League Hopes This Saga Goes Into Hibernation

The Turin Olympic Games were scripted as a marquee event for the NHL. The sport’s finest players competing on the world’s grandest sports stage. The only swearing in to be done was the Olympic oath.

That feel-good-about-the-game scenario lost a little shine after New Jersey authorities announced arrests in a nationwide gambling operation allegedly run by Phoenix Coyote assistant coach Rick Tocchet and New Jersey state trooper James Harney.

The case -- and subsequent media blitz -- engulfed Janet Jones, wife of Phoenix Coach Wayne Gretzky. She is reported to have placed bets, along with six to 12 current and former players -- although apparently none bet on hockey games. Investigations are continuing. But there has been no evidence that Gretzky placed bets.

The scandal has left the Olympic hockey tournament, which begins Wednesday and is primed to be as competitive as the Winter Games have produced, with an unwanted back story. With Gretzky set to be in Italy today as executive director of hockey for Team Canada -- and Jones accompanying him -- the attention could linger longer than jetlag.

“We’re hoping that the Games don’t get overshadowed,” said the Kings’ Craig Conroy, who will play for Team USA.

“It’s disappointing that NHL hockey is better, attendance is up, we have two new young superstars in [Pittsburgh’s] Sidney Crosby and [Washington’s] Alexander Ovechkin, people love the shootout, everything is going in the right direction and all of a sudden we have a gambling thing. All the good stuff is forgotten. ESPN said, ‘We don’t talk about hockey any more.’ Now they are going to talk about it because it is something negative.”

Those strong feelings are prevalent among players competing in the Games.

That the gambling ring was taking bets from current NHL players was disturbing, players said, even though there has been no indication they bet on hockey games. That Phoenix General Manager Michael Barnett reportedly placed a bet -- instead of informing NHL officials that one of his assistant coaches was allegedly involved -- made things more ominous.

Yet, the spin still seems to be: Let the Games begin.

“All the negativity that has been around the last couple of weeks has been unfortunate,” said the Dallas Stars’ Bill Guerin, who also will play for Team USA. “But the Olympics are a big enough event that it can overshadow anything.”

Whether television will go along with that is still to be seen. One indication came from John Davidson, one of the NBC announcers for hockey.

“I understand this has created a story, no question,” Davidson said during a conference call Monday. “You can’t overreact until everything is front and center, with the facts. It has to go through the courts to get figured out and it might amount to absolutely nothing. But at least wait for something to make something out of this.”

As for the effect on the Olympic tournament, Davidson said, “My own personal opinion is this will galvanize [Gretzky’s] hockey club. It may galvanize the tournament a little bit.”

Gretzky, who attended Team Canada’s practice in Mississauga near Toronto on Monday, tried to move the focus off gambling.

“There’s nothing for me to talk about,” Gretzky told reporters in attendance. “I’m not involved and it’s been a hard week for my family and the only focus I have right now is this hockey team and getting ready for the Olympic Games. The focus should be on these athletes who’ve worked their lives to be in the Olympic Games. So if you have hockey questions, I’d be happy to stand here ... all day.”

That seems good enough for Team Canada players.

“From what Wayne has said, to us, it’s over with,” Dallas Star goaltender and Team Canada member Marty Turco said Sunday.

“He said he will deal with it after the Olympics. It’s not going to take away on why we’re going and the excitement of taking part in the Olympics.”

On to the Games

All that glitters will not necessarily be gold. There are a few tribal rights that may get addressed, games that a country must win.

Finland-Sweden.

“It’s a brother-sister thing,” said the Mighty Ducks’ Teemu Selanne, who plays for Finland. “I’ve been throwing a little trash at [Duck teammate and Team Sweden member] Sammy Pahlsson here and there for a week now.”

When asked how people in Sweden would react if the team lost to Finland in a pool play game but won the gold medal, King defenseman Mattias Norstrom said, “They’d be fine with it.”

Asked if they lost to Finland in pool play, but won the silver medal, Norstrom said, “That might be a little tougher to explain.”

The rivalry between the U.S. and Canada, though, remains the hottest, ever since Team USA beat Canada to win the 1996 World Cup.

“I was in college and we had Americans and Canadians watching the game together and it got heated, really heated,” said Turco, who attended Michigan. “[New Jersey Devil and American] John Madden was my roommate and we had teammates over. It got pretty ugly. There were some mean things said between teammates that shouldn’t be said and a few things got thrown around the house that day.”

Team USA won the final game of a best-of-three series in Montreal. Canada returned the favor in 2002, beating the U.S. to win the Olympic gold medal game in Salt Lake City.

“I think if you ask any Canadian, they’d much rather beat us than anyone else,” Guerin said. “The last 10 years, the rivalry has gotten better. The games have been a lot closer and we have put up more of a fight. We’ll give them a run for their money.”

Another player, another idea.

“The classic final? Russia and Canada,” said Duck goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, who will play for Russia. “That is the classic game for the whole world.”

Even in the Czech Republic? “No, not likely in that country,” Bryzgalov admitted.