Viewpoint

I agree mostly with what sue had to say in her comment.Although the original saying is
'the LOVE of money is the root of all evil'.
In my opinion Rick Tocchet should be suspended
by the NHL for at least 2 years starting at
the time of his probation handed to him at his court hearing.He showed incredibly poor judgement, demonstrated poor character and yes
set a bad example for the young people who look at today's atheletes as role models.

A couple of comments:
1) On an illegal hit (i.e.,vicious slash that shatters the wrist of a player), why not (in addition to penalties assigned) suspend the player for the same time that the injured player is forced to sit out with his injury?
2) Any stats on how many "unsportsman-like conduct" penalties are called in the NHL during the course of a season? Penalized players en route to the box consistently "show up" the officials, yet they rarely get an additional two. Let's get some baseball umps officiating a few hockey games....Yer outta there!!

Wasn't Gretz referring to the NJ Devils as Mickey Mouse?

As a player, Wayne Gretzky was not only the greatest, he was the classiest. As a coach/owner he has proven to be the opposite. His team stinks and his management decisions re Bertuzzi and Tochet are deplorable. Proves the old notion that great players never evolve into great managers. Perfect example of the Peter Principle - he has been prompted to his level of incompetence.

Sheldon in Indiana, as a long time time oilers fan you should know that gretz called the Devils NOT the jets the mickey mouse organization. And he's sticking by him because he's one of his best friends.

if Tocchet isnt suspendeded then the NHL will have a cloud hanging over it much as the NBA will face this year and the league has enough trouble selling its product in the states

Sheldon - I think it was New Jersey to whom Gretz made the "Mickey Mouse" comparison.

Gretzky referred to the New Jersey Devils as a Mickey Mouse organization after a particularly lopsided Oilers victory, not the Winnipeg Jets. Get your facts straight before posting. Also, we are discussing the Tocchet gambling incident, not the Jones hit on Bergeron or how great the Ottawa Senators are.

In all reality, there are far worse instances of gambling within the world of professional sports than what Tocchet did (Michael Vick comes to mind), and unlike the recent trouble in the NBA, these at least do not affect the outcome of games within the league. This is not to say I condone his actions. Rather, I believe it is not worth spending time meditating on as Tocchet will never amount to anything beyond an assistant coach in the NHL, and most likely will only remain in Coyotes organization until Gretzky finally gives up on his ill advised foray into coaching and the entire franchise is purged, and hopefully moved elsewhere.

If Gary Bettman wanted to be cruel, he would sentence Tocchet to 10 years of coaching the Desert Dogs. The Coyotes are a cursed team since they were stolen from Winnipeg and will never amount to anything but a hopeless disappointment.

What is Colin Campbell on??? Two games for Jones??? I guess 1 game for the concussion and 1 game for the broken beak. Campbell shuold either resign or be fired...Immediately.

Considering how badly the NHL protects its players from injuries, and how badly they screwed up any major US tv deal, I'm expecting them to punish Tocchet by allowing him to have his job back with a smirking "Now don't go doing that again...too often...or we may send you an angry letter."

As a long time Oilers Fan I really cant understand Gretz not moving on. Could it be because his wife was also allegedly involved? The question also has to be asked how much energy is Tocchet devoting to other jobs instead of the "desert dogs" I find it really Ironic that the player who referred to the Jets as a Mickey Mouse organization would allow such Mickey Mouse happening to occur to the same team now that he owns them. History does repeat. Maybe he should sell the team back to Winnipeg.

On another topic. I think the NHL will have to come down hard on the coaching stff of Philly. There have been too many instances of Flyers players involved in boarding hits. The suspension are not working. Maybe they need the added penalty of no money for that term and also the club shouldl be fined (along with coaching staff). Thoughts?

I understand that you are innocent till proven guilty. However many guilty people go unpunished but worse yet are never made accountable for their own actions. This would be the judicial system in Canada and ?? the USA??. That is why we have so much crime. There is no standard by which to live any more, I'm talking morals and integrity people. Money seems to drive our judicial system for punishment and verdicts. Why would Gretzky have put Tod Bertuzzi on an Olympic team after the action he took against Steve Moor. All the young players in the world got that message. Its acceptable to disable a colleague and still make it in the big league.
Now Mr. Gretzky would like Rick Tocchet back behind the bench with him. What other message will that give the hockey world and its youth.
The old saying that "MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL" may have more truth than that of just another old saying. Why do we choose to protect the rich. Why does money give them the ability to change the standards in life, like integrity and morality. Why are we so accepting of this?? Why do the offenders have more rights than than the victims?? Is there anyone out there with enough morality to answer me. I am a Canadian and Wayne Gretzky is an idol to many children in this country.
I hope the investigation is not tainted by a "good old boys club" to protect their own. People need to be made accountable for their actions, and that seems to be a long lost hope. Thus our crime rate has skyrocketed!!
If Rick Tocchet had anything to do with that betting organization he should be banned from any bench and the NHL.

tocchet should be banned for life as taylor was in the late forties

We are all so proud of our SENS. After getting as far as the did last year, it's great to see them off to a high start. Alfredson is truly a great team captain and leader, as well as a great shot maker. GO SENS GO, let's do it this year.