If it’s already happened in pro basketball, could it threaten pro hockey?
That’s the question a lot of people might be asking themselves in light of the recent gambling scandal which has afflicted the NBA.
A lot of bad things have been charged but the worst might be the accusation that a player allegedly faked an injury in order to affect betting lines.
Trying to fix games in pro sports has been going on for centuries and these attempts go right to the heart of a game’s integrity.
If it’s not honest competition, what’s the point?
For the record, the NHL has pretty much avoided these black marks.
You get the occasional news that someone has broken the rules, like back in 2006 when current Flyers coach Rick Tocchet, then an assistant with the Phoenix Coyotes, was caught up in an illegal sports betting ring dubbed “Operation Slapshot.”
For that, the discipline was swift and justified. He received a two-year suspended sentence from the criminal justice system and a two-year suspension from the NHL.
But that was nowhere as egregious as some of the stuff that came out in the news over the past few days.
The question is: Does the NHL have its guard up enough to prevent it from happening in what has been known to be an honorable sports competition.
A former NHL player says he believes the right precautions are being taken and during his years in the league didn’t see any signs of wagering abuse.
“I’ve never seen anybody exposed to fraud or anything,” said the player who requested anonymity. “There are guys who gamble, the ones who live close to the casinos. There are always sports bookies around and they (certain) players wanted to bet on football games.
“But I’ve never seen anything like breaking the law or affecting the outcome of games. Nothing with malicious intent involved.”
As for players such as Terry Rozier of the Miami Heat, who pulled himself out of a game even though reports state he was not injured, hockey doesn’t lend itself to that sort of behavior.
Heck, who hasn’t seen a hockey player suffer a wicked facial cut in the first period of a game, go to the locker room to get stitched up and return for the second?
“I’ve never seen or heard of that (hockey player faking an injury),” our source said. “I don’t even believe there’s been a ‘prop bet’ system in hockey.”
Now hockey players betting on football, that’s just what any redblooded American or Canadian sportsman might do on any given Sunday. A $5 parlay bet is not going to make national headlines.
“Like I said, I’ve never seen anybody do anything to hurt or taint the goodness of the game,” the source said.
Does the NHL do a good job to discourage this sort of behavior? It’s a known fact the league makes it a point to send a rep to each team to make sure everyone knows the do’s and don’ts – from illegal drug use to getting caught up in illegal gambling.
“There’s so much exposure to gambling now,” the source said. “You’re watching games on TV and betting is the forte of every sports channel you have on.
“So there have been incidents, like the guy in Ottawa.”
That would be Shane Pinto, who received a 41-game suspension for violating NHL policy by betting on teams in other sports.
Players sort of police themselves, too. After all, if a teammate does something wrong and winds up not playing, that hurts everyone, including in the wallet if the playoffs are involved.
“I’ve never seen a guy jeopardize his own position,” the source said. “Or somebody else’s by getting into serious trouble through gambling or getting involved with the wrong people.”
Let’s hope it stays that way. Pro hockey has been around for more than a hundred years but it’s still trying to win over fans in the United States.
The last thing it needs is negative publicity.
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