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Tocchet takes leave for gambling fiasco

Bruins goalie Jim Thomas divers for the puck during the first period against the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Boston defeated Pittsburgh 3-1. PHOTO: AP

Rick Tocchet was granted an indefinite leave of absence Wednesday by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, a day after the Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach was accused of financing a nationwide gambling ring that took bets from about a half-dozen current players.

Tocchet met with Bettman and requested the leave, which the commissioner agreed to as long as several conditions were met by the former All-Star player.

Tocchet, who works under Coyotes head coach Wayne Gretzky, must immediately cease all contact and communication with all NHL and team personnel and stay away for the duration of his leave. He will not be allowed to return without Bettman's consent.

The commissioner also reserves the right to change the terms of Tocchet's absence at any time.

"We view the charges against Mr. Tocchet in the most serious terms," Bettman said in a statement. "We have pledged our full cooperation to the New Jersey State Police and the New Jersey Attorney General's Office.

"While we are conducting our own investigation, we have made clear to the law enforcement authorities in New Jersey that we will do nothing to interfere with their ongoing investigation."

The NHL hired former federal prosecutor Robert Cleary, who headed the Unabomber case, to investigate Tocchet.

Tocchet came to the meeting with his new attorney, who officially informed Bettman and Cleary of the pending charges that Tocchet is facing.

On the advice of attorney Kevin Marino, Tocchet wasn't prepared to respond to specific questions about the allegations, the NHL said in a news release. It was at the end of the meeting that Tocchet requested the leave of absence.

New Jersey authorities told the NHL on Wednesday that nothing has come to their attention that indicates the gambling activities relate in any way to NHL games. None of the players were identified in the complaint.

"While there is speculation as to which other NHL personnel may have been involved in this matter, we continue to await guidance in that regard from the New Jersey law enforcement authorities," Bettman said.

Pittsburgh's Mark Recchi, a former teammate of Tocchet's, forced a Philadelphia TV station to retract a story on its Web site that said he was connected to the ring. He and John LeClair, another Penguins player and past member of the Flyers, hired a lawyer to potentially sue the station and other media outlets.

Recchi and LeClair said they haven't been contacted by authorities and don't expect to be.

Cleary was the lead prosecutor from 1996-1998 in the case against Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski, who was sentenced to four lifetimes in prison on charges related to three deaths and the maiming of two scientists.

Cleary was the US Attorney in New Jersey from 1999-2002 and in the Southern District of Illinois in 2002.

New Jersey State Police Lieutenant Gerald Lewis said police investigators will interview other hockey players to get a sense of the scope of the gambling ring and to determine whether others should be charged.

Tocchet was publicly implicated by New Jersey authorities on Tuesday. He was not behind the bench for Tuesday night's home game against Chicago.

Tocchet is expected to be arraigned within 10 days, said John Hagerty, a spokesman for the New Jersey division of criminal justice.

Gretzky's wife, actress Janet Jones, was also implicated, two law enforcement officials told AP, speaking on condition of anonymity because no bettors have been publicly identified.

She hasn't made any public statements, and Gretzky said Tuesday that she would answer questions at some point.

Hockey players are prohibited from making NHL wagers, legal or otherwise. There are no rules that forbid them from betting on other sports.

Rangers 5, Senators 1

Jaromir Jagr had a goal and two assists, and Henrik Lundqvist made 24 saves to easily outplay Dominik Hasek in the New York Rangers' 5-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators.

Jagr's 36th goal gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead in the second period and moved him into a tie with Mike Bossy for 16th place on the NHL's career list with 573. With his three points, Jagr passed Luc Robitaille and Brett Hull for 18th place with 1,392.

Marek Malik and Jason Ward also scored in the middle frame. Michael Nylander and Petr Sykora added goals in the third period for the Rangers.

Chris Kelly scored for Ottawa.

Flyers 5, Islanders 2

At Philadelphia, Mike Richards scored three goals, leading undermanned Philadelphia to a victory over New York.

Playing without their two leading scorers, Peter Forsberg and Simon Gagne, the Flyers snapped a three-game losing streak and won for just the fifth time in 15 games to remain one point behind the Atlantic Division-leading Rangers.

R.J. Umberger and Jeff Carter also scored for Philadelphia.

Trent Hunter and Miroslav Satan scored for the Islanders.

Gagne, who was second in the NHL with 35 goals, sat out with a stomach virus and Forsberg, who has 62 points, missed his sixth straight game with a groin injury.

Red Wings 6, Predators 0

At Detroit, Manny Legace earned his second consecutive shutout, and Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk each had a goal and two assists to send Detroit to a win over Nashville. Nicklas Lidstrom and Mikael Samuelsson each added a goal and an assist for Detroi.

Bruins 3, Penguins 1

At Pittsburgh, Brad Stuart scored two power-play goals to lead Boston past Pittsburgh. Travis Green also scored for the Bruins.

Tomas Surovy ruined Tim Thomas' shutout bid when he scored with 1:31 left.

Blue Jackets 7, Kings 4

At Columbus, Ohio, Trevor Letowski and Jason Chimera each scored twice and Columbus beat Los Angeles, sending the Kings to their seventh straight loss.

Jaroslav Balastik had a goal and an assist, and David Vyborny and Sergei Fedorov also scored for Columbus.

Eric Belanger, Dustin Brown and Derek Armstrong each had a goal and an assist for Los Angeles.

Flames 3, Mighty Ducks 1

At Calgary, Alberta, Miikka Kiprusoff made 31 saves and Calgary scored three power-play goals to beat Anaheim. Matthew Lombardi, Daymond Langkow and Chris Simon scored for the Flames.

Andy McDonald had the lone goal for the Mighty Ducks.

Blues 4, Canucks 2

At Vancouver, British Columbia, Keith Tkachuk had a goal and two assists and Patrick Lalime made 19 saves in his return to NHL action, backstopping St. Louis to a surprising win over Vancouver.

Petr Cajanek, Vladimir Orszagh and Mark Rycroft gave the Blues a 3-1 first-period lead.
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