenick, and funneled the money back to New Jersey in an operation that reportedly had ties to organized crime.
An eight-month undercover investigation by New Jersey authorities - dubbed "Operation Slap Shot" - uncovered a ring that had taken more than 1,000 wagers for more than $1.7 million, authorities said.
Gretzky, owner and coach of the Coyotes, laughed when reporters asked about his wife's involvement.
"Oh really? I don't know. You'd have to ask her that," Gretzky said.
A Kings team spokesman said Roenick, who did not respond to a message, would have no comment on the investigation Tuesday. Roenick played in the Kings' road game against the Minnesota Wild.
This would not be Roenick's first gambling controversy. In Aug. 2004, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Roenick had paid more than $100,000 to a company that sold gambling tips.
Authorities found no wrongdoing on Roenick's behalf at the time. In an interview with the Inquirer, Roenick admitted to a longtime hobby of betting on non-hockey events but said he had stopped earlier that year.
"I enjoyed it, but I don't think I had a problem," Roenick said then. "I shut it off cold turkey. ... People should just understand that gambling is dangerous, and you can get hurt from it. I learned the hard way."
Roenick and Tocchet have clear ties. They were teammates twice, for three seasons in Phoenix (1997-2000) and one in Philadelphia (2001-02). In a recent chat on NHL.com, Roenick said he would "wait until Rick Tocchet gets a coaching job and maybe go work for him and
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be his assistant coach."
Tocchet, 41, also spent two of his 18 NHL seasons with the Kings and was a teammate of Gretzky, now Tocchet's boss as head coach and owner of the Coyotes. Tocchet traveled to New Jersey and today is expected to answer charges of promoting gambling, money laundering and conspiracy.
"It's not a hockey-related issue, it's a football thing," Tocchet told The Arizona Republic. "And at this time I can't comment any further."
The investigation already has resulted in two arrests, including New Jersey state police trooper James Harney, who is alleged to be Tocchet's partner in the operation, with Tocchet providing the funds.
Another man alleged to have taken bets, James Ulmer, 40, was arrested and charged with promoting gambling, money laundering and conspiracy.
Lt. Col. Frank Rodgers, deputy superintendent of investigations for the New Jersey State Police, told Canadian network TSN that "12 NHL players or people closely associated with NHL clubs," including an NHL team owner and a member of a coaching staff, placed bets with the ring.
Another member of the state police, superintendent Rick Fuentes, told the Associated Press that no bets were placed on NHL games, but Rodgers would not confirm that to TSN.
"There are many more stones that have to be turned over before we can say that," Rodgers said.
In a statement, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said: "We understand that Mr. Tocchet's conduct in no way involved betting on hockey. And, while betting on football or other sports may be the pervasive issue, it in no way justifies poor judgment or otherwise alleged inappropriate conduct."
Gambling ring busted by police
By Rich Hammond, Staff Writer
Kings player Jeremy Roenick is among a dozen people with NHL ties whose names are part of an investigation into a nationwide gambling ring linked to organized crime.
On Tuesday, sources said Roenick, 36 and likely a future Hall of Famer, is not a focal point of the investigation, which also reportedly includes Janet Jones, wife of NHL icon Wayne Gretzky. Roenick has a history of sports betting and is a friend and former teammate of Rick Tocchet, the Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach alleged by authorities to be the financier of the gambling ring.
Bets were placed on various professional and college sports, but probably not NHL games, authorities said. Tocchet is alleged to have taken bets from NHL figures, among them Jones and Roenick, and funneled the money back to New Jersey in an operation that reportedly had ties to organized crime.
An eight-month undercover investigation by New Jersey authorities - dubbed "Operation Slap Shot" - uncovered a ring that had taken more than 1,000 wagers for more than $1.7 million, authorities said.
Gretzky, owner and coach of the Coyotes, laughed when reporters asked about his wife's involvement.
"Oh really? I don't know. You'd have to ask her that," Gretzky said.
A Kings team spokesman said Roenick, who did not respond to a message, would have no comment on the investigation Tuesday. Roenick played in the Kings' road game against the Minnesota Wild.
This would not be Roenick's first gambling controversy. In Aug. 2004, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Roenick had paid more than $100,000 to a company that sold gambling tips.
Authorities found no wrongdoing on Roenick's behalf at the time. In an interview with the Inquirer, Roenick admitted to a longtime hobby of betting on non-hockey events but said he had stopped earlier that year.
"I enjoyed it, but I don't think I had a problem," Roenick said then. "I shut it off cold turkey. ... People should just understand that gambling is dangerous, and you can get hurt from it. I learned the hard way."
Roenick and Tocchet have clear ties. They were teammates twice, for three seasons in Phoenix (1997-2000) and one in Philadelphia (2001-02). In a recent chat on NHL.com, Roenick said he would "wait until Rick Tocchet gets a coaching job and maybe go work for him and
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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be his assistant coach."
Tocchet, 41, also spent two of his 18 NHL seasons with the Kings and was a teammate of Gretzky, now Tocchet's boss as head coach and owner of the Coyotes. Tocchet traveled to New Jersey and today is expected to answer charges of promoting gambling, money laundering and conspiracy.
"It's not a hockey-related issue, it's a football thing," Tocchet told The Arizona Republic. "And at this time I can't comment any further."
The investigation already has resulted in two arrests, including New Jersey state police trooper James Harney, who is alleged to be Tocchet's partner in the operation, with Tocchet providing the funds.
Another man alleged to have taken bets, James Ulmer, 40, was arrested and charged with promoting gambling, money laundering and conspiracy.
Lt. Col. Frank Rodgers, deputy superintendent of investigations for the New Jersey State Police, told Canadian network TSN that "12 NHL players or people closely associated with NHL clubs," including an NHL team owner and a member of a coaching staff, placed bets with the ring.
Another member of the state police, superintendent Rick Fuentes, told the Associated Press that no bets were placed on NHL games, but Rodgers would not confirm that to TSN.
"There are many more stones that have to be turned over before we can say that," Rodgers said.
In a statement, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said: "We understand that Mr. Tocchet's conduct in no way involved betting on hockey. And, while betting on football or other sports may be the pervasive issue, it in no way justifies poor judgment or otherwise alleged inappropriate conduct."
