Gretzky aware of gambling, tape shows
Hockey legend reportedly discussed how his wife could avoid trouble
By ANGELA DELLI SANTI and GEOFF MULVIHILL
Associated Press
TRENTON, N.J. - Professional hockey icon Wayne Gretzky was recorded on a wiretap talking to the alleged financier of a gambling ring about how his wife could avoid being implicated, a person with knowledge of the investigation told the Associated Press on Thursday.
Gretzky, coach and part-owner of the Phoenix Coyotes, can be heard on wiretaps made within the past month talking about his wife with assistant coach Rick Tocchet, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
Gretzky's wife, actress Janet Jones, allegedly bet at least $100,000 illegally on football games during the course of the investigation by state authorities, the person said.
There is no evidence that Gretzky, known in hockey as "The Great One" for his prowess on the ice during his playing days, placed any bets, the person said.
'Not going anywhere'
After Phoenix's game on Thursday night, Gretzky did not take questions or talk about the wire taps during a brief news conference. He reiterated that he had never bet and said he plans to stay with the Coyotes and attend the Turin Olympics as Team Canada's executive director.
"I'm not going anywhere," he said after the Coyotes' 5-1 loss to Dallas. "I'm still going to coach the Phoenix Coyotes. I've done nothing wrong.
"I'm going to Italy on Sunday. I'm going to be with Team Canada."
Jones released a statement before the game, saying, "At no time did I ever place a wager on my husband's behalf, period. Other than the occasional horse race, my husband does not bet on any sports."
Authorities say that from Dec. 29 through Sunday ? the day of the Super Bowl ? bettors placed a total of $1.7 million in wagers with the ring run by a New Jersey state trooper, Tocchet and a South Jersey man. All face charges of promoting gambling, money laundering and conspiracy, and all are scheduled to be arraigned in Superior Court in Mount Holly on Feb. 21, the state Attorney General's Office said Thursday.
Jones has not been charged.
Investigators say about a half-dozen current NHL players placed bets with the ring. They are looking into whether anyone involved in the 5-year-old operation, which authorities say had a connection to organized crime in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, wagered on NHL games. Gretzky is not the main focus of the probe, the person said.
The Star-Ledger of Newark, citing unidentified law enforcement personnel, first reported a wiretap involving Gretzky in Thursday's editions. The newspaper also reported that Jones bet $500,000 during the investigation, including $75,000 on the Super Bowl.
Earlier in the week, Gretzky denied any involvement in the ring.
Defense lawyers involved in the case said details of the three-month investigation should not be made public.
"I have never been involved in a case where the prosecution has engaged in such inappropriate conduct in terms of making investigators available to the press, appearing on nationally syndicated television," said Kevin Marino, a lawyer for Tocchet, who was granted an indefinite leave from the NHL on Wednesday. "It's improper, it's unwarranted and I will not tolerate it."
Attorneys for all three men charged in what authorities dubbed "Operation Slapshot" said they will fight the charges.
State investigators said they will interview more hockey players who were thought to have placed bets, in part to determine whether there was any gambling on hockey. So far, authorities say, they do not have evidence that there was.
Players told to get lawyers
The NHL has hired Robert Cleary, a former federal prosecutor who handled the Unabomber case, to investigate.
Cleary said Thursday that he was not sure how long his work might take, in part because he wants to stay out of the way of law enforcement agents who are continuing to investigate.
Hockey players are prohibited from making NHL wagers, legal or otherwise. There are no rules that forbid them from placing legal bets on other sports.
With the NHL launching an investigation into the alleged gambling ring, the National Hockey League Players' Association has been telling its members that their collective bargaining agreement gives them the right to have counsel or players union counsel present during interviews, the association said Thursday.
