Viewpoint

The fans are slowly filtering back to the game after the strike.Now this!!! get rid of the both of them.Ya wanna another blemish on our sport go ahead bettman ruin it.

I have no problem with Bettman's decision. Tocchet made a mistake. He has paid a price and that's that.The naysayers must live a perfect life if they can't give someone a second chance. Or more importantly,don't have clue what they are talking about.

I find the fact that everyone thinks that he is such a terrible person for gambling very disgusting.

Gambling is not inherently evil.
Also a key thing to remember is that he WASN'T betting on NHL games he was placing bets for NFL games and I fail to see how this is corrupting to the NHL, especially with the restrictions placed on him.

I have a lot of concerns as to allowing Mr Tocchet to return to a coaching role in the league. When gambling (or association with gamblers) is involved there must be swift and severe punishment. This impacts the very integrity of the game and cannot be allowed.
The league should ban anyone associated with casinos, gambling, or gamblers for life.

let those who aree blameless shoot the first puck.

The nhl is becoming a bad league do too Gary Bettman letting Tochett off the hook. Guys like this should'nt be allowed back in the game. It makes me sick to my Stomach.

Casinos ,horse racing or the stock market its all a gamble ,even carpenters do it. These are just regular people and should not be held to a higher standard than any one else ,sure its easy to kick someone while there down,why not give them a hand up,seams like the bolder thing to do.

I think that the nhl shouldn't let Tocchet back in the league.

When is the public going to wise up to the fact the NHL like all pro sport is a business not sport. And, when the insane amount of money involved is in the hands of not very bright people like Tocchet things are going to happen.
No question he should be banned for life to try and start setting some kind of example of decent behavior what ever situation it may pertain too.
The NHL like some other pro sport is rapidly heading down the tubes. Just take a look at how many people are in the stands in most major U.S. cities.

I believe that Rick Tochett should have been suspended for life from working in any capacity in the NHL. He sets a poor example for the NHL and if they are so concerned about the the quality of play as well as personnal working in this league I think Mr. Betman has blown this big time. I also think that if Mr. Tochett was not working and associated with Wayne Gretsky he would have been suspended for life no problem. Because of this decision the league gets another bad name, as if they don't have enough problems going on these days with players trying to hurt each other.

Francis Doyle

For being a part of an organized gambling ring involved with corrupt law enforcement officers and Tocchet can ultimately return to the NHL? Once again, the league offices can't get the punishment right. The NHL cannot afford to have the same problems as the NHL, the NBA or MLB. Allowing Tocchet the opportunity to return doesn't send the right message.

Bettman got it right by agreeing to Let Rick Tocchet return next Feb. However, I do not think his presence on the bench will help the Coyotes. If he does this again, he should be gone for good.

My, my, Ken. Don't we sit on high in judgement of Rick Tochett, Gary Bettman and the NHL! It must be difficult to be so perfect everyday, too!

I find your comments absolutely reflective of today's society -- the "I am better than everyone else" mentality. Mr. Bettman has done everything he can to ensure the credibility of the game, it's participants and their conduct in light of the overblown hype of what was portrayed to be a major gambling ring and turned out to be a bigger pile of rhetoric than reality.

We are seeing a truly fantastic sport experiencing growing pains (not unlike those of the NFL, the NBA and MLB), albeit on a different scale. The NHL is beginning to send a message to everyone -- players, coaches, fans, sponsors -- that it takes each incident seriously (except, it seems, for the ongoing head shots in every game) and I commend the NHL for that.

Finally, Ken, you state: "Every day I wonder more and more if I do want my son to play the game when I see this stuff being allowed." Another PERFECT example not wanting to get involved to make the game even better. If you were a REAL hockey fan, in my opinion, you would encourage your son to play the game, become a role model and do all the right things to make the game even better than it is today.

Mr. Bettman got this one right, as Mr. Morrison states. With respect to your son, the question is: will you?

These days it seems like every pro sport as well as the Olympics and the Tour de France are filled with lying,cheating,gambling dopers who will stop at nothing in their greedy pursuit of money.The only way to get a handle on it would be to ban these people for life and have them forfeit any compensation they have received.They have..knowingly..committed fraud and should be prosecuted and,if found guilty,serve jail time.It is really sad the way society is heading.

T

"Won't somebody please think of the children!"

Bettman was being merciful to Tocchet. If he wanted to be cruel, he would have been sentenced Tocchet to coaching the desert dogs for 10 years. The coyotes are a cursed team since they were stolen from Winnipeg. Not even Gretzky can help this team.

pete rose got life.

This is the third consecutive blog regarding this issue. Lets move on and discuss something that actually merits our attention.

"A cynic would wonder if some of that isn't an effort, conversely, to understate the severity of the case and do some damage control."

...No, a realist would wonder that Scott. No wonder people are bailing on the NHL. Here's a chance to make things better by getting rid of the "gambling pimps" and showing fans (KIDS!) that the game & people can be better than this.

It's sad when we think it's okay to let people like this stay in the game. Every day I wonder more and more if I do want my son to play the game when I see this stuff being allowed. Yep, the "league's substance and behavioral health program doctors" will do wonders with him. Seems like his treatment and rehab went really well during the past year...